Historic Weitz Cafe opened on Route 66 in 1950.
In 1926, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials began a project to connect the nation. This year, Route 66 celebrates not only its centennial, but an entire subculture.
The 2,448-mile stretch of highway, referred to in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath as “The Mother Road,” runs from Chicago to Santa Monica. The road carried travelers through the Dust Bowl, World War II, the Moon Landing, 18 presidents and more, becoming an American institution in the process.
How the wheels started turning
Neon Sign Park in Granite City, Illinois.
Route 66 was born Nov. 11, 1926, when two men successfully lobbied federal officials to designate a continuous highway linking Chicago to Los Angeles: Oklahoman Cyrus Avery, sometimes called the Father of Route 66, and John T. Woodruff of Missouri.
Dust Bowl migrants traveled the route in the 1930s and, by the 1950s, it became the center of car culture and the iconic American road trip.
Though it was officially decommissioned in 1985 and bypassed by the interstate system, the legacy of Route 66 lives on through the neon-lit towns still drawing travelers off the interstate, and in pop culture touchstones such as Pixar’s Cars, which lifted its fictional Radiator Springs straight from the Mother Road’s stop in Seligman, Arizona.
Summer across 66
Though the centennial celebrations began in Springfield, Missouri, this spring, this summer offers a variety of immersive ways to experience the neon, diners and classic cars of the route.
Oklahoma holds more than 400 miles of Route 66, and the festivities match the mileage. During the weekend of July 17-19, the Route 66 MuralFest brings communities along the highway together for the unveiling of new murals celebrating the centennial. Over the state’s “Weekend of Local,” travelers and locals are encouraged to shop at small businesses and restaurants along the road.
One of the Oklahoma towns along the route is Yukon, where Route 66 still runs right through a Main Street lined with local shops, breweries, restaurants and public art. Nearby Chisholm Trail Park offers tree-lined walking trails, scenic views from Boot Hill and peaceful open spaces to stop and stretch your legs between road trip destinations.
On Aug. 15, Flagstaff, Arizona hosts the Mother Road Classic Car Show, bringing vintage vehicles to put rubber to the road. From Ford Model Ts and ’65 Fastbacks to cherry red Corvettes, the Mother Road Classic Car Show brings together community, classics and the golden age of automobiles.
Flagstaff is one of the more interesting stops along the route, sitting at 7,000 feet of elevation among the ponderosa pine forests. Its walkable historic downtown is full of preserved neon signs, locally-owned restaurants and vintage motels. It’s also just 80 miles south of the Grand Canyon, making it a great base for a longer Southwest adventure.
Finish off summer with the Mother Road in Illinois. The centennial festivities begin with the Illinois State Fair – Aug. 13-23 – centering on the Route 66 Experience. An outdoor walk-through exhibit at the fairgrounds takes visitors from Chicago to the Chain of Rocks Bridge, under neon signs, past replica roadside attractions, through a simulated drive-in movie theater and more.
For more events, check out the in-depth cross-country events list created by the Route 66 Centennial Commission at route66centennial.org.
Kobe Collins is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Photos courtesy of Bessels.org, Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership Board Members and Great Rivers & Routes Bureau of Southwest Illinois.
