Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, located on an older alignment of Route 66 near Collinsville, Ill., is featured in an excellent article in the current issue of National Geographic. The story reportedly has boosted number of visitors at Cahokia Mounds and prompted a follow-up story by the Suburban Journals of St. Louis. The National Geographic article … Continue reading Cahokia Mounds featured in National Geographic
Category: History
Maplewood adds Route 66 plaques to sidewalks
The St. Louis suburb of Maplewood, Mo., has added commemorative Route 66 metal plaques along its historic downtown area, according to an article in the Maplewood-Brentwood Patch. The markers are situated in the sidewalk in historic Maplewood, commemorating longtime and bygone sights from Route 66's heyday, including six businesses from those days that endure to … Continue reading Maplewood adds Route 66 plaques to sidewalks
Pontiac museum in Pontiac will open in July
It's official: A museum featuring Pontiac vehicles is scheduled to open July 21 in the Old Square West building in downtown Pontiac, Ill., according to the Bloomington Pantagraph. The Pontiac City Council approved a contract Monday with Tim Dye of Broken Arrow, Okla., so he could bring his collection of Pontiac and Oakland cars and … Continue reading Pontiac museum in Pontiac will open in July
Tucumcari will host video kiosks about Route 66 history
The Tucumcari Convention Center will host a couple of video kiosks that will show DVDs about the Route 66 history of Tucumcari, N.M., and the surrounding area, according to the Quay County Sun. The community development office and the Tucumcari Chamber of Commerce began working with a graphic design company Janice St. Marie in Santa … Continue reading Tucumcari will host video kiosks about Route 66 history
Historic building in Joliet will be torn down
The century-old White Store in downtown Joliet, Ill., will be razed to make way for a new building being erected by Joliet Junior College, reported the Herald-News. The four-story White Store at 235 Chicago St. (on the Illinois 53 alignment of Route 66) will be demolished in about 20 days, the newspaper reported. Workers will … Continue reading Historic building in Joliet will be torn down
The roots of Taco Bell
I didn't know this, but the beginnings of the Glen Bell and his now-ubiquitous Taco Bell restaurant chain began at a corner eatery on Route 66 in San Bernardino, Calif. According to OC Weekly: This taco comes from the above restaurant, which is the exact location where Bell's Hamburgers and Hot Dogs opened in 1952: on … Continue reading The roots of Taco Bell
Original Big Boy restaurant was on Route 66
This slipped through my radar, but the original Bob's Big Boy restaurant was established on Route 66 in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles. Dan Kimpel of the Eagle Rock Patch dug up details about the eatery, which now boasts more than 100 restaurants in America and is best-known by its portly, smiling mascot. … Continue reading Original Big Boy restaurant was on Route 66
1930 journal of Route 66 trip will be donated to museum
Claudia Heller, a correspondent of Route 66 stories for several Southern California newspapers, including the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, tells about a journal from a 1930 road trip on a fledgling Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago. Mary Desbrow wrote in the journal as she, her husband, and two children made the trip when … Continue reading 1930 journal of Route 66 trip will be donated to museum
“Cahokian”
This song by Jay Farrar is inspired by Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, a former 11th-century American Indian city that is off an old alignment of Route 66 near Collinsville, Ill. The footage in this video provides a lot to think about -- namely, the passage of time and/or mankind's progress. Those who have studied … Continue reading “Cahokian”
San Bern restaurant once served the stars
Here's a long-closed restaurant that even the oldest Route 66 enthusiasts would be hard-pressed to remember. Mother Massetti's Inn at 1396 W. Fifth St. (aka Route 66) in San Bernardino, Calif., became a way for an Italian immigrant widow to support herself and her family. The Italian eatery became a hangout for many Hollywood stars … Continue reading San Bern restaurant once served the stars