The Illinois State Museum in Springfield announced the launch of the online Route 66 Oral History Project, which gathered 100 stories about the history of the Mother Road before its centennial in 2026.
The database includes video-recorded interviews, as well as world-searchable written transcriptions. Contributors include people who lived, worked and traveled along Route 66 during its pre-interstate heyday and those who promote, preserve and interpret the road for current and future generations.
A perusal of the database reveals interviews with longtime Ariston Cafe co-owner Nick Adam, American Giants Museum founder Joel Baker, former Cozy Dog Drive-In owner Buz Waldmire and Route 66 preservationist John Weiss.
Interviews range from 20 minutes to well over an hour.
“These interviews provide a fascinating glimpse into what it was like to travel Route 66 back in the day, as well as perspectives from people who are working to promote the road today,” Erika Holst, the museum’s curator of history and Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program co-organizer, said in a news release. “We know that Route 66 students and enthusiasts are going to learn so much from these interviews. There are so many details to be found that you just can’t find in books.”
“The interviews run the gamut from childhood memories of traveling the road on family vacations to a state trooper patrolling the road at night,” said Amanda Bryden, the museum’s registrar of history and Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program co-organizer. “They range from humorous and hopeful to tragic and tense. We are honored to be stewards of these stories and are excited to share them with the public.”
This project was made possible through the support of the Illinois State Museum Society and a grant from the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.
(Image of an Illinois Route 66 sign by Storm Crypt via Flickr)