If There Ever Was a Highway, It Was Route 66
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June 2008 A Monthly Publication of the USA Mission to Poland. Warsaw • Krakow • Poznan Volume V. Issue 49. If There Ever Was a Highway, It Was Route 66 An old car, similar to ones that some Okies drove to Cali- fornia in the 1930s and 1940s, stands behind the Wigwam Village Motel office in Holbrook, Ariz. Wed. Oct. 13, 1999. A Photo © AP Images In This Issue: The Past, Present & Future of Route 66 ZOOM in on America The Brilliant Past of Route 66 What is it about Route 66 that fascinates people? There mean so much more than just a road for the people are newer, safer, better highways, but Route 66 inspires who were using it. Americans like no other road. There are many organiza- The 1930s were a remarkable time in the history of tions now fighting for the preservation and restoration of Route 66. It was then that the road received its fa- this historic highway. Route 66 was neither the first nor mous nickname; "The Mother Road". John Stein- the longest road across America. Lincoln Highway was beck, in his novel "The Grapes of Wrath", coined the built 13 years earlier and spanned 13 states - 5 more expression that was to outlive its origins in the eco- than Route 66. Dixie Highway in the southern United logical disaster known as the “Dust Bowl.” Continuing States was also started more than a decade earlier. destructive storms of dust destroyed the fields and However, it is Route 66 that has captured America - and forced whole families of farmers from the southern the world’s - imagination. Great Plains to leave their homes and head west to The beginnings of Route 66 go back to November 1926 California. For them, Route 66 was a road of flight and to a man named Cyrus Avery, a member of the fed- and a road of hope. eral board whose task was to create the Federal High- Route 66 is perhaps best known today for the unique way System. Cyrus Avery reserved the number 66 for architecture and attractions for visitors that devel- the new interstate road. Numbers were assigned as the oped along the road. In order to encourage travelers roads were built, and our road was very nearly given the to stop, motels, restaurants and tourist centers cre- number 60. The builders of another road, however, ated signs and styles ranging from the fanciful to the claimed this number and "62" was taken in the mean- bizarre. Some motels, time. Avery, who believed for example, were built a number must be round in the shape of Native and easy to remember, American wigwams. chose 66. He also estab- From the outside, with lished the U.S. Highway their characteristic 66 Association to ensure teepee shape and a red financial support for his zigzag pattern, they favorite creation. These seem small. In fact they helped cover the ex- are quite comfortable penses for paving, and in and offer a standard set 1938 Route 66 truly was Photo ©AP Images of furniture, complete the first fully paved with a coin operated ra- American highway. dio set. Today two wig- The highway started in wam motels on Route 66 Chicago, Illinois, headed in Arizona are still in op- down south to Springfield eration. in the same state and St. Besides motels, travel- Louis in the bordering ers on Route 66 needed state of Missouri. Route good places to eat. 66 then ran all the way Some of the drive-in res- west, through Kansas, taurants and bars ap- then via Tulsa and Okla- peared along the Mother homa City in Oklahoma, Road. One of the most Amarillo in Texas, Santa unusual places to eat is Fe and Albuquerque in The Big Texan Steak New Mexico, Flagstaff in Ranch in Amarillo, Arizona, and finally to LA Texas. In operation in California. Beginning in since 1960, the restau- Chicago, one could drive rant has a peculiar chal- 2,400 miles (3,862km) lenge for non-vegetarian and pass through eight big eaters: a $72 meal states from Illinois to Cali- consisting of a 72oz fornia. But driving was (2kg) steak, a potato, not the only special thing Chevrolet Corvette was a popular bread roll with butter, about Route 66. That is car on Route 66 ranch beans, shrimp one of the reasons why Photo ©AP Images cocktail, and salad en- the highway came to tirely on the house if ... it A cloud-covered glimpse of Route 66 in the vicinity of Williams, Ariz. Photo ©AP Images all gets eaten in under ZOOM Page 2 an hour. There is a special table on a platform and a whole new world for the traveler: Oatman Road digital clock at the back ready for a daredevil. The offi- through the Black Mountains, Glen and Bryce Can- cial website claims there have been over 40,000 at- yons in Utah, the Painted Desert, Meteor Crater and tempts and 7,000 refunds to those who have suc- the Grand Canyon. Hairpin turns to the Valley of the ceeded (the meal has to be paid for in advance). Gods offered breathtaking views as well as a driving thrill. The highway opened a gateway to California for Besides restaurants, there were also cafes and diners tourists and was crucial for the tourism trade. on Route 66. Frozen custard stands lured the drivers to stop and cool off with a refreshingly icy and creamy The phenomenon of Route 66 was that you didn’t treat. There were curio shops selling Indian handi- have to travel it to know it. Thanks to the TV and crafts. There were also reptile farms along Route 66, movie industry and Nat King Cole’s version of the where one could take a close look at alligators and song “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”, people all over snakes. Route 66 also featured peculiar roadside ar- the world knew the road’s bends and stretches. You chitecture, which, disregarding its artistic merit, distin- didn’t have to ever walk through the door of the West guishes Route 66 from all the other highways. The End Diner to know what it was like: a long bar most popular landmarks include the leaning water counter with stools in a row, the tables and chairs tower in Texas, Round Barn in Arcadia, Arizona, Gem- arranged like compartments in a car. You saw it in so ini Giant in Wilmington, Illinois, Cadillac Ranch in Ama- many movies that it became an all familiar sight. rillo, Texas, the Big Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma, Route 66 became an icon representing this specifi- and Coleman Theater in Miami, Oklahoma. cally American automobile culture of the open high- way. Nature itself helps to promote Route 66. Fabulous Text by AIRC Krakow views, especially in Arizona and Utah, opened up a What Does the Future Hold in Store for Route 66? Today there is hope for be completely forgotten. the future, but back in In the 1990s the Historic 1956 when President Route 66 Associations Dwight Eisenhower and the National Historic signed the Interstate Route 66 Federation Highway Act, the fate of were founded with the Route 66 seemed in jeop- aim to “preserve the his- ardy. The Act gave a toric landmarks and revi- green light to building talize the economies of new high-speed roads communities along the which would slowly but entire 2,400-mile stretch surely start to by-pass the of road.” International As- two-lane Mother Road. sociations in France, Bel- Workers remove signs that As the new roads were mark the end of U.S. Route gium, Holland, Canada added, the old Route 66 66 in Chicago, Ill., Jan. 17, and Norway also joined became less and less 1977. the effort to revitalize the Photo©AP frequently used. Finally, old route. Parts of the in 1985 Route 66 was Mother Road were de- officially decomissioned clared “Historic Route 66” and vanished from Ameri- and marked accordingly. can road maps. The results of the asso- The demise of Route 66 ciations’ activities are put an end to the many manifold: there are now roadside businesses that numerous Route 66 mu- had developed along it. seums, the “Adopt-A- Its many motels, restau- Hundred Program” allows rants, gas stations, and volunteers to take care of garages soon became 100 mile stretches of empty and desolate. Route 66, and there are Years of disuse led to now maps and guides of degradation of the build- Route 66 Fun Run, May 2, 2004, in the old route. Last but not ings. Golden Shores, Ariz. least, there are rallies, Photo ©AP Images fun runs and various so- Despite this demise, for- cial events all revolving tunately Route 66 meant A cloud-covered glimpse of Route 66 near Williams, Ariz. Photo ©AP Images around old Route 66. too much for too many to Text by AIRC Krakow Click to listen: http://stream.state.gov/streamvol/libmedia/krakow/10474/route1/route1.wma ZOOM Page 3 ActivityActivity PagePage Exercise 1 Comprehension Win a Prize! Can you answer the following questions without referring back to the text? June 2008 CONTEST 1. How many states did Route 66 pass through? Do you remember which states Was Route 66 the they were? oldest American 2. Why did Route 66 come to mean more than just a road to many people? highway? 3. What did you have to do to listen to the radio in the wigwam motel? 4. Why did whole families of farmers from the southern Great Plains have to leave Send the answer (with their homes and move to California? your home address) to: 5.