The Historic Route 66

In 1927, the Federal Government formed the National Highway System and people from 8 states formed a Route 66 Highway Association to expedite the building of their highway. The theme name, Main Street of America, was adopted and by 1937, Route 66 was paved from Chicago to Santa Monica in California. It is also called "The Mother Road" and 'Will Rogers Highway' and this western section of the Historic Route 66, from Ash Fork to Topock, is the longest continuous piece left and attracts people from all over the world. There are still many attractions from the 'heydays', Wigwam village, Jackrabbit Trading Post, historic downtowns, old west gunslingers amid the desert terrain.

While we were in Kingman, I visited the Route 66 museum. It’s a salute to this American Icon, with early settlers in a wagon, a 50’s Studebaker and lots of memorabilia telling the storey of travel started on Indigenous trade routes along the 35^th parallel to the American excursions of the 1950’s.