Route 66, known as "The Main Street of America", "The Mother Road" and "The Will
Rogers Highway" served as the lifeline for the World War II effort and thousands
of families that fled to escape "The Dust Bowl Era". Passage along Route 66 . . . — — Map (db m163912) HM
"Between Shamrock and Amarillo, Route 66 crossed cattle country where four wire
gates blocked auto traffic in the 1920's.
Travelers had to stop, open each gate, pass
through, and close the gate behind them."
(From "Along Route 66", by Quinta . . . — — Map (db m163940) HM
US 66 snakes its way through 2448 miles of the American Midwest and southwest along its journey it crosses many territories of varying scenic terrains. Including in these territories are the lands of many Native American nations. . . . — — Map (db m163938) HM
Completed by 1938, runs a distance of 2448 miles across three time zones, and
through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona and California. The original intent was that the alignment would connect
the . . . — — Map (db m163911) HM
For westbound travelers crossing into Texas, Route
66 provided the first glimpses of changes in the
landscape and architecture. Buildings of the
Southwest featured Adobe, Art Deco, and Mission
styles amid landscapes of prairie and . . . — — Map (db m163923) HM
The new Route 66 grew quickly in use and legend and
was named "Main Street USA" and "The Mother Road" by
travelers who required services never before known.
Blacksmith shops became garages, sidewalk gas pumps
grew to service stations. Hotel . . . — — Map (db m163939) HM
Route 66 was conceived in the mid 1920's by Oklahoma Highway Commissioner Cyrus
Stevens Acery and the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads. The vision was of an all-weather
paved highway stretching from densely populated Chicago and the Midwest to
the . . . — — Map (db m163910) HM
The first legendary event to take place along Route 66 was in 1923 when sports
promoter C.C Pyle and the US Highway 66 Association promoted a transcontinental
footrace that later became known as the Bunion Derby. The race started in . . . — — Map (db m163930) HM
Route 66 was finished just as the first wave of new
cars came off the post war assembly lines. For many
Americans, it symbolized an unparalleled freedom
and mobility for every individual who could own and
operate an automobile. Route 66 . . . — — Map (db m163925) HM
Poor agricultural practices and sustained drought
throughout the Southern Plains during the 1930's
left the land barren of growing crops. Strong winds
whipped across the empty fields creating huge black
clouds of dust traveling across . . . — — Map (db m163918) HM
Route 66 was pieced together from rural dirt roads,
farm-to-market roads, and by connecting U.S. highways
25, 31, 52, 60, 62 and 150. The name was assigned on
November 11, 1926 when state politicians discovered,
after a heated debate, that the . . . — — Map (db m163921) HM
Route 66 was the first paved road to link the Midwest to the Pacific Coast. Prior
to its construction in 1926, there had been no roadway on which anyone in a motor
vehicle could easily travel cross-country. Route 66 represents the . . . — — Map (db m163917) HM
Route 66 was a major lifeline in the single largest wartime manpower mobilization
effort in US history. Route 66 provided the rapid transportation of raw materials
from the Southwest to the manufacturing facilities of the Midwest and Northeast. . . . — — Map (db m163935) HM
1900's 1903 - W.C. Rogers becomes last elected Cherokee Chief
1910's 1916 - Legislation for public transports
1920's 1926 - US highway 66, first highway to link the Midwest and Pacific Coast is born
1930's 1938 - Route 66 completely . . . — — Map (db m163949) HM