Day 5 Route 66

I picked up Route 66 in Lebanon, Missouri. I didn't know what to expect as far as road signs or how hard it would be to find the old road. I had a guide book and a map so I was optimistic.


Through Missouri the old road is there. The signs are tiny and sometimes the route is over roads that are barely maintained, but it's there. I hate traffic circles! In Springfield I actually got turned around so I was going east for a while, but I finally figured it out. 

The first town I hit that has gone all out to promote its Route 66 history was Carthage. From the owner of Boots' Court, a vintage 1939 motor court, I learned that Carthage is the meeting point of Route 66 and the Jefferson Highway, a route developed by the United States' Auto club in the 1920's. The Jefferson runs from Winnipeg, Manitoba to New Orleans and was billed as "pines to palms". It still exists as U.S. Highway 71.


One of the nicknames for Route 66 is "America's Main Street" and this fits well with Carthage. A large Butterball turkey processing plant provides the economic base for this town of 14,000 and the county offices provide white collar employment.



In many ways it looks nearly unchanged since the days when Route 66 was the ways Americans drove to California.

After Carthage, the road winds through farmland and brushes around Joplin to Webb City, the "Zinc City" which looks like a Midwest rust belt town with its inactive metal works. On a rainy day it is depressing to see.


Crossing into Kansas where the road only covers thirteen miles, the town of Galena seems completely dedicated to honoring its Route 66 history. Galena was built around a lead mine and smelter which closed down in the 1970's. Now virtually all the businesses are gone and the town just shares its memories.



The Katy was also the railroad that served Galena's industry so that memory is also celebrated.

 It was still raining when I crossed into Oklahoma and this gloomy atmosphere made me reflect that some towns have been unable to reinvent themselves when their economies and demographics change while others seem to have the ability to carry on and even prosper. It's sad to see the decay behind the quaint facades but the "Mother Road" herself contributed to the decline of small town middle America as it lured retirees and young people just starting out to California and a more modern and exciting life.

Oklahoma has gaming to help keep local economies afloat. I didn't see any gaudy casinos along Route 66 but there was plenty of advertising for gambling and the lottery. The towns of Commerce and Miami are part of the Indian nations but also share highway heritage.


this is hill country, very green and very wet. We had been having rain but I was still surprised to see the streams running red with mud and the ditches filled. 


On the approach to Tulsa is the town of Catoosa, the home of one of the more bizarre landmarks on Route 66, the Blue Whale. Built as a commercial swimming hole, it's easy to see why it didn't enjoy success except as a curiosity.



The art deco skyline of Tulsa is beautiful but distant as the road stays to the north side of the city. It is well marked here and some of the old neighborhoods it travels through are using the heritage as part of their renewal. I predict that Route 66 will be the core of future hipster development.

In contrast to Tulsa, Oklahoma City pays little homage to the "Mother Road" and it is difficult to follow. After getting funneled to Interstate 40 several times, I finally gave up and stayed on the freeway to El Reno.


This is the end of the winding old road and although there is frontage along the interstate that is probably part of the original two-lane, it is more reliable to stick to I 40 and exit at the towns where Route 66 is indicated. After El Reno you also leave the last hills behind and enter the southern plains.

I continue my trip on 66 in my next two posts: The Southern Plains and The High Desert.







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