Route 66 - From Truckers to Hot Rods - History of Route 66

Route 66 – In Search of History in the Southwestern United States

As I travel throughout the Southwest, I always detour off the main highway when I see a “Historic Route 66” sign. I am on the lookout for roadside diners, motor courts and filling stations that just could be vestiges of the Route 66 era. In order to fully appreciate what is left of Route 66 today and to understand the importance of “The Mother Road,” a quick review of the history of Route 66 takes us from “truckers to hot rods.”

In the Beginning – It’s all About Trucking

Route 66, despite what we may think, was not created for tourists wanting to enjoy the sights of America. Route 66 originally linked rural communities in Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas to Chicago. It was a farm commerce road enabling farmers to transport grain and produce for redistribution. Route 66 was planned to run across the middle of America on a diagonal and was very helpful to the trucking industry, which by the 30’s, had come to rival the railroad for importance in transporting goods from producer to market. The route between Chicago and California was easy, flat driving and avoided some of the ice and snow of the northern routes. Route 66 was appealing to truckers.

The Mother Road

It was in John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath, that U. S. Highway 66 was dubbed the "Mother Road." He described the migration of thousands of people from the Dust Bowl to California. The construction of Route 66 provided jobs for men paving the final miles of Route 66. In 1938, Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles, was fully paved. Route 66 Map

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

After World War II, Route 66 was a handy way for a more mobile population to travel, seek new homes and, for the first time, enjoy family vacations and road trips. Bobby Troup, former pianist with the Tommy Dorsey band, wrote about this now famous road and the words, "get your kicks on Route 66" became a catch phrase for countless motorists who moved back and forth between Chicago and the Pacific Coast. The popular recording was released in 1946 by Nat King Cole.

Entrepreners realized that these travelers would need food and a place to stay. So roadside diners, filling stations and motels (much better for motorists than city-center hotels) sprang up along Route 66. The tourism industry was born.

In the 1960's the television show, "Route 66," starring Martin Milner and George Maharis entertained Americans with stories along Route 66, further glamorizing road travel.

Hot Rod Clubs and Saving Route 66

As America continued to improve the Interstate road system, more and more sections of Route 66 succumbed to progress and were bypassed by the Interstate. The last stretch of Route 66 was decommissioned by the Federal government in 1985, and the historic road was officially replaced by Interstate 40. Nostalgia buffs, in search of the original Route 66 road trip experience, have been keeping the history and architecture of Route 66 alive. It is through organizations such as the National Historic Route 66 Foundation that Route 66 is kept alive for us to enjoy. Fantastic high profile events are planned such as Flagstaff’s annual Route 66 Days, bringing restored hot rods and tourists to the high country for a weekend of Route 66 revelry.