Let's take a road trip on Route 66
“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”
Route 66, known as the Mother Road, was first used primarily as a route west for refugees of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.
The road stretches 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. It reached the height of its fame in the post-war era, with the expansion of American automobile ownership.
Roadside communities developed along the road--motels, restaurants, and small roadside attractions to support the new tourists. The road became a symbol of adventure and independence for an entire generation. In the late 1950s and 1960s the development of the American highway system led the road to fall into disuse and by the 1980s a lot of it was in complete disrepair.
During the last 20 years, however, we have been rediscovering our love of America’s Main Street. In 1999, Bill Clinton signed the National Route 66 Preservation Bill. Since then, a whole new generation has fallen in love with the road through Disney/Pixar’s Cars movies, which feature animated versions of actual sites on the road
In 2022, a bill was introduced in the senate which would make Route 66 A National Historic Trail. Nearby communities are beginning to capitalize on potential tourism opportunities. With the coming 100th anniversary in 2026, many parts of the road are getting some much-needed upgrades. Four restaurants: Delgadillo’s in Seligman, Az. , Mitla Café in San Bernadino, CA, Mr. Powdrell’s Barbeque House in Albuquerque, and U-Drop Inn Café in Shamrock Texas were just awarded Historic Small Restaurant Grants from the National Trust of Historic Places. The spirit of Route 66 lives on and thanks to preservation and revitalization efforts today’s travelers can still experience this National treasure.
Is it time to plan the great American road trip? There are more than 250 buildings, and road sections that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Route 66, you could spend weeks seeing them all. If you are more of an arm-chair traveler, you can read more about these wonderful sites in this photo guide, by the National Park Service. Happy Travels!
Other Resources:
If you happen to be in Tulsa, Oklahoma between June 23 and June 25th, you can stop and visit the second annual Route 66 Road Fest. https://route66roadfest.com/
Route 66 was not the same for everyone. Learn about the important history of African Americans on Route 66 from 1936-1964, as detailed in the Green-Book. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/route-66-and-the-historic-negro-motorist-green-book.htm
Learn about the Dust Bowl. Read Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/grapes-wrath/
Watch a movie! https://www.route66guide.com/movies-route66.html