Endangered Site: Historic Route 66, U.S.A.
The 2,400 mile highway was eclipsed by interstate highways that bypassed neon signs of roadside diners
- Smithsonian magazine, March 2009, Subscribe
Writing about the Joad family's journey from the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma to the promised land of California in The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck famously called Route 66 the "mother road." But today it's more of an impoverished great-grandmother.
The 2,400-mile highway, which starts in Chicago and passes through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before ending in Los Angeles, will turn 83 this year—and it's not aging gracefully. Derelict gas stations, restaurants and trading posts, often vandalized, line its rural stretches, their neon signs long since dimmed. Developers are bulldozing quirky motels to make room for generic high-rises. And in places where traffic was once so thick it took ten minutes for a pedestrian to cross the road, you can spread a cloth and have a picnic, says Michael Wallis, a leading advocate for the preservation of the route.
Soaring automobile sales, coupled with the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921—which called for the networking of roads—provided the impetus for the highway. Cyrus Avery, an Oklahoma state highway official, and Springfield, Missouri, entrepreneur John Woodruff mapped out Route 66's diagonal course based on existing trails blazed by Native Americans, explorers and soldiers. And though it wasn't the first or longest of its kind, Route 66 was the shortest, most temperate year-round stretch between the Midwest and the West Coast. During World War II, soldiers hitchhiked on it. After the war, Americans took to the highways as never before, and a distinctive roadside culture—diners, motor courts and kitschy tourist traps—grew up along Route 66 to cater to them.
"It became a stage on which Americans acted out their aspirations," says Roger White, curator of road transportation at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Dubbed the "Main Street of America" by Avery, it inspired Bobby Troup's song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" (recorded by Nat King Cole and, later, the Rolling Stones), Jack Kerouac's beatnik bible On the Road, the 1960s television series "Route 66" and, most recently, Pixar's animated film Cars.
Route 66's popularity led to its downfall, with traffic swelling beyond its two-lane capacity. In 1956, legislation created the Interstate System, and over the course of three decades, five separate interstates bypassed segment after segment of Route 66. Its signature black-and-white shield markers were taken down, and in 1985, Route 66 was officially decommissioned.
But Route 66 would not go quietly. "I got tired of people talking about the road in the past tense," says Wallis, who, in 1990, wrote Route 66: The Mother Road, a seminal biography of the highway. Today, 85 percent of Route 66 remains drivable, and some businesses thrive among the casualties. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard stand is still serving up cones in St. Louis; Stanton, Missouri's Meramec Caverns still gives tours; and the famous Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona, still offers a night's stay in a 30- by 16-foot concrete wigwam. "It's a labor of love, these motels," says John Lewis, an owner of the Wigwam. "I don't think the guests fully realize the effort it takes to keep these things going."
Driving a stretch of the route between Albuquerque and Gallup in the late 1980s, New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici was saddened by the deteriorating filling stations and shuttered mom-and-pop stores. He introduced a bill to preserve the highway. Authorized in 1999, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has been involved with 86 projects, including the repair of Lewis' wigwams. But while the legislation authorized the program to receive up to $10 million over the course of its ten-year life span, actual appropriations have been averaging around $300,000 a year, which is reduced by more than half by the salaries of two staff members and travel and administrative costs. "It's done some wonderful things," says Kaisa Barthuli, the program's manager. "But folks are a little discouraged." And the ten-year preservation effort is scheduled to end this year. A proposal to extend the program is part of an omnibus bill that is not expected to pass. "We're keeping our fingers crossed," says Barthuli. "We have a lot more work to do."
Most supporters of the preservation of Route 66 agree that the highway needs money, awareness and a national voice that can speak and act on its behalf. The World Monuments Fund named Route 66 to its Watch List of endangered sites in 2008, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation included its motels on a list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places" in 2007. Wallis and others, including representatives from the eight state Route 66 associations, are in the process of forming a national nonprofit called the Route 66 Alliance to help with fundraising.
"It's a tremendous cross section of American history along those 2,400 miles," says Barthuli. "If we lose those stories, we're really losing a sense of ourselves."
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Comments (29)
Can anyone tell me why there is a different US Rt 66 that runs thru Pennsylvania?
Posted by Karl Heineman on July 19,2012 | 10:06 AM
I've been on some of the stretches when I stayed in Amarillo, back in '98. This coming October, I'm taking a road trip out to Joshua Tree (from Austin), and will be taking a big chunk of the Mother Road back home.
And yes, Joy...I'm sure your diary would be well worth reading. Bolgger.com would be a good (free) blog site to post it, day by day...I'd sure read it.
Dave
Austin
Posted by Dave on June 27,2011 | 08:45 PM
In the summer of 1962, my family finally escaped its 'exile' in Pennsylvania and drove west to California connecting with Route 66 in Missouri. We deviated off onto the old Oregon Trail and headed to the Pacific Northwest to visit relatives. But in that stretch of Route 66 in the Midwest, I remember we turned off south to visit a mausoleum someone built for himself and his wife. Romanesque columns, it was circular and had marble figures of the two of them. Anyone know where this is/was?
Oh and I do have fond memories of the Burma Shave signs!
Posted by Lon Hall on June 27,2011 | 07:13 PM
We are a recently retired couple who are eager to take a trip on Route 66, stopping at as many historical places we can find and to patronize whichever businesses are left. But where do we get the information necessary to do this? Where are the maps, the lodging, the restaurants, the gas stations? The historical markers? And how do we know it's up to date?
Why don't the state chapters dedicated to the preservation of the Mother Road get together and make a website with all of the above included, so we could follow it? Next thing you know, there could be an iPhone App telling us where to go, turn by turn! People could choose between a week's trip, or the two-week version, or the stop-at-every-single-possible-artifact version!
Please let me know where to get current info enabling us to make a trip within the next year.
Posted by S Martin on January 14,2011 | 11:38 AM
My husband and his friends have had a lifelong dream of travelling Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles by motorbike, and next year this will happen! They are all in their 60's and we, the wives, will travel comfortably by car behind them. Our plan is to do this trip in May, hoping that the weather will be kind to bikers. Is this a good time of the year to do this? Your article has made them even more keen as it is an extraordinary piece of History that may disappear forever before too long.
Posted by Gill Goodall on August 2,2010 | 09:34 AM
We picked up a caddy in chicago in april 2008 and drove the full length of route 66 keeping to the old road staying at old motels and eating in old diners this was an ambition of mine i had for many years. it was a big hilight of our lives seeing the old towns and sights all the way ,it took us 4 weeks .they must keep this road preserved We hve had 7 trips to the usa seeing a lot of your wonderful country Eg sun studios,rca studios nash monument valley canyon de shelle and lots more
Regards
Peter & Sandra Males
Melbourne
Australia
Posted by Peter & Sandra Males on June 5,2010 | 03:02 AM
Thanks for sharing your stories. We are happy to provide info free to fellow Roadies. Oklahomaroute66.com
Posted by Mike Hickey on April 13,2010 | 07:41 PM
I recently read about a new bill headed for the President's desk to allocate money to attempt to attract foreign tourists to America.
Funny thing is, thousands of foreign tourists flock to America every year to travel Route 66 on motorcycles, classic cars (some of those cars shipped across the ocean from home and back again), and on tour buses.
How do I know this? Because thousands of those foreign tourists have been stopping in Erick, Oklahoma specifically to see Harley and Anabelle Russell - also known as The Mediocre Music Makers - for more than 10 years now. Furthermore, Harley and Annabelle have been attracting these thousands of foreign tourists to their Sandhills Curiosity Shop every year without utilizing any government funds (local, state, or federal) whatsoever.
And to top it all off, Harley and Annabelle attract these thousands of tourists to their "Theater" without selling anything or charging any admission fee.
The U.S. Government is now about to lay out millions of taxpayer dollars to attempt to do what Harley and Annabelle have been doing for years without once having to pick the taxpayers pockets to do it.
For anyone curious to find out how they do it, just see: http://www.filmbaby.com/films/4471
Posted by Joe Summars on March 1,2010 | 11:47 AM
U.S. Federal stimulus packages are inherently flawed and doomed for failure. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to bring life back to a dragging economy or a dead, historic highway like Route 66.
The documentary "Harley & Annabelle - Living Legends in Erick, Oklahoma" (now available at Filmbaby http: www.filmbaby.com) tells a real-life, blood, sweat, and tears success tale on Route 66.
Two years in the making, this documentary reveals the story of transformation of a couple of struggling, conventional-business entrepreneurs into wholly unconventional entertainers now responsible for dealing out "Insanity At Its Finest" for thousands of travelers coming to Erick, Oklahoma from around the world specifically to see Harley & Annabelle, "The Mediocre Music Makers" and their "Sandhills Curiosity Shop".
A more complete synopsis of the documentary is provided on its Filmbaby page.
Joe Summars
FLUXFAZE Creative Enterprises, LLC
Posted by Joe Summars on December 19,2009 | 10:49 PM
fund raiser caravan bikes cars etc...route 66 the old way!!!
some type of activity to get ppl. to take notice. I've never been on that route before my time but I've heard about it and until now I thought it was still around. So how many others think the same way.... countless......
Posted by jackkie on September 28,2009 | 04:22 PM
I loved the post by "E" on March 6. Route 66 would make a great bike route. I realize that parts of it are still a working highway, but on those parts, the bike trail could run alongside the road. This would be a great project for some creative collaboration between groups such as Rails-to-Trails, American Trails, Friends of Route 66, the US government, etc. Just think of all the benefits of such a coalition: create jobs, preserve a piece of American history, conserve gas, promote exercise, good for environment, economic stimulus... the list goes on and on.
Posted by Kevin on August 6,2009 | 08:51 PM
I am a British Postman and would like to cycle Route 66 on one of our Royal Mail delivery bikes with a colleague to raise money for charity. I have checked out the route and have found out that alot of the route is on Interstate roads which i assume you cannot cycle on. Can you email me your cycle route that you took or tell me where i can get hold of one. Thanks Very Much Neil Cadenhead.
Posted by Neil Cadenhead on July 23,2009 | 10:14 AM
Route 66 is only 2 Blocks north of where I live in area code 63040 Grover Mo. Back in the 70's before we moved to our present home we would take a ride in the country on Sunday going out 66 through Grover, and today it has 1 stop sign which it didn't have then. The road still had a lot of old houses and a historic bldgs, one was a grocery store, P. O. and auto repair. We rode the 2 lane on our way too Pond, Mo. and visited the old bldgs, that had been converted into antique shops. There was a rock bldg, I am told was probably built as a trading post prior to the Mother Road. There was no place to eat as all of the old Mom & Pop places were long gone. The Big Chief restaurant had been closed for years but 2 attempts to revive it have failed in recent yrs. In 99 when we 1st. moved here I meet a lady at a local FF place who had lived in Grover all of her life. She was in her mid 80's then and her father had started a Grocery store and was given the job of Post Master. He also repaired cars in the 1930's & 40's. After Marie's husband passed away I started eating breakfast with her and although a bit frail and quiet, this woman had a memory that would fill a basket. She and I became good friends and sometimes we would talk for hours about her life in Grover. After her father died she became P. M. and held that job for 39 yrs. What a pleasure it was to listen to her talk. Especially about the characters that stopped for a cold soft drink, and head on west to California. Rte. 66 was the way west from StLouis long before it was route 66.Back then it was just a dirt road for the wagon trains from StLouis. Today most of the bldgs are gone, very few remain. I have seen a lot of change on Rte,66. Marie passed away about 5 yrs, ago. Oh the memories she shared about life in those days. Route 66 is a legacy of American History and will live on in the minds of those who know the story. I am reminded of that fact every day as I ride down Hwy 109 and cross over The Mother Road.
Posted by Allen Smith on July 15,2009 | 02:50 AM
My family, and I live on route 66 in Kingman,AZ. It truly is the most awe inspiring road in the USA. From Oatman through Kingman,and past the Grand Canyon Caverns to Seligman, you can feel what the migrants of the depression felt. See the vast beauty of the country side, and know at the end of route 66 lay the promised land. Car clubs, and motorcyclists, from around the world, come here to the mother road,rte66, every year, to experience just that! To know, to feel, to see. They too, find that special place in there heart, for Route 66. I need your help. The City of Kingman has been petitioned by some of the ranchers along rte66, just north of Kingman, to rezone there property next to 66, from AG, to COM. This rezoning could affect up 20 miles along Route66, to Industry, Chemical Plants,and Junk Yards. This would disfigure the country side, and surly spoil our national heritage. If you could please help,contact us @ butch@butchmartin.com, or Kent @ az2live@ frontiernet.net thanks.
Posted by Kent Russell on July 2,2009 | 12:49 PM
i would like to drive this year in the historical highway 66 in U.S.A. so I will appreciate . information about where a can get or bring a map of US Highways and more information of the route 66 such as hotels drive inns and places of interest. My brother Arturo will go with us, so I indicate to you his e-mail in order you remit informatio to he too .limpistaff@hotmail.com thanks in advance oscar a. lopez garcia
Posted by OSCAR ALBERTO LOPEZ GARCIA on April 29,2009 | 02:27 PM
The diary of the 1963 trip would be very interesting to me, for one, Joy Thompson. I have fond memories of traveling the Albuquerque to LA stretch many times in the 60's to visit relatives in Cal. Remember rental evaporative coolers for your car going across the desert that you stuck in place in a side window? Remember chest-shaped pop machines at gas stations where you pull the bottle along slots to the vending spot and pull it up when your dime drops? Burma Shave signs?
Posted by Stephen Farnsworth on April 23,2009 | 06:18 PM
i have a diary i kept from 1963 when traveling all of route 66 would this be of any value to anyone?
Posted by joy thompson on April 15,2009 | 06:57 PM
If you would like a Route 66 video road trip, check out THE MOTHER ROAD, a documentary about a mother and daughter who travelled the route together The filmmaker Lauren Cardillo, is a friend of mine, so I don't pretend to be objective, but the film has received many awards, airs on PBS, and is a great way to add impressions before adding to the odometer
Posted by Lisa Sonne on April 14,2009 | 08:31 PM
In the summer of 2008 I spent a month cycling Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica with three friends. Each day we would pedal 50 miles of the Route, then pack up our bikes and drive 50 miles. I was always the last cyclist at the end of the day, due in part to my heavy bike, but also to my joy of photography. I saw so many fascinating details of the route that truly brought it alive for me; much more so than if I had been in a car. It was a month of almost overwhelming melancholy. So many empty cafes, motels, and gas stations. I couldn't help but wonder what happened to all the lives that had once been connected to Route 66. It serves as such an important connection to where so many of us came from; what life used to be like, what challenges Americans faced in the past, and what hope we were capable of sustaining.
Posted by Sandra Cheasty on April 8,2009 | 04:43 PM
Being a Route 66 enthusiast myself, I was disappointed to find that this article was more doom and gloom than glorifying, describing the Mother Road as an “impoverished great-grandmother” that is not “aging gracefully.” Yes, there are indeed some rundown sections, but I have always viewed the “derelict gas stations” and ghost towns as artifacts of a time gone by - using them as evidence for envisioning what it must have been like when the road was first coined as America’s Main Street.
The main problem I have with this article is that it fails to mention the most important aspect that breathes fresh life into the road – the people who live and work on it. I think this point can best be described in the following excerpt from a poem I wrote about Route 66 after my first journey down the road:
"If 66 could be driven unaltered from Chicago to LA,
Half of the adventure would likely be lost along the way.
For every wrong turn you make, and every dead end sign you pass,
Each piece of the old road you find is like a treasure from the past.
It’s a mixture of things that provide the classic Mother Road thrills,
Like the drive-ins and dine-ins; the roadhouse bars and roadside grills.
It’s the motels and hotels, the trading posts and truckers’ stops,
But most of all it’s the people, from the locals to the moms and pops.
Without the people and places, 66 wouldn’t have a story,
And when you head west, these places and faces define its glory."
Posted by Derek Meader on March 27,2009 | 10:43 AM
A friend and I flew over from the UK and drove the entire Route back in 2007. It was the most amazing drive and I think it should be preserved at all costs! I'd love to try and help raise awareness.
Posted by Suzi C on March 18,2009 | 10:37 AM
As a traveler man that I consider myself, I think that 66 route must be preserved by all possible means. It is the American historical path that connects the country.It should be declare a national monument by the congress and the President for keeping its infrastructure financially support. Sincerely: Julio Rojas
Posted by Julio Rojas on March 13,2009 | 02:16 PM
This story reminds me of that great traveler, Charles Kuralt, who said, “Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.” How sad, and how important are the backroads of North America.
Posted by Abi Schatz, Ashkelon, Israel on March 11,2009 | 04:22 PM
Route 66 brought us from Kansas City, MO to Whittier, CA in early 50's. It took us from Whittier back to NE Missouri to visit our grandparents each year. We had the route memorized: Leave Whittier, Friday afternoon ca 5:00; Breakfast in Winslow, AZ; Lunch in Albequerque, NM, Dinner in Liberal, KS and Breakfast Sunday am in KC at my aunt & uncle's house. Still use it for vacations to Missouri.
Posted by Chris Vander Veen on March 9,2009 | 02:31 PM
She'd make a wonderful "World-Class" motorcycle AND bicycle route once fully restored... Lot's of history, lot's of sites, lot's of "auto-free" adventure and of course, lot's of revenue... "Tour-the-American-route" anyone???
Posted by E on March 6,2009 | 11:14 PM
Contrary to your article, Route 66 does not end in Los Angeles, but goes west to the ocean in Santa Monica. Santa Monica is in Los Angeles County, but is a distinct city.
Posted by Fredric Reichel on March 5,2009 | 10:46 PM
Route 66 is a tremendous cultural asset that resonates far beyond the reaches of ostalgia for a simpler past. It traverses eight states, is a means to access innumerable historic and naturial sites, and encourages a slower paced, more leisurely view of the wonders to be found throughout the United States. The groups who have worked valiently to preserve the heritage of Route 66 should not be punishecd for not having spent $10,000,000 over ten years by having the empowering legislation expire. They have worked in a thoughtful manner and should have the opportunity to continue the process. It would have been terrific if they had met the 10-year initial deadline, but we are all aware that projects take time to mobilize and working across eight states has surely presented some logistical problems. Route 66 is a gateway to many of America's treasures and a true icon of American cultural life. The extension of the legislation combined with growing philanthropic interest in Route 66 has the potential for great success.
Posted by Lisa Ackerman on February 28,2009 | 11:24 AM
I feel that, as part of President Obama's economic stimulus plan, that U.S. Route 66 should be fully recommissioned. This road is an important tourist road, as many people drive it to see how Americans traveled in the middle of the 20th century, and to see the art that denizens of that route employed to draw motorists to their attractions. New interest has been sparked by the animated CG movie, "Cars", which paid tribute to many facets of this historic treasure. The existing remains of US 66 should be properly signed, and the parts that are not passable should be co-signed with the Interstate highways that superseded it, and exits back to passable stretches should be marked with modern FHWA signage. Highway funds should be spent to bring the passable parts of US 66 up to at least mid-20th-century standards, as there is one stretch that is just one lane wide - cars have to pull over to allow oncoming traffic to pass! In phase 2, other funds would be spent to rehabilitate parts of US 66 in order to make more of the highway passable once again, which would allow an alternate route in case of accident or other emergency. Phase 3 would allow low-interest loans to entrepreneurs that wish to rehabilitate historic commercial sites along U.S. 66. Bill S. near Philadelphia
Posted by Bill on February 25,2009 | 10:05 PM
I believe Ms. Gambino does Route 66 a disservice when she writes of it "not aging gracefully."
Route 66 is a living museum, beloved by many throughout the world. It is no longer a commissioned highway, and its maintenance is dependent upon federal funds for historic preservation rather than highway funds.
Route 66 is not a "major highway" used for traveling quickly from one place to another. It is a destination in and of itself. We are fortunate that so much of it is still intact and able to be traveled. This will only continue if it is recognized as one of our national treasures and preserved as such.
The Smithstonian Institute and magazine has long been a champion of historic preservation. I would think that they would herald the success stories of Route 66 preservation rather than report on its decay.
Posted by Beth on February 24,2009 | 08:05 PM