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The US Historic 66 Story:
The US Route 66 or US Highway 66 (US 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. The US 66 was established on 11 November 1926, and the signage was erected the following year.
The Route:
The highway route begins at the intersection of Adams Street and Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, Illinois and leaves Chicago in a southwest direction across Illinois to Springfield, IL. From there, it traverses nearly southward to near the bottom of Illinois, turn west and crosses the Mississippi River on the
Chain of Rocks Bridge into the state of Mississippi and Saint Louis. From Saint Louis, the roadpath travels southwest across the lower part of Missouri to Springfield, Missouri and then west bound to Joplin, Missouri.
Then, upon leaving Joplin, the roadpath travels west on MO SH 66 to the Kansas state line, crosses into Kansas which highway changes to KS SH 66 and enters into Galena, Kansas leaving out the west side on W. Seventh Street. The US 66 is well marked and continues westward, crosses over Spring River and then goes through Riverton. West of Riverton, when cross US 400, US 66 has been re-routed through a traffic circles (the original route had traversed straight west though the area and previously connected with what is now SE Beasley Road). On the west side of US 400, US 66 is marked SE Beasley Road for 1.25 miles, at which location there is a right turn on to SE 50th Street. Turn right and then immediately turn left from SE 50th Street onto SE Rainbow Road. SE Rainbow Road (a one-way south bound road) is the old alignment of US 66 and soon crosses the US 66 Historic Rainbow Curve Bridge, after which US 66 travels southbound again, through Baxter Springs Kansas, which upon exiting out the south side of the town, arrives at the Oklahoma State Line.
Next, US 66, when it enters Oklahoma, it travels through some of the Northeast Oak and Hickory National Forest land and also enters several Oklahoma reservation lands, the first of which is the
Quapaw Nation reservation, a tribe that I have know about for a very long time. In fact, the very first time that I even heard the name Quapaw was in Arkansas when I visited the
Quapaw on Bath House Row in the
Hot Spring National Park. Continuing southeast from Quapaw, Oklahoma, I next arrive in Miami, Oklahoma, also home of the Miami Nation reservation and a large about of painted building murals, most of which are US 66 related. At the south end of this town, is the intersection of Oklahoma SH 10 which to the left departs to several native American reservations, which soon after crossing the Spring River are the Eastern Shawnee Nation, the Modoc Nation and the the Seneca-Cayuse Nation, all of which have their reservation lands.
However, back to the town of Miami, where instead of turning left into the reservations lands, you turn right and immediately cross the Neosho River, after which, you will then follow the original US 66 west and then south. Near Afton is an original stretch known as the Will Rogers highway (36.6997561, -94.9456581) where a monument stands. From this location, the old US 66 has been bypassed by the new IH 44 all the way to Oklahoma City and then with IH 40 from Ok city to Amarillo, Texas, all new interstate roadpaths which can be driven in less than seven hours and which traverses over 460 miles. However, driving the same journey but using the US 66 old roadpath which roadpath wanders back and forth across these new interstates is now labeled as the US Historical Route 66 / US 66 Bicycle Route; could take up to two days if driven with an auto, especially if one is doing it for the purpose of sightseeing and also stops often for the gift shops.
Description:
Roadpath Type:
US Numbered Highway
Roadpath Use:
Intra and Inter State Travel
Roadpath Waymark:
US Highway Signs
Roadpath Length:
Total Length:
2,444 miles, 3,940 km
Length in Illinois:
301 miles, 484 kilometers
Length in Missouri:
317 miles, 510 kilometers
Length in Kansas:
13 miles, 21 kilometers
Length in Oklahoma:
432 miles, 695 kilometers
Length in Texas:
186 miles, 299 kilometers
Length in New Mexico:
487 miles, 784 kilometers
Length in Arizona:
401 miles, 645 kilometers
Length in California:
316 miles, 509 kilometers
Roadpaths Terminus Points:
Terminus Point One (Eastern):
Location:
S Michigan Avenue and E. Adams Street, Chicago, Illinois
Cordinates:
41.8797120, -87.6245159
Elevation:
591 feet
Terminus Point Two (Western):
Location:
Downtown Los Angeles, California, at 7th Street and Broadway.
Cordinates:
34.0452158, -118.2533837
Elevation:
254 feet
Roadpaths Elevations:
Roadpath Highest Elevation: (Original 1926)
7,200 feet
Continental Divide, AX
Roadpath Highest Elevation: (1942 realignment)
7,335 feet (2,237 meters)
Arizona Divide, West of Flagstaff, AX
The Early History (1926-1938)
The US Historic 66 sstablished on November 11, 1926, US Route 66 has been famously known as the "Mother Road", the "Diagonal Way" and the "Main Street of America" performed as a corridor for those who wanted/needed to drive to the western area of the Unite States. The original route stretched from Chicargo to Los Angeles, but later on 17 June 1935, the western terminus was extended to the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica, a location which connected US 66 with Alternate US 101, today′s Pacific Coast Highway.
Most of the original route consisted of gravel or graded dirt and it was not until the year 1938 that the US 66 route became the first US highway to be completely paved.
The Mother Road Era (1930-1940)
During the mid 1930s, US 66 became a lifeline for more than 210,000 people fleeing from the Dust Bowl which primarily devastated the
Southern Great Plains Regin with the hardest hit area occurring in the area centered around the North Texas and West Oklahoma panhandles. This dust bowl migration was immortalized by John Steinbeck in his 1939 novel ":The Grapes of Wrath" wherein he dubbed US 66 the "Mother Road"
The Golden Age (1950-1960)
This was the era that saw the rise of iconic neon signs, teepee-shaped motels, and diners. It marked the birth of the fast-food industry, including the first drive-through window at Red′s Giant Hamburg in Springfield, Missouri.
Bobby Troup′s had a hit song in the pop culture, which including the lyrics' "Get your Kicks on Route 66"s. Also, a popular 1960s television series further cemented the legendary status of US 66.
The Decline and Preservation (1956 to Present)
In 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway Act, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on 19 June 1956, authorized the construction of a 41,000 mile National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, which provided $24.8 billion over thirteen years. This Highway Construction Act was a landmark legislation that not only modernized the US transportation infrastructure, but had lasting effects on the American society, economy and national defense. Its legacy continues to influence transportation policy and infrastructure today. Thus, this legislation began the replacement of the failing Numbered Highway System, including US Route 66, by replacing it with the multi-lane interstate highways (IH) specifically IH 40, IH 44, and IH 50/
In 1984, the last original stretch of US 66 was bypassed in Williams, Arizona, and the US Route 66 was officially decertified as a US highway on June 27, 1985, making it forever US Historical Route 66.
Also, shortly after the de-certification of US 66, efforts began to preserve the previous US highway as a commemorative highway, which prompted local legislation to create the US Historical Route 66. In many area, this highway has become the Business IH route but instead of listing it as Bus. IH 40, the signage has become US Historical 66. Too, several states have adoped significant bypassed sections of the former US 66 into their state roadway system as State Route 66. The original US 66 corridor is being developed into the US Bicycle Route 66, which has become part of the United States National Bicycle Route System.
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