You are standing on the pavement of the original Route 66 that was commissioned in 1926. The width of the original hard road was only 16' wide and constructed from Portland cement. The road immediately in front of you is the upgraded Route 66 known . . . — — Map (db m157604) HM
The Towanda, Il. Route 66 Parkway stretches 1 mile in front of you and 2.5 miles behind you. You are standing on the 1954 alignment of Route 66. The original 1926 two lane Route 66 is behind you and to the right and just up this road and to the . . . — — Map (db m157605) HM
Ahead of you is Dead Man's Curve, the site of many disastrous accidents from the late 1920s through the 1950s. This curve was part of the original Route 66 that was constructed around Towanda in 1927. Behind you to the east approximatley 1/4 . . . — — Map (db m157594) HM
Dead Man's curve is directly down the road 400 feet north of this sign. It is along Old Route 4, the "Original 66" constructed in 1926, and has a sharp 90 degree curve. No more than 18 feet wide, this 2-way road was the site of many disastrous . . . — — Map (db m294194) HM
Your experience of this portion of Historic Route 66 is eight tenths of one mile of the 2448 miles stretching from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. As the primary road connecting Chicago to the west coast, Route 66 was called the Main . . . — — Map (db m157589) HM
Directly ahead is the location of the former Fern's Café and Texaco Station which were opened by Fern and Mac McCurdie in 1951 after Route 66 became a four lane highway.
For 18 years, McCurdies have successfully owned the café and gas . . . — — Map (db m294094) HM
Directly ahead lay the remnants of Henderson's Dairy, which was closed in 1942 due to a calling to war. Upon Jerry Henderson's return home from World War II in 1945, the Standard Service Station was built and opened. It was a small, family owned . . . — — Map (db m157603) HM
Ahead of you is the former location of the Delco Truck Stop, a historic landmark opened in 1952. Three years later, the name changed to Pure Oil Truck Stop with gasoline selling at 17.9 cents per gallon. Pure Oil also featured a restaurant that . . . — — Map (db m157602) HM
