The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Highway 66 (Ch 11 - 15) (B) *

 

Also known as the Pontiac Trail, Osage Indian Trail, Wire Road, Postal Highway, Grand Canyon Route, National Trails Highway, Ozark Trail, Will Rogers Highway, and the Main Street of America, the Route 66 had many names because the route crossed multiple towns. The Route 66 was first created on November 11, 1926 by Cyrus Avery, an Oklahoma highway commissioner, who used the already existed roads to connect them into a single long route that spanned from Chicago, Illinois, and ran through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, before ending at Los Angeles, encompassing a total of 2,448 miles. Route 66 was the most important route for the migrants who went west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and for the communities that make business along the road. The stores and business along the route became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway. The people who stayed in the route later fought to keep the highway alive even with the growing threat of being bypassed by the new Interstate Highway System. Though the route was removed by the government on June 27, 1985, the route was able to maintain most of the roads as "Historic Route 66".

 

 

The rest stops and trading posts were common along the route, mostly in the Southwestern area, and allowed the travelers and the migrators to rest by the station. The worn out travelers can sleep or buy some Native American souvenirs. One of the best known stops, the Jackrabbit Trading Post, at Joseph City, Arizona opened in 1947 with original owner, James Taylor. The owner was obsessed with advertising for his business and had multiple “Here it is” signs with jackrabbits pointing the way along the Old Road as well as along the Interstate.

 

 

 

Along the route, the travelers would go to the nearby diner to fill their empty stomach with cheap meals served in the diner. One of the diner, the Ariston café, opened in 1924 in the Litchfield, Illinois. Many cafés and diners stationed themselves along the route to catch tired travelers and gained profit with cheap meals. Some had bands playing in the diner while others had entertaining surprises for the travelers like eating the 72oz. steak in 60 minutes to either get a free meal or $72.00 check on the table. 

 

Photo Source:



-"Route 66." Angelfire. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. http://www.angelfire.com/ca/xanadu55/Route_66.html.

Information Source:
-"Route 66." Angelfire. N.p., 4 June 2008. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. http://www.angelfire.com/ca/xanadu55/Route_66.html.
-Edklein69. "Route 66 History." Route 66 World. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://www.route66world.com/66_history/>.