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Description
April 13th, 2023.

I saw the neon sign for Key’s Twin Bridge Gas Station and Cafe in the parking lot of Route 66 State Park Visitors Center near Times Beach. Some years ago I read something about this sign and I assumed that it was located wherever the cafe used to be located. Apparently the Keys family donated the sign to the visitors center and it is now mounted on a pole in the parking lot. I'm not sure I approve of it being kept out in the elements, but at least it still exists.

The cafe was located about 20 miles further west on Route 66, between Villa Ridge and the Bourbeuse River.

The above black and white image is from 1993 and I saw another photo from 1996 that appeared to show that, at least, the café was still in business. A google map image from November 2008 shows that the buildings were still standing, but vacant and in poor repair. Just the foundations remain.

The following as lifted from a 1993 ARCHITECTURAL/HISTORIC INVENTORY SURVEY
History and significance: According to William Key, whose parents started their business here
in 1948, the gas station and nearby cafe and motel were constructed
about 1945 by John Kovak. Located near the junction of Highway 50 and Route 66, the cafe
is named for the twin steel and concrete bridges that once crossed the nearby Bourbeuse River.
At this spot, heading west, the road narrowed from three lanes to two. Because of this,
remembers Mr. Key, traffic was often bottlenecked here, particularly during bad weather, when
the sale of snow chains and tow services could bring in as much as $600 in a single evening.
Prior to purchasing this business, Mr. Key's parents worked for 19 years at The Diamonds,
where the senior Mr. Key eventually became a part owner of the business. For health reasons,
Key sold his interest in The Diamonds to Louis Eckelkamp in 1945 and "retired" to this location
just two miles west. Like The Diamonds, the Key Cafe was open 24 hours, but the Key's
catered less to the tourist trade, building their reputation on the short-haul trucking market
instead. During his summer vacations, young Mr. Key worked 12-hour days at the family
business, selling hot sandwiches, dinners, and his mother's trademark grape pie. When 1-44
bypassed old Route 66, business at the Key Cafe slowed down, but the area seems to be growing
again, and local traffic is now their stock in trade. Despite some significant alterations, the
arrangement of these buildings is an excellent example of commercial development along Route
66 in a rural setting, with a number of complementary services offered in a convenient single location.

Description
April 13th, 2023.

I saw the neon sign for Key’s Twin Bridge Gas Station and Cafe in the parking lot of Route 66 State Park Visitors Center near Times Beach. Some years ago I read something about this sign and I assumed that it was located wherever the cafe used to be located. Apparently the Keys family donated the sign to the visitors center and it is now mounted on a pole in the parking lot. I'm not sure I approve of it being kept out in the elements, but at least it still exists.

The cafe was located about 20 miles further west on Route 66, between Villa Ridge and the Bourbeuse River.

The above black and white image is from 1993 and I saw another photo from 1996 that appeared to show that, at least, the café was still in business. A google map image from November 2008 shows that the buildings were still standing, but vacant and in poor repair. Just the foundations remain.

The following as lifted from a 1993 ARCHITECTURAL/HISTORIC INVENTORY SURVEY
History and significance: According to William Key, whose parents started their business here
in 1948, the gas station and nearby cafe and motel were constructed
about 1945 by John Kovak. Located near the junction of Highway 50 and Route 66, the cafe
is named for the twin steel and concrete bridges that once crossed the nearby Bourbeuse River.
At this spot, heading west, the road narrowed from three lanes to two. Because of this,
remembers Mr. Key, traffic was often bottlenecked here, particularly during bad weather, when
the sale of snow chains and tow services could bring in as much as $600 in a single evening.
Prior to purchasing this business, Mr. Key's parents worked for 19 years at The Diamonds,
where the senior Mr. Key eventually became a part owner of the business. For health reasons,
Key sold his interest in The Diamonds to Louis Eckelkamp in 1945 and "retired" to this location
just two miles west. Like The Diamonds, the Key Cafe was open 24 hours, but the Key's
catered less to the tourist trade, building their reputation on the short-haul trucking market
instead. During his summer vacations, young Mr. Key worked 12-hour days at the family
business, selling hot sandwiches, dinners, and his mother's trademark grape pie. When 1-44
bypassed old Route 66, business at the Key Cafe slowed down, but the area seems to be growing
again, and local traffic is now their stock in trade. Despite some significant alterations, the
arrangement of these buildings is an excellent example of commercial development along Route
66 in a rural setting, with a number of complementary services offered in a convenient single location.