Route 66

Welcome to Route 66

A legendary road from Chicago to Santa Monica

1st Stop

What is road 66?

Route 66 is a major US highway also known as "The Mother Road" It is 2248 miles long and runs from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California. It crosses 8 different states.

Map

8 states

1- Illinois 2- Missouri 3- Kansas 4- Oklahoma 5- Texas 6- New Mexico 7- Arizona 8- California

Historic Route 66: Timeline

1950's "GET your KICKS ON route 66"

1930's-1940's

- The “Family Vacation” = new American phenomenon in the 1950s. - Route 66 = the main highway for vacationers heading to Los Angeles - Route 66 = a destination unto itself. - Route 66 = ultimate road trip (with its caverns & caves, scenic mountains, beautiful canyons, deserts...) - The traffic along Route 66 resulted in the opening of many restaurants, motels, and gas stations + roadside attractions - Route 66 heavily promoted by the U.S. 66 Highway Association

1926 : Route 66 officially commissioned acknowledged as one of the nation’s principal east-west arteries 1927: Adoption of the theme name "main street of America" the 1930's: Dust Bowl Primary route for the migration of farm workers from the Midwest to California 1939: publication of John Steinbeck's publishes The Grapes of Wrath, dubbing Route 66 “The Mother Road, the road of flight.” 1940's: one of the key routes for moving military equipment across the country

1960's-1980's

- 1956: the interstate system is funded - 1960's- 1980's: gradual decline and demise of Route 66 1987: ROUTE 66 RETURNS

Main cities

CHICAGO

SANTA MONICA

Springfield St Louis Tulsa Oklahoma City Amarillo

Riverside Flagstaff Holbrook Albuquerque

ROUTE 66: Landscapes

Route 66: Roadside Attractions

Route 66: Accommodation on the road

ROUTE 66 in MOVIES

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) / Bagdad Café (1987) / Thelma & Louise (1991) / Cars (2006)

ROUTE 66 by Nat King Cole [Verse 1] If you ever plan to motor west Travel my way, take the highway that's the best Get your kicks on Route 66 [Verse 2] It winds from Chicago to L.A More than two thousand miles all the way Get your kicks on Route 66 [Bridge] Now you go through St. Louis Joplin, Missouri And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty You'll see Amarillo Gallup, New Mexico Flagstaff, Arizona Don't forget Winona Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino [Verse 3] Won't you get hip to this timely tip? When you make that California trip Get your kicks on Route 66 [Verse 3] Won't you get hip to this timely tip? When you make that California trip Get your kicks on Route 66 Get your kicks on Route 66 Get your kicks on Route 66