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From a precarious road to a global symbol of car travel, Route 66 has weathered crises, war, and changes in American highways, yet still preserves cafes, historic stations, deserts, and family stories that keep its fame alive
Route 66, now remembered as a symbol of American road culture, was born when traveling by car still meant facing precarious paths, little signage, and difficult stretches, long before modern highways transformed travel into an almost secret service operation.
In the early 20th century, automobiles still shared space with a country structured for rail travel. Railroads were the most reliable long-distance transport, while many roads called highways were little more than unpaved paths.
These roads followed old hunting trails or marks left by wagons. They had dangerous curves, poor signage, and spots prone to water washouts, conditions that might serve horses but caused problems for modern cars.
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The turning point began in 1916, when the federal government passed the Federal Aid Road Act. The measure offered resources to states to develop major highways, paving the way for a more organized system.
In 1921, Congress mandated that federal funds be used to connect these roads into an interstate network. The initiative was well received by Cyrus Avery, a businessman from Oklahoma and an influential figure in the road sector.
Avery advocated that Americans would be better served if the tangle of roads from the Midwest to the coast was improved and connected. On November 11, 1926, Route 66 officially became a federal highway.
From incomplete road to secret service of American travel
The new route, however, was far from ready. Of the 2,448 miles planned between Chicago and Santa Monica, only about 800 miles were paved. The rest was dirt, gravel, bricks, or even wooden planks.
To speed up completion and promote the highway, Avery organized envoys from the eight states crossed by Route 66. The promotion included advertisements, maps, and a 1928 footrace from Los Angeles to New York.
The race became known as the “Bunion Derby” and lasted 84 days. Of the 199 participants, 144 were hindered, while only 55 completed the course to the end.
The winner was Andy Payne, a member of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. He received $25,000, estimated at about $500,000 today, and used the prize to pay off the family farm and buy a car.
Meanwhile, crews worked along the road that Avery promoted as the “Main Street of America.” The entire stretch of Route 66 was finally paved in 1938, solidifying its importance on the American map.
In the 1930s, the Depression pushed Dust Bowl refugees westward along Route 66. They fled the empty fields of the Midwest in search of agricultural work in California.
In 1939, John Steinbeck called the highway the “mother road” in the novel “The Grapes of Wrath.” The expression evoked the refuge sought by the “Okies” and the role of the route in the growth of West Coast cities.
War, families, and the peak of Route 66
When the United States entered World War II, Route 66 began to function as an artery for military transports between forts and ports. After the conflict, it entered its most well-known years.
Families traveled in large Plymouths to explore the newly triumphant country. Tourists observed Chicago, the saguaros of Arizona, and the Pacific waves, while the road became a vacation destination.
America was seen as beautiful, people had money and vacations, and Route 66 seemed the right place to spend time. The old secret service of difficult journeys gave way to the popular experience.
Success also brought pressure. By the mid-1950s, Route 66 could no longer handle all the traffic. Gradually, it was widened or bypassed by new multi-lane highways.
In 1985, the old route officially lost its federal highway status. Its sections reverted to secondary and municipal roads, controlled by the states, while many family-run establishments began to disappear.
With the new interstates, the modern world bypassed old cafes, motels, and stations. Parts of the original route were swallowed by sand or rebuilt as cities expanded.
Preservation keeps the historic road alive
Even downgraded, Route 66 continues to attract travelers from around the world. Its scenery and 20th-century American culture still motivate journeys along hundreds of miles of the old road.
Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona preserve important sections. There, it is still possible to drive along the old road, stop at a quaint café, and have coffee with a slice of pie.
In Luther, Oklahoma, the third generation of the Threatt family works to preserve a historic stop. Allen Threatt Sr. opened the Threatt Filling Station in 1915 to serve Black travelers.
During the Jim Crow days, the station was the only Black-owned business between two “sundown towns,” where Black travelers were not welcome. It became a refuge, community, and meeting point.
In the Mojave Desert, Alberto Okura bought Amboy, an old uninhabited railroad town, in 2005. He began restoring old pumps and a mid-century motel.
After his death in 2023, his son Kyle Okura continued the project. On the map, Route 66 looks like a diagonal line to Santa Monica, but its history remains alive in each caretaker.
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