By Bob Boze Bell

Hard to believe now, but when my family moved to Kingman in 1956, there was a dirt road to Phoenix (actually Highway 93). There was a nefarious reason for this that involved Prescott, but I'll get to that.

Over the years, my father operated numerous gas stations on old Route 66 going back to 1946 when he ran a Mobil Oil gas station in Peach Springs, but the one that stands out was Al Bell's Flying A on Hilltop, outside of Kingman. Back in my day "Service with a smile" meant crisp uniforms with caps and bow ties (yes, bow ties!) with the service station attendant's name embroidered over his heart and at least four guys, dressed in white, who attacked every car that came in the driveway.