During the period from November, 1926, to June, 1985, famous U.S. Route 66 was the primary highway corridor from the Midwestern U.S. to the Pacific Coast. It began in Chicago near Grant Park, crossed through eight states, transversed 2,448 miles, and ended at the pier in Santa Monica, California. It was the subject of pop music, books, films, and even a television series during its lifetime. But what was so special about it?
History: The earliest development of the roadway that became Route 66 dates back to 1857, when the Army Corps of Engineers was ordered to build a road that would support wagon traffic along the 35th Parallel through the southwestern U.S. Over time this original road linked up with two other roads to form a continuous route from Chicago, Illinois to the small, but growing area of Los Angeles, California. The actual birth of the famous route with its designation as Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles came on April 30, 1926, in Springfield, Missouri. It was one of the original roadways that became the United States Numbered Highway System in November, 1926. By 1938 it became the first highway in the system to be completely paved. Since the route it covered was mainly flat, it became popular with truck traffic as well as carloads of vacationers and people migrating to the western states. Various towns, tourist attractions, motels, restaurants, and service stations grew up along the way to service and support travelers.
Route Changes: Owing to a variety of reasons many parts of the original route were changed. In some cases, the original roadway was only intended to be temporary as a different roadway was under construction. Other times the route was changed to cross a new bridge over a waterway. During World War II, Route 66 was the major highway that connected the industrial Midwest with the aircraft and shipbuilding industries in Southern California. The portion that passed near Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, was one of the first places to be upgraded to a divided highway to accommodate the increase in military traffic. Several urban bypasses were developed to enable long distance travelers to avoid being snarled in downtown traffic. The portion that ran west from Kingman, Arizona, to California wound its way through the mountain town of Oatman, until a bypass was built to avoid the tricky and dangerous hairpin turns. This left the town of Oatman a virtual ghost town inhabited nowadays by wild burros. In 1940, the first freeway in Los Angeles, known as the Arroyo Seco Parkway, picked up Route 66 running it from Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles on a multi-lane freeway, and then out to Santa Monica on surface streets.
Rise of the Interstate Highways: In 1956 the Interstate Highway Act was signed into law by President Eisenhower, who was impressed with the German Autobahn system that was developed to move men, equipment, and supplies for the German military during World War II. In the years to come the interstate highway system grew and it gradually replaced certain portions of the original roadway used by Route 66. Built in 1953 the first major bypass of Route 66 was the Turner Turnpike in Oklahoma between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. It was a toll road, but it paralleled Route 66 enabling traffic to travel through at higher speeds. Later the Turner Turnpike was connected to another toll road, the Will Rogers Turnpike, and eventually the entire new roadway was incorporated into Interstate 44. In other states, particularly Illinois and Missouri, efforts to widen portions of the Route 66 were made usually to alleviate traffic issues and enable through traffic to pass through quicker. Many of the replacement roadways also paralleled Route 66, and in some cases became incorporated into it. After these new portions of freeway were opened, the original roadway would often be downgraded to a frontage road that ran alongside the new highway, or was just abandoned. Bit by bit the interstate highway system took over the route leaving only certain small portions of it remaining. Nowadays, drivers going from Chicago to Los Angeles will likely take I-55 out of Chicago, I-44 from St. Louis, I-40 in Oklahoma City, I-15 in Barstow, California, to I-10 that runs through the heart of Los Angeles down to the Santa Monica Pier.
The Decline: During its heyday Route 66 brought with it a large amount of investment in small roadside businesses, and these businesses generally prospered. They were necessary to service the travelers at the time, but became less necessary when the route was taken over by the interstate highway system. As the newer freeways took over, they greatly reduced access by the traveling public to the older roadside businesses. No longer could drivers simply slow down and pull off the road into a restaurant, motel, or tourist attraction as the freeways restricted access to exits every so many miles. This caused the business owners to do what they could to fight back, blocking portions of freeway from being built or attempting to reroute them closer to the older route with more exits. The 1965 Highway Beautification Act in many cases inhibited the business owners from well positioning signage that advertised their businesses. Further, chain motels and restaurants grew in number bringing the traveler assurances beforehand of what their standards of service would be like. Chain stores moved closer in to the modernized route to maximize merchandise sales. The newer portions of highway received better maintenance by the state, and the older, less used parts that remained were not as well maintained, and in some cases fell into disrepair.
The Remains: In June, 1985, Route 66 was officially decommissioned as a part of the U.S. Numbered Highway System. The portions of roadway that remained were often turned into state or local roads, private drives, or sometimes into a “business loop” through urban areas for the bypassing freeways. Some parts are fairly well preserved and have been designated as “State Historic Routes.” The brand remains important as many localities erected “Historic Route 66” signs along rural portions of the route as well as large urban boulevards. Work has gone on by preservation groups to keep and protect some of the motels, restaurants, and service stations from the wrecking ball. In 1999 President Clinton signed the National Route 66 Preservation bill into law, providing $10 million in matching fund grants to restore and preserve the historical landmarks along the route. In 2008 the World Monuments Fund included Route 66 to the World Monuments Watch, as the surviving structures along the route were gradually being cleared out for other development. There is even a movement underway by the U.S. Route 66 Recommissioning Initiative to return the route to U.S. highway status.
Here is an abbreviated list of some of the landmarks that remain today:
Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant, Chicago, Ill.
Cozy Dog Drive In, Springfield, Ill.
Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop, Springfield, Ill.
Shea’s Gas Station Museum, Springfield, Ill.
Red’s Giant Hamburg, Springfield, Mo.
66 Drive-In Carthage, Mo.
Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station, Baxter Springs, KS.
Rainbow Bridge, Riverton, KS.
Williams’ Store, Riverton, KS.
Kan-O-Tex Service Station, Galena, KS.
Blue Whale of Catoosa, Catoosa, OK.
Round Barn, Arcadia, OK.
Milk Bottle Grocery, Oklahoma City, OK.
Leaning Tower of Britten, Groom, TX.
Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX.
The Big Texan Steak Ranch, Amarillo, TX.
Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, NM.
El Ranch Hotel and Motel, Albuquerque, NM.
Maisel’s Indian Trading Post, Alburquerque, NM.
Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, AZ.
Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, AZ.
Meteor City, Arizona, Coconino County, AZ.
Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch, Oro Grande, CA.
Cucamonga Service Station, Rancho Cucamonga, CA.
Bono’s Historic Orange, Fontana, CA.
Old Trail’s Bridge, Needles, CA.
Barstow Harvey House, Barstow, CA.
Conclusions: Route 66 was an important transportation corridor for nearly 60 years. It promoted and supported a great migration westward that took place in America during the 20th century. It finally fell victim to that same economic growth that it helped generate. There are still a few parts of the original roadway that remain in existence and can be traveled, but a visit to a travel agency beforehand would be advisable.
Sources: Wikipedia, U.S. Route 66.
Wikipedia, List of Landmarks on U.S. Route 66
The Ultimate Route 66 Road Trip.