History of the Mother Road
Chicago to Joplin
HISTORY OF THE MOTHER ROAD
Historic U.S. Highway Map 1926
Return to the Mother Road
At a Total length of 2,448 miles on opening day Route 66 became the most popular Highway in the world. In 1926 Route 66
was a dream come true for Americans all across the U.S. Starting in Chicago and ending in L. A., Route 66 connects these two
Seaports together allowing the trucking industry to flourish.
U.S. Highway 66 was commissioned on Nov. 11, 1926. Three years later “The Mother Road” stretched too it’s longest at 2,499
miles.
Businessmen Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma, & John Woodruff of Springfield, Missouri deserve most of the credit for promoting the idea of linking these two seaports between Illinois & California. They lobbied until their dreams merged with the national
program of highway and road development. “The Mother Road was created by connecting together Main Streets of towns and
old trails started by Indians, Military and animal trackers of the time.
Route 66 Gets a shot in the arm in the 1930’s “The New Deal”. This Federal Program From 1933 to 1938 put thousands of
jobless men from back to work. These laborers worked on Route 66 by day and lived next to the road by night. Through these
years they pave the final stretches of the road. Because of the hard work of these dedicated men, Route 66, “the Chicago to Los
Angeles highway” was reported to be “continuously paved” in 1938.
Alignment Changes on Route 66 Started in June 1935, extending from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica. The same day
Route 66 was rerouted over the Chain of Rocks Bridge in north St. Louis. In September 1937, it was moved to include Santa
Rosa to Albuquerque, NM, by passing Santa Fe.
Two hard sections of paving on U.S. 66 was also completed in the 1930’s. These sections are located in Missouri between Rolla,
and Lebanon which had been closed for a year during construction and re-opened on March 15, 1931. 8,000 people attend a
celebration in Rolla, Mo. One of these sections is still referred to as “Hookers Cut”, which was at that time the largest limestone
cut in U. S. Highway history. By mid-1938, paving is completed on the last unpaved section of Route 66. That section was in
Oldham County, TX between Adrian and Glenrio. This completed the Chicago to Santa Monica Route 66 as we know it today.
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