The Historic Route 66

Multiple signs mark the beginning of Route 66 in Chicago, but the road’s official start location is on East Adams St. Route 66 was officially commissioned in 1926, and it covers more than 2,400 miles across eight different states in the U.S. 

Once a service station for motorists traveling Route 66, the Old Kan-O-Tex in Galena, Kansas, has undergone several changes throughout its history. It was first restored by four women into a tourist attraction named Four Women on the Route, but this diner and souvenir store is now called Cars on the Route for its association with the classic Pixar movie "Cars."

This tiny town was once a stop on the Rock Island Railroad, featuring such amenities as a post office, brickyard, blacksmith, bank, lumberyard, and newspaper. But water was scarce, keeping the population low. In 2010, Adrian had only 166 residents.

The dynamic landscape of Arizona National Park represents over 13,000 years of human history and culture, plus hundreds of thousands of years of prehistory. One of the park’s many gems is the Modernist Painted Desert Community Complex, a park service building and National Treasure of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Though the original end of Route 66 was at 7th and Broadway in Los Angeles, 10 years later it was extended to the intersection of Lincoln and Olympic Boulevards in Santa Monica. In 2009, a symbolic “End of the Trail” sign was placed on the Santa Monica Pier.