Designation would elevate status of Route 66

The iconic Route 66 shield is tattooed into the asphalt and hearts of many people across the world. 

"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night." - The Eagles

Driving down the open road looking for the next adventure with the windows down has become part of the American ethos. Route 66 helped make going out for a drive kool.

Route 66 supporters are currently hopeful that Congress re-examines the possibility of designating the Mother Road as a national historic trail.

Under the proposal, the National Park Service would administer the route as a trail and would help spur critical preservation efforts along the highway. The agency would award federal funds for preservation, development, and promotion, according to the Associated Press.

The measure was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives in February 2017. It passed the House in June 2018 then it was received in the U.S. Senate where it was recommended to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and that is where it remained as of December 2018, according to Congress' website.

National historic trails recognize original trails or routes of travel of national historic significance including past routes of exploration, migration, and military action, according to the National Park Service.

If 66 is given the designation it will be part of an exclusive pantheon of 19 other trails across the country to be given the honor. A few include the Oregon Trail, Pony Express Trail, the Lewis and Clark Trail and the Selma to Montgomery March in Alabama.

Reliving another era

For some, the Mother Road is an important piece of history.

"So many people traversed this highway," Kansas resident Kathy Black said. "I think it lured them into venturing outside of their home state.

"There are many today who want to experience those carefree times, the Mother Road, mom and pop establishments, the funky roadside attractions, they want to take it all in. Making sure its existence is secure would be a plus for those trying to keep some of those nostalgic venues in operation."

Black said she has not traveled the whole route, but would like to some day.

"It was an incredible yet said feeling hearing only my footsteps echoing against the walls of Hooker Cut, and imaging what it was like its heyday," she said.

Author and historian Wayne Ludwig said there are lessons to be had on the Mother Road.

"Well, there are still plenty of kicks to be had on Route 66," he said. "But kids may never know because they are distracted by electronic devices. Our travel entertainment was to look out the window."

The evolution and plan

Route 66 runs from Chicago to Los Angeles, but how did it come about?

Auto trails roamed the earth before the advent of the U.S. numbered system. What came before 66 was a myriad of trails including the Ozark Trail and the Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway.

Although there were early signs of road progress, i.e. the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1916, it was not until 1921 with the passage of another highway legislation when things began to pick up steam.

As the 1920s progressed and more roads were being built, Americans were able to take trips to wherever they wanted, historian Richard Davies wrote.

The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 was desired "to create a coherent highway network by requiring that federal aid be concentrated upon projects as will expedite the completion of an adequate and connected system of highways, interstate in character," according to a National Parks Service study of the route.

Two men would play important roles in 66's Genesis, Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and John Woodruff, of Springfield, Missouri. They dreamt of a road that would link different regions of the country. Although Avery and Woodruff deserve most of the credit for promoting the idea of an interregional link between Chicago and Los Angeles, "their lobbying efforts were not realized until their dreams merged with the national program of highway and road development," the study states.

At first, the two men were disappointed with a lack of congressional action, but in 1925, legislators enacted a comprehensive highway act that would set the wheels into motion for the construction of a national highway.

Route 66, though originally tabbed U.S. 60, but changed due to a conflict with Kentucky and Virginia, was born on Nov. 11, 1926. At the time, it was mainly intended to connect the main streets of rural and urban places along the route "for the most practical of reasons: Most small towns had no prior access to a major national thoroughfare," according to the National Parks Service.

Rise, fall and resurrection

In the 1920s and 30s the use of the automobile expanded and with it came increased demanded for businesses like filling stations and motels. As a result, places along Route 66 such as the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas, opened up.


The Conoco Tower Station/U-Drop Inn Café in Shamrock, Texas, remains a popular destination for Route 66 travelers.
Gregory R.C. Hasman Photo 

The road gained eternal fame as it was referenced as the "Mother Road" to describe Tom Joad's journey out west in John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath." Some residents did deal with the Dust Bowl and Great Depression by seeking work and a better life out west, however, many chose to stick it out in the state severely affected by dust pneumonia and a poor economy, Oklahoma, West Texas, Kansas and New Mexico.

As the 1930s progressed, Route 66 and other roads across the country became linked to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program for work relief and economic recovery. Road improvements and maintenance work were important parts of the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Project Administration programs. These programs helped employ thoughts of unemployed male youths, which helped pave stretches of 66.

The road also helped play a key role in the nation's war effort. The U.S. invested in new military bases on or near 66, i.e. Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and Edwards Air Force Base in California. Trucks hauled defense-related material heading to war production plants.

After the war, the country went into a period of prosperity. Americans traveled down the two-lane highway to make their first trips to places like California or more to new locations. 
In 1956, however, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower finished what the Franklyn D. Roosevelt administration started, the creation of a large national interstate system. Roosevelt put it off to concentrate on the war effort.

A lot of communities suffered as a result of the interstate. The two-lane highway was decommissioned in 1984, but has since risen from the depths of torn chunks of asphalt.

There are several groups including the Route 66 Alliance that continue to preserve and promote the road. Every year there are events along the Mother Road that attract people from across the country and globe. There is even a 66 sign hanging up south of Casper, Wyoming.



A Route 66 marker greets motorists between Rawlins and Casper, Wyoming.
Gregory R.C. Hasman Photo

In 2018, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Mother Road as one of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places and at some point it may be put on the same mantle as the Oregon Trail.

"Interstates have their purpose, I suppose, but do not have the same allure as the Mother Road and other two-lane highways," Black said. "It is more of a rushed 'Hurry up and get from point A to point B' feeling and I have had to do that myself rather than enjoy traveling through towns and seeing each one's unique personality."


The Gay Parita Sinclair filling station owned by the late Gary Turner sits off Route 66 outside Halltown, Missouri.
Gregory R.C. Hasman Photo

For more, go to https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/route66/learnmore66.html.