exodus of mostly destitute migrants to Cali- Interstate Highway System, which marked Geography fornia from the Dust Bowl in , the end of Route 66 as a major highway. In Arkansas, Kansas, Colorado and Texas. 1985, the highway was offi cially removed In The Others called it the “Will Rogers Highway” from the United States Highway System. or “The Main Street of America.” The major interstates today bypassing News™ In the 1940s, World War II military traffi c Route 66 are I-55 from Chicago to St. Louis, found Route 66 to be immensely important I-44 to Oklahoma City, I-40 to Barstow, Ca- in moving equipment and personnel be- lif., I-15 to San Bernardino, Calif., and I-10 tween the East and West Coasts. through . It is still possible to Neal Lineback Following the end of the war in the mid- follow parts of old Route 66, sometimes on and Mandy Lineback Gritzner 1940s, tourism along Route 66 boomed. Nat renumbered roads. In fact, some Route 66 King Cole sang Bobby Troup’s classic (Get admirers and afi cionados assemble cara- Your Kicks On) Route 66 and suddenly ev- vans to follow most of the remaining route ROUTE 66, A POP erybody knew about the highway. from Chicago to Los Angeles, requiring Route 66 was a magnet to businesses ca- careful planning with many detours. The CULTURE ICON tering to the traveling public. The popular- latest major publicity about the highway On Nov. 11, 1926, U.S. Highway 66 be- ity of the route attracted uniquely designed occurred in the 2006 Disney- fi lm , came one of the original federal highways. eating establishments, motor courts (later where a map shown to Lightning McQueen Running from Chicago to Los Angeles, this known as motels), fi lling stations (later indicated that I-40 had bypassed the fi cti- highway became an icon for generations of known as gas or service stations), curio tious town of Radiator Springs located on western migrants and vacationers. Motor- shops and specialty attractions to the high- Route 66. ing along the route in the 1950s left millions way. This huge array of businesses was To those who fondly remember the with indelible memories of incredible phys- unique and iconic to Route 66. Auto clubs, Route 66 of yesteryear or to those with an ical and cultural sights. tourist bureaus, chambers of commerce, interest in Americana, there is even a web- Up until the early1920s, roads through- oil companies and businesses of all types site for planning a trip along the remnants out rural America were mostly dirt and advertised the highway as “a vacation in of the road (www.historic66.com). Just visit- gravel, usually poorly surfaced, not well itself.” ing the remnants today brings great mem- marked and inadequately maintained. They Like all things that grow uncontrolledly, ories fl ooding back of past road trips along essentially were a hodge-podge network of Route 66 became congested in most of the this iconic highway for many. two-lane wagon roads. Early automobiles, towns and cities through which it passed. And that is Geography in the News™. De- including Henry Ford’s Model T, had nar- Although the business community com- cember 2, 2011. #1122. row, fl imsy tires unsuited to long distance plained, the road was straightened or ex- Co-authors are Neal Lineback, Appalachian travel over such roads, particularly under panded, towns were bypassed and newer, State University Professor Emeritus of wet or frozen conditions. faster highways gradually replaced Route Geography, and Geographer Mandy Lineback Cross-country auto travel was not just 66. Finally, in the late 1950s President Gritzner. University News Director Jane an adventure; it could be a harrowing and Dwight Eisenhower signed into law the Nicholson serves as technical editor. expensive undertaking. Most such travelers found rail transportation Historical Route 66 to be more accommodating and af- © 2011 fordable in the early 1900s. By the early 1920s, automobiles N WA A VT were becoming not only more E MT ND ME C plentiful and affordable, but more OR MN O NH dependable as well. Demand for ID WI MA C SD MI NY better roads began to accelerate, I WY F Chicago RI leading Congress to establish a I NV IA PA CT federal route system that crossed C NE Joliet IN OH NJ A UT CA Kingman CO St. Louis DE multiple states. P Funk’s Grove Williams IL With a wave of migrants headed Baxter Springs MO WV VA MD Newberry Hombrook KS KY for in their automobiles Springs Devil’s Elbow Gallup Tucumcari NC over these unpaved roads, Route Santa NM OK Springfield Monica Tulsa TN 66 was designed as a 2,448-mile AZ El Reno SC (3,940-km) paved road crossing San Bernadino Moriarty Elk City AR GA Grants MS AL parts of eight states from Illinois to Amarillo LA ATLANTIC California. Still it wasn’t until 1938 ROUTE TX OCEAN that the last of this road was paved. FL When the stock market crashed 0 400 mi 66 Gulf Of Mexico in 1929 followed by the legendary 0 400 km Dust Bowl of the early 1930s, Route 66 became the pathway for fl eeing Geography in the News 12/2/11 Source: http://www.roadtriplog.com/usmap.jpg M. Shears migrants. Author John Steinbeck in his novel, The Grapes of Wrath, Sources: Lineback, Neal, personal travel (1953-2011); http://www.historic66.com; labeled Route 66 as the “Mother and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cars Road,” as he documented the mass

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