![]() ![]() ![]() “Cat evicted!” his terse report said and he returned to his district. The policeman didn’t pussy-foot around in making his report either. “I was too dad-burned tired by that time to care where he went,” fumed Connell at headquarters. That’s the last Patrolman Connell said he saw of him. And then, suddenly tired of the game, the cat darted out on the expressway and sped east. Patrolment Connell was in close pursuit, gun in hand again, and shouting: “Shush! Shoo! Stop! Scat!” The cat circled twice around the big hotel grounds with Connell lagging farther and farther behind. Suddenly, it darted for the door and was outside again. A ttempts to surround the animal were foiled by the side-stepping cat. It might frighten the customers, they said, or worse, cause the roof to leak. The cat was spared, however, when the hotel’s management nixed the gunplay. There, revolver in hand, Connell prepared to finish the outlaw cat. With Patrolman Connell and a half a dozen hotel employees close behind, the cat was chased into a basement. Connell received the assignment to evict it. The feline had checked into the hotel a couple of days ago, the hotel employees complained, and wouldn’t leave. One of them led him on a merry rat race for a half hour at the Thunderbird Inn Hotel, Bypass Road and Robinson. Perhaps the funniest story involving the Thunderbird Inn occurred in May 1957 when a cute little kitty caused all kinds of entertaining mayhem, according to The Oklahoman:Ĭats were dirty names in one Oklahoma City policeman’s vocabulary Tuesday. You go, Gloria!Īs for the rooms, guests could choose from a small single ($6 and up a night), a twin ($10), or a two-room suite (complete with glass enclosed tub and shower, no less!): The still-stunning, 58-year-old star (and future, very vocal vegetarian) regaled patrons with stories about her vacation and signed several autographs before taking off, Hollywood style, in a sassy sports car with her gorgeous chauffeur (i.e., boy toy) in tow. Many lucky diners were surprised one summer evening in 1957 when silent movie legend, Gloria Swanson, popped in to enjoy a steak during a cross country road trip: ![]() Guests hosted parties by the beautiful pool (the largest private pool in the Southwest, according to the brochure’s boastful writers), held wedding receptions in large banquet rooms, pigged out on ample breakfasts in the coffee shop, and enjoyed delicious charbroiled steaks in the upscale restaurant: As this ’60s-era brochure shows, the conveniently located motel was just a mile from the zoo (and, later, the Cowboy Hall of Fame) and just a short highway ride to all of OKC’s attractions:Īs soon as the 67-room Thunderbird opened its doors, the luxury motel was a success. They also owned the neighboring Red Plains Trading Post, so guests could do a little tchotchke shopping during their stay, too. Robinson (now I-44 and Broadway Extension) to take full advantage of the growing numbers of cars travelling in all directions on the newly constructed highways. Sampson built a modern motel on the northwest corner of the Route 66 Bypass at N. But many Thunderbirds were individually owned operations like the one here in Oklahoma City:Īround 1955, Al Cook and E.S. After doing a little research, I found that a few companies did, indeed, own clusters of Thunderbird Motels, with one firm in the Northwestern states owning nearly 40 such named inns in that region. I always thought that they must have been part of a large franchise at one time. In fact, there have been so many Thunderbird Inns, Lodges, Motels, Motor Courts, Hotels, etc., that there’s a large group on Flickr devoted exclusively to them: At one time, there were dozens of Thunderbird Motels around the country - here’s one I found in Treasure Island, FL a few years ago: ![]()
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