This highway has had a number of names over the years, the most enduring being The Mother Road, perhaps because it was the name used by John Steinbeck in his novel The Grapes of Wrath. Since the road ran diagonally from Chicago to Oklahoma, it was sometimes called The Great Diagonal Way. Of course, you can see a sign in Santa Monica, California, calling the road The Will Rogers Highway. In the mind of the writer of this article, it will always be called Route 66.
On our honeymoon in 1966, we took Route 66 most of the way from Illinois down toward Phoenix, Arizona, although Route 66 does not actually go as far south as Phoenix. It was economical at that time to take a diagonal road to get to the Southwest from the Midwest.
There are so many interesting facts about Route 66. Largely due to efforts by Cyrus Avery, a businessman in Oklahoma, Route 66 was a part of the US Highways national highway system. That was in 1927 although the paving of the road was not done until 1938. It was the first highway to be completely paved. Although Mr. Avery wanted the number of the road to be 60, he finally accepted a compromise on the number 66.
During the westward movement of people in the 1930s, this highway became one of the most travelled roads. During World War II, the highway was used as well for the transport of military equipment. During the 1950s, Route 66 became one of the favorite highways for vacationers heading to the West Coast. The highway went through various popular tourist areas including the Painted Desert, Meteor Crater and close to the Grand Canyon.
Small businesses soon realized profits by setting up shops along Route 66 to take in money from travellers.
The highway generally bypassed larger cities to avoid congestion. A number of relatively minor changes in the pathway of Route 66 were made as time went by in order to make it a better route.
Route 66 lasted for sixty years before the Interstate Highway Act of 1956 hastened its demise. The new highway act was patterned after the Autobahnen in Germany. Some bypassing of parts of The Mother Road began in 1953. Some of the new Interstate Highway system even took over parts of Route 66 in some areas. By 1985, Route 66 ceased to exist officially.
Some states in which the old Route 66 existed have set up Route 66 Historic Routes. This old favorite highway refuses to simply become a relic of the past. Some areas of the old Route 66 have the logo of the road painted on the surface.
Originally the historic road crossed into eight states and covered 2448 miles from Chicago to near the Pacific Ocean. A television series developed with the title Route 66. The theme song of the show declares that one can "get his kicks on Route sixty-six". There is even a mythical animal which has become the mascot of Route 66, the jackalope. It is a jackrabbit with the antlers of an antelope.
The highway is officially gone, but those of us who used it will fondly remember it for a very long time.
