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Facts
2448 miles long (about 4000 km)
Commissioned in 1926
Crosses 8 states and 3 time zones
· States: Illinois - Missouri - Kansas - Oklahoma - Texas - New Mexico - Arizona - California
· Cities: Chicago - St. Louis - Oklahoma City - Amarillo - Albuquerque - Flagstaff - Los Angeles - Santa Monica
These days you can only drive on parts because it has been replaced by interstate highways
Route 66 is also known as \"The Mother Road\", \"The Main Street of America\" and \"The Bloody 66\"
Decommissioned in 1985
The Beginning
The actual idea of a road connecting middle America to the coast came from John Woodruff of Springfield, Missouri, and Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In 1926, their dream became reality:
· Congress enacted legislation to establish a national highway.
The Formative Years
Farmers were able to transport grain and produce for redistribution in urban areas
It was given a diagonal course, which was significant to the trucking industry.
By 1930 truckers even rivalled and competed with railroad shipping.
John Steinbeck proclaimed route 66 as the \" Mother Road \" in his famous social novel \" The Grapes of Wrath \".
· His novel in 1939, combined with the 1940 film recreation, served to immortalize Route 66 in the American consciousness.
The Depression Years and the War
In 1934 a dust storm destroyed it.
· Unemployed male youths worked as labourers to finish the route.
In 1938 Route 66 was finally paved.
During World War II, Route 66 was used to move troops, supplies and equipment, but the road was not built for this kind of traffic, so maintenance became an issue.
After World War II
Americans started travelling and taking vacations again to take in national parks and scenic wonders.
One of those travellers was Robert Troup, Jr., of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:
· Ex-Marine captain and former pianist with the Tommy Dorsey Band
· Wrote a song that Nat King Cole released in 1946, \" Get your kicks on Route 66 \"
Roadside Architecture
Store owners, motel managers, and gas station attendants recognised early on that even the poorest travellers required food, automobile maintenance and adequate lodging (= Unterkunft).
In the 1960s the television series \" Route 66 \" started.
· Brought Americans back to the route looking for new adventure
President Eisenhower was very impressed by the strategic value of Hitler's Autobahn:
· In 1956 Congress passed the Federal Aid Highway Act
( > gave money to built a modern highway system ).
By 1970 nearly all original Route 66 segments were replaced by a modern four-lane highway.
· Several states installed Historic Route 66 signs along the road.
Today
Many tourists take a journey by recreational vehicles down the road to visit nice sites and to enjoy the myth of cowboys, gold-diggers (=Goldgräber) and buffalo hunters.
Arizona has the longest part of Route 66 still in use today.
Current maps do not include old Route 66.
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Facts
· Route 66 is 2448 miles long; these are about 4000 km
· It was commissioned in 1926, picking up as many bits and pieces of the existing road as possible
· It cut through 8 states in the heartland of America and 3 time zones
starts in Chicago, and ends in L.A. (Santa Monica).
· Some people think driving it in the opposite direction is historically wrong, but it\'s mainly a lot harder as all available documentation goes the \"right\" way.
· You can only drive parts of Route 66 these days... it has been replaced by the Interstate, but still a surprisingly big part of the old road is waiting to be found by the more adventurous traveler.
· Route 66 is also know as \"The Mother Road\", \"The Main Street of America\" and \"The Bloody 66 \".
· In 1985 Route 66 was officially decommissioned, what means that it was no longer active in the daily use
The Beginning
· The actual idea of a road connecting middle America to the coast is attributed to two businessmen: john Woodruff of Springfield, Missouri and Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
· Their dream became a reality when in 1926 Congress enacted legislation to establish a national highway.
· Members in 8 states formed the Route 66 Highway Association to expedite construction and adopted the theme name \"Main Street of America\"
The Formative Years
· Farmers became able to transport grain and produce for redistibution in urban areas.
· The diagonal configuration of Route 66 was particulary significant to the trucking industry, which by 1930 had come to rival the railroad for pre-eminence in the American shipping industry.
· John Steinbeck proclaimed Route 66 the \"Mother Road\" in his famous social novel \"The Grapes of Wrath\" in 1939.
Steinbeck's classic novel combined with the film recreation of an epic odyssey served to immortalize Route 66 in the American consciousness.
The Depression Years and the War
· In 1934 210,000 people migrated to California to escape the despair of the Dust Bowl, which blew through the nation's breadbasket and destroyed it.
· From 1933 to 1938 thousands of unemployed male youths from virtually every state were put to work as laborers on road gangs to pave the final parts of the road.
· In 1938 Route 66 was finally paved.
· During the World War II the highway was used to move troops, supplies and equipment,but the route was not built for this kind of traffic, so maintenance became an issue.
After World War II
· Americans started travelling again, taking vacations to take in national parks and scenic wonders.
· One of those travellers was Robert Troup, Jr, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was an Ex-Marine captain and former pianist with the Tommy Dorsey band.
· He wrote a song that Nat King Cole released in 1946 expounding drivers to \"Get your kicks on Route 66\"
Roadside Architecture
· Store owners, motel managers, and gas station attendants recognized early on that even the poorest travelers required fod, automobile maintenance, and adequat lodging.
· In the 1960s the television series, \"Route 66\" drove into the living rooms of America every Thursday.
By totay's standards, the show is rather unbelievable but in the 1960s it brought Americans back to the route looking for new adventures.
· As General Eisenhower had returned from Germany very impressed by the strategic value of Hitler's Autobahn, he convinced Congress to pass the Federal Aid Highway Act in 1956, which provided a comprehensive financial umbrella to underwrite the cost of the national interstate and defense highway system.
· By 1970 nearly all original Route 66 segments (= Teile der Route 66) were replaced by modern four-lane Highways.
The last section of the original road was replaced by the Interstate 40 at Williams, Arizona in October 1984.
There are only some pieces left where you can see the old Route. The best and largest selection is in north-west Arizona, just south of Grand Canyon National Park.
· Then the ability of drivers to easily find Route 66 was lost. To help people locating the road, several states have installed Historic Route 66 signs along parts of the road, but they are often stolen for souvenirs.
Today
· Nowadays many tourists take a journey by recreational vehicles down the road. They visit nice sites and like to enjoy the myth of cowboys, gold-diggers and buffalo hunters.
· Their experience of Route 66 is formed by the travellers and the people, sights, sounds, and tastes they encounter.
· Today Arizona has the longest part of Route 66 still in use.
· Current maps don't include the old Route 66 anymore.
· Many Fans have built museums and organize rallies and other special events.
I think every biker dreams of driving this road one day.
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