Calling all educators who used Route 66 in their curriculum: The Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative wants to hear from you. University of New Mexico professor and author David Dunaway is serving as chairman of the initiative's Research & Education Working Group. He recently put out a call for educators to share their materials … Continue reading Educators, Route 66 can use your help
Category: History
Route 66 sculptures nearly done for Tulsa’s Howard Park
Utah sculptor Patrick Sullivan probably will finish his three Route 66 sculptures for Howard Park in Tulsa sometime next week. Tulsa World columnist John Klein recently talked to Sullivan, who patiently has wielded a hammer and chisel to create the images in Indiana limestone. Sullivan drove every inch of Route 66 in Tulsa County before beginning … Continue reading Route 66 sculptures nearly done for Tulsa’s Howard Park
Book review: “Route 66 Roadside Signs and Advertisements”
"Route 66 Roadside Signs and Advertisements" leaves little doubt it exists primarily as an image-driven book. After all, you have to show all these neon signs, banners and billboards that made an indelible impression on generations of Route 66 travelers and contributed to the road's colorful history. The book contains hundreds of photographs by Route 66 … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 Roadside Signs and Advertisements”
Ash Fork’s little-known historical gem
Only one of two steel dams still exist in the United States, and one is less than a mile off an old alignment of Route 66 east of Ash Fork, Arizona. Known as the Bainbridge Steel Dam or the Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway built the dam's parts offsite and shipped … Continue reading Ash Fork’s little-known historical gem
Exploring the ruins of Ella’s Frontier
Crowd-funded filmmaker Dan Bell recently explored the ruins of Ella's Frontier off old Route 66 near Joseph City, Arizona. He interspersed the film with footage from the 1980s shortly after the business closed with the owner's death in 1984. https://youtu.be/LDK24ux8xfE According to the GhostTownAZ website: The business was owned and operated by Ella Blackwell, who … Continue reading Exploring the ruins of Ella’s Frontier
Angel Delgadillo archives given to university
Northern Arizona University announced Friday it accepted the archives of longtime Route 66 champion Angel Delgadillo to its collection. The announcement came in Delgadillo's hometown of Seligman, Arizona, on the 90th birthday of Route 66. Delgadillo, 89, known as the Guardian Angel of Route 66, founded the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona and lobbied … Continue reading Angel Delgadillo archives given to university
Lawmaker seeks Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission
It's still 10 years away, but an Illinois lawmaker wants to set up a commission to help celebrate Route 66's 100th anniversary in 2026. State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) introduced House Bill 6624 that would form an Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission. Butler revealed his proposal Thursday -- the day before the highway marked its 90th birthday. More from … Continue reading Lawmaker seeks Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission
Happy 90th birthday, Route 66!
Today -- which also happens to be Veterans Day -- marks the 90th birthday of the official existence of U.S. Highway 66, better known as Route 66. Nov. 11, 1926, was the day the American Association of State Highway Officials formally adopted the 2,448-mile path from Chicago to Los Angeles and number for U.S. Highway … Continue reading Happy 90th birthday, Route 66!
Bones of Route 66 motel being used for mining monument in Kingman
A history buff is using stones from a demolished Route 66 motel in Kingman, Arizona, to re-create a mining monument that stood more than 100 years ago in the city. C. Russell collected stones from the recently razed Bells Motel, aka Desert Lodge Apartments and Bel Air Motel, to help build a Miners Mineral Monument near … Continue reading Bones of Route 66 motel being used for mining monument in Kingman
Book review: “Route 66: A Trail of Tears”
This isn't a Route 66 nostalgia book. "Route 66: A Trail of Tears" (514 pages, soft cover, self-published) offers vivid evidence why some people regarded the highway with anguish and dread during its heyday. Historian Barry Duncan compiled hundreds of black-and-white photographs of accidents along a stretch of the Mother Road in southwest Missouri from the 1950s to the 1970s. The … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66: A Trail of Tears”