Route 66
The Road of Dreams

Britany C. Harl
Enfield Elementary School, Enfield

Route 66 was a highway created by the demands of rapidly changing America. What sets it apart from other roads is that it was America's first continuously paved highway from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California. Author John Steinbeck called it "The Mother Road." Route 66 was also known as the main artery in Illinois linking Chicago to St. Louis. It was among the first fully paved long roads in Illinois.

The roots of Route 66 go back to the 1800s, evolving from a government-sponsored Wagon Road Program initiated just before the Civil War. In the early years, when the route was traveled on foot or by horse and buggy, the main thoroughfare in Illinois was an unpaved road between Chicago and East St. Louis. In 1915, this road was named the Pontiac Trail, in honor of the famous Indian Chief Pontiac who often crossed its course.

In 1918 a bond issue was passed for construction of hard surfaced roads in Illinois. The Pontiac Trail had top priority on the list. At this time the highway was designated State Bond Issue 4 (SBI 4). The highway began in Chicago and ran in a southwestern direction through towns such as Cicero, Berwyn, Williamsville, Springfield, Carlinville, Edwardsville, Granite City, and East St. Louis.

By 1926 the road was completely paved in Illinois and passed inspection. With this came the naming of the highway as Route 66, and in 1927 U.S. 66 signs were posted all along the highway throughout Illinois. Since then, the original routing of the highway was moved in Illinois several times, but it still connected Chicago to St. Louis.

The diagonal course of Route 66 across Illinois linked hundreds of rural communities to Chicago, thereby helping farmers to transport grain and produce for sales. It was also important to the trucking industry. It was a faster, more efficient way of shipping than was the use of railroads. The highway opened up many opportunities for the economy, allowing many roadside restaurants, motels, and gas stations to thrive.

During the Depression, Route 66 was of great importance to the Dust Bowl immigrants who used the road to migrate west. Completion of the all-weather highway on the eve of World War II was extremely significant to the nation's war effort. The road helped facilitate the single greatest wartime mobilization in the history of the nation. As the shortest route from Chicago to the west coast, it was common to see mile-long convoys moving troops and supplies along the highway.

Excessive truck use and the revival of the automobile industry after the war brought great pressure on Route 66. During the 1940s most bridges in Illinois used wood for reinforcement and this left the road full of potholes. The need for a modern system became obvious. By 1970 the remaining segments of Route 66 in Illinois were replaced by a more efficient four-lane highway known as Interstate 55.

On June 26, 1979, the American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials accepted the recommendation to eliminate Route 66. Many businesses suffered and eventually closed alongside the road. A few still remain.

In 1984 Route 66 was removed from the maps. It is sometimes hard to find it in Illinois today. The highway signs may be gone, but at least 90 percent of the pavement is still in place. On October 2, 1998, the U.S. Senate passed a bill authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to develop a program of technical assistance and grants for the preservation of Route 66 and designated it as "Route 66 National Historic Highway." Illinois now has signs posted along segments of the route that still exist.

Route 66 symbolized the renewed spirit of optimism our country experienced after economic catastrophe and global war. Route 66 will always be remembered as a symbol of hope, opportunity, and growth not only to Illinois, but to the nation as well.—[From Senate Report 105-399, U.S. Route 66, 105th Congress, 2d Session, Oct. 9, 1998; State Highway Department, Springfield, II, Illinois Highways, August 1915, Vol.2, No. 8; United States Department of the Interior, Special Resource Study Route 66; Michael Wallis, Route 66.]

60 ILLINOIS HISTORY / APRIL 2002