Brief 03 - Research Content

BRIEF 03 - ROUTE 66

Brief History:

U.S. Route 66 (US 66 or Route 66), also known as the Will Rogers Highway and colloquially known as the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, was one of the original highways within the U.S. Highway System. Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in America, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending at Santa Monica, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km). It was recognized in popular culture by both the hit song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" and the Route 66 television show in the 1960s.

Route 66 served as a major path for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and it supported the economies of the communities through which the road passed. People doing business along the route became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway, and those same people later fought to keep the highway alive in the face of the growing threat of being bypassed by the new Interstate Highway System.

Route 66 underwent many improvements and realignments over its lifetime, and it was officially removed from the United States Highway System on June 27, 1985, after it had been replaced in its entirety by the Interstate Highway System. Portions of the road that passed through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona have been designated a National Scenic Byway of the name "Historic Route 66", which is returning to some maps. Several states have adopted significant bypassed sections of the former US 66 into the state road network as State Route 66.

Imagery/Content:

Chicago Illinois:

Cindy Lyn Motel, Route 66 - Cicero, Illinois originally marketed as the last motel before Chicago

The Red Brick Road in Auburn is truly exceptional. Indeed, Route 66's original surfacing is seldom seen anywhere. Here, it is decorated with large red bricks on a long stretch running between Auburn and Farmersville. This amazing road - use caution if driving on it - is still used by some locals.

Missouri: 

Devil's Elbow steel bridge was laid down in 1923 over the Big Piney River. The structure, which can still be crossed by car, appears as a mist-clad ghost early in the morning against the Ozarks isolated forest area. Not surprisingly, it was the scene of several fatal accidents in the heyday of Route 66.

Above: Historic Bradbury Bishop Deli, Webb City, Missouri.

In the tradition of Route 66, this historic soda fountain mixes crushed ice and soda for the delight of children ... and of grown-ups too! In the past, these establishments created their own sodas but this tradition is slowly but steadily fading in favor of the ubiquitous fast food chains.

Oklahoma:

Route 66. Metro Diner in Tulsa, Oklahoma on old Rt. 66. A diner, Elvis and Rt. 66 - a huge dose of 1950's Americana.

Oasis Motel, Tulsa, Oklahoma.Just 3 blocks from my home in Tulsa.

Clinton Diner, Route 66 - Clinton, Oklahoma
Texas:

Adrian, Texas. Halfway on Route 66

Mid point high way.

New Mexico:

Above: 66 Diner in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This is probably the most beautiful Diner on Route 66. Simply called "66 Diner", its rounded-profile building lies at the center of a large parking lot whose streetlights evoke its past splendor. This iconic architectural style of the 40s, the "streamlined style", was once prevalent on Route 66 although few identical buildings have been so remarkably restored.

Arizona:

Wigwam Motel, Route 66, Arizona.

California: