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Visiting Winslow, AZ - Can you see the
bald eagle in the top left window? What symbolism!
Back
somewhere in the 70’s, if I’m remembering my years correctly, a group
called the Eagles came out with a really cool song that had the lyrics
“Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona ... wondering
which way to go” and also something about a blond
in a red Ford pickup truck checking out the fellow standing on the
corner…
Anyway, the tune stuck in my
mind over all the years and one day, not too long ago, I had an opportunity to go through
Winslow on my way to Keams Canyon and the Hopi Nation.
It was a perfect time for me to find out about street corners in
Winslow. I wondered which way to go, too!
Absentmindedly I drove up and
down the streets (both of them) looking at all the old buildings.
(Oh all right - there were more than two streets.) Towards the end
of what seemed to be the main street, I found the old La Posada hotel and
the historic railway station. I stopped and took some pictures.
As I was photographing, I heard
the distant refrains of the that old hit song.
Someone was trying to drive the townspeople crazy, I thought, as the music
just played over and
over and over ...
The strains of "standing on a corner in Winslow,
Arizona" led me to an unfamiliar corner, somewhere in the downtown area
where, for some odd reason, I had not traveled before.
For
a moment I thought I was entering “The Twilight Zone”, or perhaps
Winslow had a section of town similar to “Brigadoon” that only appears once in a lifetime. I didn't know if it was AM
or FM. Weird.
What a surprise to come across a shrine to the Eagles
and the corner made famous by their music!
Obviously someone took a lot of pride in having the town mentioned
in that song, and it probably has given Winslow it’s biggest claim to fame
- ever!
So, if you should venture
down Interstate 40 between Flagstaff and Albuquerque, you’ve got to see
this! If it’s still there. If it’s for real…
Do you think he's looking at the blond reflected
in the
window or does he have his mind on all the money the
song is generating in Winslow? I vote for the blond....
The
Corner Winslow was named after General
Edward Francis Winslow, who also became president of the Atlantic and
Pacific Railroad. The town of Winslow was once an important shipping and trading
center. The railroad line always stopped there to allow train
travelers some rest before continuing through the rugged Arizona countryside. Outside of
the popular song references to
this corner and a newly reconstructed hotel along the train tracks,
Winslow is frequently missed by most
tourists.
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