These are simply the best posters available! You will be thrilled with the image quality, vivid colors, fine paper, and unique subjects. This art was created from a historic image and has been transformed into a beautiful poster - available exclusively from Posterzilla.
OUR POSTERS ARE SIZED FOR STANDARD OFF-THE-SHELF FRAMES, WITH NO CUSTOM FRAMING REQUIRED, PROVIDING HUGE COST SAVINGS!
This beautiful poster has been re-mastered from an original image of the famous Summit Inn Café on Route 66, at the top of the Cajon Pass of Southern California.
The vibrant colors and detail of these classic images have been painstakingly brought back to life to preserve a great piece of history.
The 13"x19" format is an excellent image size that looks great as a stand-alone piece of art, or grouped as a visual statement. These posters require no cutting, trimming, or custom sizing, and a wide variety of these frames are readily available at your local craft or hobby retailer, and online.
A great vintage print for your home, shop, or business!
Summit Inn Café History
Perched near the top of the Cajon Pass, the Summit Inn was a beloved Route 66 landmark. It evolved through several locations as highways shifted from 1923 to 1952, serving as an oasis for weary travelers and celebrities alike until it was destroyed by the Blue Cut Fire in 2016.
The Summit Inn went through three distinct iterations before its destruction:
First Location (1923): Entrepreneur C.J. Whitlock opened the original café and service station along the National Old Trails Road, a precursor to Route 66, at the summit of the Cajon Pass, at an elevation of 4,233 feet. The site was between the current north and southbound lanes of the I-15 freeway.
Second Location (1928–1954): Route 66 was realigned, and the inn building was moved a few hundred feet northwest of the original location. The facility was expanded and included some small rental cabins.
Third Location (1955–2016): When Route 66 was once again rerouted to a lower elevation, the diner moved into a new building just south of the Oak Hill Road exit on I-15 in Oak Hills, California.
The Summit Inn was famous for its classic diner atmosphere—complete with a horseshoe counter, 12 Naugahyde booths, a jukebox, and eccentric menu items like ostrich burgers. It drew a steady stream of celebrities traveling between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, including John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Elvis Presley. According to lore, Elvis once walked out without eating because his records weren't in the jukebox, though he still tipped the waitress well.
The long trek up the Cajon Pass frequently caused cars to overheat, making the inn a necessary and celebrated spot for road-trippers and hot-rod enthusiasts to let their engines cool down.
In 1966, Cecil “C.A.” Stevens bought the diner and Texaco station, keeping it running as a staple of Americana for decades. In March 2014, the diner suffered massive damage when a stolen van crashed into it, but it was successfully restored and reopened by July.
Ownership passed to Katherine Juarez and her brother Rocino in 2016.The Tragedy struck on August 16, 2016, when the explosive Blue Cut Fire tore through the Cajon Pass. The inferno destroyed 300 structures, including the beloved Summit Inn. While a rebuilding effort was discussed, it was eventually abandoned. The loss of the original diner marked the end of an era for the historic highway.
