A historic building on Route 66 in Carthage, Mo.,  was torn down Wednesday, essentially because of a careless SUV driver a few weeks ago.

According to the Carthage Press, the Route 66 Antique Mall and Flea Market on Oak Street was demolished. It was built in 1944 to house the Harel Griffith Pontiac dealership. It was converted into an antique mall and flea market in 1993.

The demise of the historic building began after the first ice storm in December this year (sic) when an SUV hit the shop.

“It disturbed the northwest corner and destabilized the integrity of the building,” said Chad Wampler, director of the Public Works Department. “It took that portion down immediately.”

A photo of the building being razed can be seen with the report here.

You can read more about the accident that ultimately doomed the building here.

Those who have visited the remote Route 66 town of Oatman, Ariz., probably have seen the often-humorous Old West gunfighter shows along the town’s main drag.

According to the Mojave Daily News, one of those gunfighters was killed in an auto accident on Route 66 east of Kingman on Tuesday.

Irving Thomas Spence, 57, of Oatman, was a passenger in a pickup truck driven by Lonnie Burch, 63, of Golden Valley, that was struck head-on by a car that tried to pass another vehicle. Spence died; Burch was taken to a Flagstaff hospital.

Burch and Spence, members of the Bitter Creek Outlaw gunfighters group that holds gunfight shows in Oatman, were returning from the Grand Canyon Caverns to see if they could hold shows there, Spence’s wife Debbie Ward said.

Spence was a member of the Bitter Creek Outlaws for the last two years and a member of several other gunfighters groups in Oatman for five years. Originally from Virginia, he also took visitors on Jeep tours at the Custer State Park in South Dakota,Ward said.

Speaking of Albuquerque, scenes from another movie was shot there last May. “Wild Hogs” was shot in downtown, including on Central Avenue (Route 66). The comedy stars John Travolta, William H. Macy, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence.

This is more proof that Albuquerque has become one of the country’s most popular cities to shoot films.

Here’s the trailer:

Here’s the plot:

A group of suburban biker wannabes look for adventure hit the open road in search of adventure, but get more than they bargained for when they encounter a New Mexico gang called the Del Fuegos.

“Wild Hogs” opens March 2.

This looks intriguing. The upcoming movie “First Snow” stars Guy Pearce and was written by the same guys who penned the script for the acclaimed “Children of Men.”

Best of all, Duke City Fix reports that nearly the entire movie was shot in the Route 66 town of Albuquerque. Sharp-eyed roadies will see the Nob Hill neighborhood along 66 in the trailer, which is here:

Here’s the premise of the film:

Stranded after an accident outside a desolate town, Jimmy Munson (Guy Pearce) visits a fortune teller to pass the time, but soon learns that he is running out of time. At first skeptical, Jimmy’s world begins to unravel as the psychic’s visions come true. Now, with his fate looming nearer, Jimmy becomes obsessed with revisiting his past in hopes of changing his destiny.

“First Snow” opens March 23.