Angel Delgadillo

“If you ever plan to motor west…take the highway that is best…Flagstaff, Arizona don’t forget Winona…Kingman, Barstow…get your kicks on Route 66…” You may know the classic song about the iconic American road. It was a main artery for cross country travel until the Interstate highway system was built. However, when the Interstate system was built, Route 66 was bypassed in many places.

There is one small town that is not mentioned in that classic Route 66 song, and one man who dedicated a lifetime to preserving the iconic highway in the small town of Seligman, Arizona. Angel Delgadillo was growing up in the heyday of Route 66. He graduated high school in 1947 and in 1950 opened his barber shop on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona.

In 1985, when the Interstate System bypassed the small town of Seligman, Angel stepped up to found the Route 66 Association of Arizona. Ever since, he and his family have been champions of the cause to keep the interest alive in the small businesses and attractions that are the lifeblood of the towns they inhabit along the old highway. The historic Delgadillo’s Sno Cap Drive in was founded by his late brother, and along with his barber shop, Angel opened a souvenir shop on Route 66 in Seligman. The animated movie Cars took some inspiration from his story and the history of Route 66. Over all the years of his tireless dedication to Route 66 preservation, he has been nicknamed “The Guardian Angel of Route 66.”

On July 27th, 2023 a new exhibit dedicated to Angel Delgadillo was unveiled at the Powerhouse Kingman Visitor Center. The exhibit, titled “The Guardian Angel of Route 66” was designed by Wade Bray of SRO Productions. The exhibit features the story of Angel and also includes a new interactive exhibit called Storyfile that features an interactive video of Angel Delgadillo that a person can ask questions to and get an instant response from. It was created using several hours of footage of Mr. Delgadillo speaking.

The Guardian Of Route 66 exhibit is open daily from 9am-4pm at the Kingman Visitor Center at 120 W. Andy Devine in downtown Kingman on Route 66.