Big Chief Roadhouse
- Restaurant
- In Wildwood, Missouri
- 5.3 mi from Route 66
- National Register of Historic Places
Big Chief Roadhouse is a restaurant in Wildwood, MO, set in the only surviving building of the Big Chief, a late-1920s tourist court that once had 62 cabins. It stands on Manchester Road, the first alignment of Route 66 west of St. Louis, which carried the highway from 1926 to 1932. The white stucco building with its red tile roof is on the National Register of Historic Places and works as a restaurant again.
What is Big Chief Roadhouse?
The roadhouse is a two-story building in the Mission Revival style, with white stucco walls, a red clay tile roof and a row of arches across the ground floor. A sign on the front reads "Established 1929," the year the business counts its history from, and the restaurant marked its 90th anniversary in 2019.
It stands in Pond, an old community that is now part of the city of Wildwood.
History of Big Chief Roadhouse
The Big Chief opened in the late 1920s as a tourist cabin court. Each of its 62 cabins had its own garage, and besides the restaurant the grounds held a gas station, a dance floor and a playground. It ranked among the largest courts in Missouri: a 1935 state guide listed only nine with more than 30 cabins.
In 1932 Route 66 was moved to a more southerly route and no longer passed Pond, and business fell off. A bar was added after Prohibition ended in 1933. In World War II the cabins became housing for people employed by the Weldon Spring Ordnance Works close by, and after the war they were let to staff of a uranium plant at Weldon Spring. The restaurant had closed by 1949. The false bell tower on one corner was taken down in the 1950s, and the cabins later decayed and were demolished.
After decades of other uses, the building was restored and reopened as a restaurant in 1995, for a time as the Big Chief Dakota Grill. It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 under the name Big Chief Restaurant.
Visiting Big Chief Roadhouse: tips
The roadhouse sits right on Manchester Road, the 1926 line of Route 66, so it is an easy stop on the road's earliest path west of St. Louis. The cabins are gone, but the arched front and the "Established 1929" sign make a good roadside photo. The business has closed and reopened several times over the years, so check its own website before planning a meal here.
Practical info
- Address
- 17352 Manchester Rd, Wildwood, MO 63038
- Website
- bigchiefstl.com
- Hours
- We have no opening hours for this stop yet — check the official site.
- On site & nearby
Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix
On the map
Full mapBig Chief Roadhouse with the 6 closest stops and another place to eat (fork and knife). Tap a marker for details.
Tap a dot to see that stop here.
Stops near Big Chief Roadhouse
All of Missouri
4.8 mi from Big Chief Roadhouse
5.9 mi from Big Chief Roadhouse
6.4 mi from Big Chief Roadhouse
6.8 mi from Big Chief Roadhouse
7.4 mi from Big Chief Roadhouse
7.4 mi from Big Chief Roadhouse
More places to eat nearby
All diners on Route 66 →.jpg/250px-Spencer's_Grill_(7587568048).jpg)
Questions about Big Chief Roadhouse
Is Big Chief Roadhouse on Route 66?
Yes. It stands on Manchester Road in Wildwood, MO, which carried Route 66 from 1926 until 1932, when the highway was moved to a more southerly route.
How old is Big Chief Roadhouse?
The building dates from the late 1920s. The business counts its history from 1929, the year on its sign.
Is anything left of the Big Chief cabin court?
Only the restaurant building. The 62 cabins decayed and were demolished, and the false bell tower on one corner was removed in the 1950s.
Own or run Big Chief Roadhouse? Send us a photo or a correction.