Katrina Parks’ documentary about women who played a significant role in the history of Route 66 finally will be coming to television screens in March.
Parks announced on Facebook last week her “Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road” will air on American Public Television.
In a follow-up message with Route 66 News, Parks said the documentary is in three parts of one hour each and is arranged chronologically.
Parks asked readers to encourage their local stations to air the documentary if they hadn’t planned to do so.
Parks’ Assertion Films states the documentary “uncovers the extraordinary lives and achievements of women who overcame gender discrimination and segregation to build fulfilling lives for themselves and generations to come on America’s most iconic highway.”
“From entrepreneurs to waitresses, from anthropologists to politicians, from artists to military sergeants, these women transformed their communities and the American West for the better through their hard work, perseverance and ingenuity.”
Here’s an early trailer for the film:
The film received grants from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program and several state humanities councils.
Parks has been working on her documentary for years. Here’s an article about it from 2018 that I wrote for my day job when Parks was in Tucumcari, New Mexico, explaining what she’d found and still was looking for more material.
UPDATE 2/28/2022: Here’s another trailer for the documentary:
(Image of “Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road” announcement poster by Assertion Films via Facebook)