U.S. Route 66

U.S. Route 66 or Route 66 was a highway in the U.S. Highway system. One of the original federal routes, US 66 was established on November 11, 1926, though signs did not go up until the following year. It originally ran from Chicago, Illinois through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California before ending at the beach in Santa Monica for a total distance of 2,347 miles (3,755 km).

Route 66 was a major migratory path west, especially during the dust bowl, and supported the economies of the communities on which the road passed. People became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway, and those same people later fought to keep the highway alive even with the growing threat of the new Interstate Highway System.

US 66 was officially decommissioned (that is, officially removed from the US Highway System) in 1985 after it was decided the route was no longer relevant and had been replaced by the Interstate Highway System. The road currently exists as "Historic Route 66", a National Scenic Byway, in the states it once crossed on its journey from Chicago to Santa Monica. It has begun to return to maps in this form.

History of the highway

Birth and rise of Route 66

Championed by Oklahoman Cyrus Avery in 1923 when the first talks about a national highway system began, US 66 was first signed in 1927 as one of the original U.S. Highways, although it was not completely paved until 1938. Avery was adamant that the highway have a round number and had proposed number 60 to identify it. A controversy erupted over the number 60, largerly from delegates from Kentucky which wanted a Virginia Beach - Los Angeles highway to be US 60 and US 62 between Chicago and Springfield, MO. Arguments and counter-arguments continued and the final conclusion was to have US 60 run between Virginia Beach and Springfield (MO) and the Chicago - Los Angeles route be US 62. Avery settled on "66" (which was unassigned) because he thought the double-digit number would be easy to remember as well as pleasant to say and hear.

After the new federal highway system was officially created, Avery called for the establishment of the U.S. Highway 66 Association to promote the complete paving of the highway from end to end and to promote travel down the highway. In 1927, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the association was officially established with John T. Woodruff of Springfield, Missouri elected the first president. In 1928, the association made its first attempt at publicity, the "Bunion Derby", a footrace from Los Angeles to New York City, of which the path from Los Angeles to Chicago would be on Route 66. The publicity worked: several dignitaries, including Will Rogers, greeted the runners at certain points on the route. The association went on to serve as a voice for businesses along the highway until it disbanded in 1976.

Traffic grew on the highway due to the geography through which it passed. Much of the highway was essentially flat and this made the highway a popular truck route. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s saw many farming families (mainly from Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas) head west for agricultural jobs in California. Route 66 became the main road of travel for these people, often derogatorily called "Okies". And during the Depression, it gave some relief to communities located on the highway. The route passed through numerous small towns, and with the growing traffic on the highway, helped create the rise of mom-and-pop businesses (mainly as service stations, restaurants, and motor courts) up and down the highway.

Much of the early highway, like all the other early highways, was gravel or graded dirt. Due to the efforts of the US Highway 66 Association, Route 66 became the first highway completely paved in 1938. Several places were dangerous, more than one part of the highway becamed nicknamed "Bloody 66" and gradually work was done to realign these segments to remove dangerous curves. However, one section (through the Black Mountains of Arizona) was fraught with sharp hairpin turns and was the steepest along the entire route--so much so that some early travelers, too frightened at the prospect of driving such a potentially dangerous road, hired locals to negotiate the winding grade. The section remained until 1953--despite this, Route 66 continued to be a popular route.

During World War II, more migration west occurred because of war-related industries in California. Route 66, already popular and fully-paved, became one of the main routes and also served for moving military equipment. Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri was located near the highway, which was locally upgraded quickly to a divided-highway to help with military traffic.

In the 1950s, Route 66 became the main highway for vacationers heading to Los Angeles. The road passed through the Painted Desert and near the Grand Canyon. Meteor Crater in Arizona was another popular stop. This sharp rise in tourism in turn gave rise to a burgeoning trade in all manner of roadside attractions including teepee-shaped motels, frozen custard stands, Indian curio shops, and reptile farms. Meramec Caverns near St. Louis began advertising on barns, billing itself as the "Jesse James hideout." The Big Texan advertised a free 72 ounce steak dinner to anyone who could eat the whole thing in an hour. It also marked the birth of the fast-food industry: Red's Giant Hamburgs in Springfield, Missouri, site of the first drive-thru restauraunt, and the first McDonald's in San Bernardino. Changes like these to the landscape further cemented 66's reputation as a near-perfect microcosm of the culture of America, now linked by the automobile.

Changes in routing

Four major sections of US 66 underwent major realignments during the 1930s.

In 1930, between Springfield, Illinois and East St. Louis, Illinois, US 66 was shifted further east to what is now roughly I-55. The original alignment followed the current Illinois State Highway 4.

From downtown St. Louis to Gray Summit, Missouri, US 66 originally went down Market Street and Manchester Road (now, largely, Missouri State Highway 100). In 1932, this route was changed, the original alignment never being viewed as anything more than temporary. The planned route was down Watson Road (now Missouri State Highway 366), but Watson Road had not yet been completed.

From west of El Reno, Oklahoma to Bridgeport, Oklahoma, US 66 turned north to Calumet, Oklahoma and then west to Geary, Oklahoma then southwest across the South Canadian River over a suspension toll bridge into Bridgeport, Oklahoma. In 1933, a straighter cut-off route was completed from west of El Reno, Oklahoma directly to a point one mile south of Bridgeport, Oklahoma crossing over a 38-span steel pony truss bridge over the South Canadian River and bypassing both Calumet and Geary by several miles.

From west of Santa Rosa, New Mexico to north of Los Lunas, New Mexico, the road originally turned north from current I-40 along much of what is now US 84 to near Las Vegas, followed (roughly) I-25 through Santa Fe and Albuquerque to Los Lunas and then turned northwest along the present State Highway 6 alignment to a point near Laguna. In 1937, a straight-line route was completed from west of Santa Rosa through Moriarity and east-west through Albuquerque and west to Laguna. This newer routing saved travelers as much as four hours of travel through New Mexico.

Also, US 66 was rerouted around several larger cities via bypass or beltline routes to permit travelers to avoid city traffic congestion. Some of those cities included Springfield, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri, Springfield, Missouri; Joplin, Missouri; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Decline

The death knell for Route 66 came in 1956 with the signing of the Interstate Highway Act by President Dwight Eisenhower. As a general fighting in the European theater during World War II, Eisenhower was impressed by Germany's high-speed roadways, or "autobahn." Eisenhower envisioned a similar system of roads for the US in which one could conceivably drive at high speed from one end of the country to the other without stopping as well as making it easier to mobilize troops in the event of a national emergency.

During its nearly 60 year existence, Route 66 was under constant change. As highway engineering became more sophisticated, engineers were constantly looking for more direct routes between cities and towns. Increased traffic led to a number of major and minor realignments of US 66 through the years, particularly in the years immediately following World War II when Illinois began widening US 66 into a four-lane highway through virtually the entire state from Chicago to the Mississippi River just east of St. Louis, MO, and included bypasses around virtually all of the towns. By the early-to-mid 1950s, Missouri also upgraded its sections of US 66 to four lanes complete with bypasses. Most of the newer four-lane 66 paving in both states was upgraded into the interstate highway system in later years.

In 1953, the first major bypassing of US 66 occurred in Oklahoma with the opening of the Turner Turnpike between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The new 88-mile toll road paralleled US 66 for its entire length and bypassed each of the towns along 66. The Turner Turnpike was joined in 1957 by the new Will Rogers Turnpike, which connected Tulsa with the Oklahoma-Missouri border west of Joplin, MO, again paralleling US 66 and bypassing the towns in northeastern Oklahoma in addition to the entire state of Kansas. Both Oklahoma turnpikes were soon designated as Interstate 44, along with the US 66 bypass at Tulsa that connected the city with both turnpikes.

Originally, highway officials planned for the last section of US 66 to be bypassed by interstates in Texas, but as was the case in many places, lawsuits held up construction of the new interstates. The US Highway 66 Association had become a voice for the businesses which feared the loss of their businesses. Since the interstates only provided access via ramps at intersections, travelers could not pull directly off a highway into a business. At first, plans were laid out to allow (mainly national chains) to be placed in interstate medians. Such lawsuits effectively prevented this on all but toll roads. Some towns in Missouri threated to sue the state if the US 66 designation was removed from the road, though lawsuits never materialized. Several businesses were well known to be on US 66, and fear of losing the number resulted in the state of Missouri officially requesting the designation "Interstate 66" for the St. Louis to Oklahoma City section of the route, but it was denied. In 1984, Arizona also saw its final stretch of highway decommissioned with the completion of Interstate 40 through Williams. Finally, with decertification of the highway by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials the following year, US Highway 66 officially ceased to exist.

With the decommissioning of US 66, no single interstate route was designated to replace it. Interstate 55 covered the section from Chicago to St. Louis; Interstate 44 carried the traffic on to Oklahoma City; Interstate 40 took the largest chunk, replacing 66 to Barstow, California; Interstate 15 took over for the route to San Bernardino; and Interstate 10 carried Route 66's traffic across the Los Angeles metro area to Santa Monica.

After decertification

When the highway was decommissioned, sections of the road were disposed of in various ways. Within many cities, the route became a "business loop" for the interstate. Some sections became state roads, local roads, private drives, or were abandoned completely. More than eighty percent of the original route and alternate alignments are still drivable with careful planning. Some stretches are quite well-preserved, including one between Springfield, Missouri and Tulsa.

Some states have kept the 66 designation for parts of the highway, albeit as state roads. Missouri highways 366, 266, and 66 are all original sections of the highway. Oklahoma State Highway 66 remains as the alternate "free" route near its turnpikes. A long segment in Arizona signed as Arizona State Highway 66 links Seligman to Kingman. A surface street stretch between San Bernardino and La Verne in eastern Los Angeles County retains its number as California State Highway 66. Several county roads and city streets have also retained the "66" name.

Revival

In 1990, Route 66 associations were founded separately in both Arizona and Missouri. Other groups in the other Route 66 states soon followed. The same year, the state of Missouri declared Route 66 in that state a "State Historic Route". The first "Historic Route 66" marker was erected on Kearney Street at Glenstone Avenue in Springfield, Missouri (now replaced, the original sign has been placed at Route 66 State Park near Eureka). Other historic markers now line - at times sporadically - the entire 2400 mile (3860 km) length of road. A section of the road in Arizona was placed on the National Register of Historic Places; the Arroyo Seco Parkway in the Los Angeles Area and Route 66 in New Mexico have been made into National Scenic Byways; and in 2005, the State of Missouri made the road a state scenic byway from Illinois to Kansas.

Early 20th Century American pop culture

Route 66 impacted the naming of a company and also was immortalized in literature, popular music, and television. Although several business became associated with Highway 66 because of their being on or near the highway, Phillips 66 actually took part of their name directly from the highway.

Because the road through Oklahoma was relatively flat and straight, two chemical engineers decided to test a new gasoline from a Tulsa oil company in the late 1920s. The company car they were driving ran exceptionally well on the new blend, prompting the engineer in the passenger seat to exclaim that the car was "going like sixty." His companion looked at the speedometer and said that they were going more like 66 miles/hour (106 km/h). The combination of the highway number and the speed of the car led to the naming of Phillips 66 gasoline, a brand still marketed today.

In 1940, California writer John Steinbeck published the Grapes of Wrath, his novel about the westward migration of Oklahoma's Dust Bowl farmers to California's San Joaquin Valley. The book described the problems many of them faced, including prejudice and poverty, as they traveled to a hopefully better life. In this book, he spent a chapter describing the path west, which funnels to Oklahoma City and continues down Route 66. He referred to Route 66 as the "Mother Road", a nickname the highway still retains. The book won a Pulitzer Prize and made the road even more famous.

In 1946, jazz composer and pianist Bobby Troup wrote his best-known song, "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66", after driving the highway himself to get to California. He presented it to Nat King Cole who in turn made it one of the biggest hit singles of his career. The title was suggested by Troup's first wife, Cynthia, who accompanied him on the trip. The song later became a hit for Chuck Berry, and has been recorded by many subsequent artists, including The Rolling Stones and Depeche Mode.

The highway also gave its name to a popular television show, Route 66, seen from 1960 through 1964 on CBS. The show featured Martin Milner and George Maharis as "Tod" and "Buzz," two young men in a Corvette looking for adventure along America's highways. Strangely, though much of the program was filmed on location, rarely was it shot along Route 66. Since then, the Corvette has become the one car that is most associated with Route 66.

Another famous GM product has a strong connection to Route 66: The Cadillac Ranch, located near Amarillo, Texas, features a row of ten vintage Cadillacs being stood up at an angle, with their front ends buried into the ground.

An NBA Development League basketball team, the Tulsa 66ers, was named after the route. The road also lent its name to a minor league baseball team, the Inland Empire 66ers.

Currently, K-Mart's line of jeans also bears the name of the former highway, branded as "Route 66."

On the Disney's film A Goofy Movie. Goofy and Max are going on vacation using the Highway 66.

In the Stargate SG-1 episode "1969", the SG-1 team drives a Volkswagen van along much of the route traversed by the highway, with prop U.S. Route shield signs posted at the side of the road.

Nicknames

Over the years, U.S. Highway 66 received many nicknames:

1. The Great Diagonal Way — Right after Route 66 was commissioned, it received this nickname because a large section of the highway (Chicago to Oklahoma City) ran diagonally, unlike the other highways.
2. The Main Street of America — Advertised as such by the US Highway 66 Association to promote the highway. The title had also been claimed by supporters of U.S. Highway 40, but the Route 66 group was more successful.
3. The Mother Road — Called this by John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath, the title continued to be applied to the highway.
4. The Will Rogers Highway — "Officially" named this by the US Highway 66 Association in 1952. A plaque dedicating the highway to the humorist is still located opposite the western terminus of Route 66 in Santa Monica, California.

Bannered routes

Several alternate alignments of US 66 occurred because of traffic issues. Business routes (BUS), bypass routes (BYP), alternate routes (ALT), and "optional routes" (OPT) (an early designation for alternate routes) came into being.

• ALT US 66 - Bolingbrook, IL - Gardner, IL
• BUS US 66 - Towanda, IL - Bloomington, IL
• BUS US 66 - Lincoln, IL
• BUS US 66 - Springfield, IL
• BUS US 66 - Mitchell, IL - East St. Louis, IL
• BUS US 66 - St. Louis, MO - Sunset Hills, MO
• OPT US 66 - St. Louis, MO
• BYP US 66 - Mitchell, IL - Sunset Hills, MO
• BUS US 66 - Springfield, MO
• BYP US 66 - Springfield, MO
• ALT BUS US 66 - Springfield, MO
• ALT US 66 - Carthage, MO
• BUS US 66 - Carterville, MO - Webb City
• ALT US 66 - Webb City, MO - Joplin, MO
• BUS US 66 - Joplin, MO
• BYP US 66 - Joplin, MO
• BUS US 66 - Tulsa, OK
• BUS US 66 - Oklahoma City, OK
• BUS US 66 - Amarillo, TX
• ALT US 66 - Pasadena, CA - Los Angeles, CA

Related U.S. highways

• U.S. Highway 166
• U.S. Highway 266
• U.S. Highway 366
• U.S. Highway 466
• U.S. Highway 491 (formerly U.S. Highway 666)
• U.S. Highway 566

Related state routes

• Illinois State Highway 53
• Illinios State Highway 4
• Illinois State Highway 203
• Missouri State Highway 100
• Missouri State Highway 366
• Missouri State Highway 266
• Missouri State Highway 96
• Missouri State Highway 66
• Kansas State Highway 66
• Oklahoma State Highway 66
• New Mexico State Highway 333
• Arizona State Highway 66
• California State Highway 66

Related Interstate highways

• Interstate 55
• Interstate 44
• Interstate 40
• Interstate 15
• Interstate 10

References

• Arizona Highways (July, 1981). Entire issue about Route 66.
• Freeth, Nick. Route 66. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0760308640
• Scott, Quinta and Kelly, Susan Croce. Route 66: A Highway and Its People. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988. ISBN 0806122919
• Rittenhouse, Jack D. A Guide Book to Highway 66. Albuquerque, New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press, 1989 (reprint of 1946 book). ISBN 0826311482
• Schneider, Jill. Route 66 Across New Mexico: A Wanderer's Guide. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1991. ISBN 0826312802
• Walls, Michael. Route 66: The Mother Road. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001. ISBN 0312281676