Route 66 Centennial

Route 66, the road that linked Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, passing through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona over 2,448 miles, was designated on November 11, 1926 as part of the first numbered US federal highway system. Its creators pushed for a diagonal route that would channel traffic and commerce through many small towns. Built from existing local and state roads, it served as a vital corridor for westward migration and economic

development, earning it the nicknames of “The Mother Road,” and “The Main Street of America.” It soon became a symbol of American mobility and has since become an icon of popular culture.

It was not fully paved until 1937–1938, when it became one of the first completely paved long-distance US highways. By the 1930s it carried migrants escaping the Dust Bowl toward California and became heavily used by truckers and tourists, and was dotted with roadside diners, motels, and gas stations.

Construction of the Interstate Highway System from the 1950s onward gradually bypassed it, and the route was officially decommissioned on June 27, 1985, with its functions taken over by various interstates. Such was its cultural significance that many segments were later designated as “Historic Route 66,” and various preservation groups work to protect surviving roadbeds, motels, neon signs, and bridges. The road’s image endures through songs, films, and tourism, and this year the road’s centenary will be celebrated by a huge variety of activities, including tours, of course, but also art installations, exhibits, street parties, specially- commissioned books and films and even a rolling premiere of the a multi movement musical Suite composed by Nolan Stolz, Professor of Music at the University of South Carolina, to mark the occasion. For a list of all the activities and opportunities to take part see route66centennial.org.