History of the Mother Road
St. Louis to Santa Fe
Historic U.S. Highway Map 1926
HISTORY OF THE MOTHER ROAD
Joe Sonderman
Joe Sonderman
known. The race started in Los Angeles on March
4, 1928, and covered the entire length of 66 to
Chicago, and then went on to Madison Square
Garden in New York, ending on May 26, 1928.
The race, and the first prize of $25,000, is won
by Andy Payne, a 20 year-old from Claremore,
Oklahoma - a Route 66 town and the stomping
ground of Will Rogers. He covers 3,422.3 miles in
84 days, with an actual running time of 573 hours,
4 minutes and 34 seconds.
Early on Route 66 became apart of our American
pop culture. Books, Movies, TV Shows and Songs
glorified our national treasure. On June 22nd,
1952, the old Chain of Rocks Bridge in north St.
Louis was the first of eight stops dedicating U.S.
66 as the Will Rogers Highway, as part of a crosscountry promotional tour for the movie “The Story
of Will Rogers”.
Who can ever forget John Steinbeck’s 1939
novel and 1940 movie, “The Grapes of Wrath”,
which chronicles the forced westward migration
of the “Okies” from their bank-foreclosed farms
through the eyes of the road family. Or Bobby
Troup’s 1946 hit, “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”
“Don’t forget Winona”, and the 1946 book by
Jack Rittenhouse, “A Guide Book to Highway 66”
which mile-by-mile describes gas stations, diners
and places to see.
Then, in the early 60s, another generation
learned about Route 66 when Buz and Todd
spent 116 TV episodes traveling America in their
Corvette. Route 66 became a destination unto
itself.
With its caverns, scenic mountains, beautiful
canyons and sparkling deserts being heavily promoted by the U.S. 66 Highway Association, Route
66 became the ultimate road trip. This spawned
trading posts, full-service gas stations, grills with
fried chicken, “blue plate specials” and homemade pie, mom and pop motor courts, Native
American festivals and every other type of tourist
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Produced & Printed In The USA • Keeping You On The Mother Road • 2012-2013