Route 66

Hi Puzzlers

Every time I see our Route 66 puzzle I get filled with curiosity. I try to envision what it would have been like traveling that highway in the 1930’s and then again in the 1950’s. Would I fear for my life or be getting my kicks?

Between 1916 and 1921, Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma and John Woodruff of Springfield, Missouri are said to have been instrumental in promoting the idea of a highway which would link Chicago and Los Angeles. Once their lobbying efforts were combined with the 1925 government expanded legislation for public highway construction, Route 66 would soon be underway. The official number 66 was assigned to the route in 1926.

Approximately 210,000 people migrated to California to escape the despair caused by the Dust Bowl of the 30s, which by 1934 had affected an estimated 100 million acres of farmland, thus Route 66 quickly became known as the “road to opportunity.” In the early years it was common to travel Route 66 in caravans which provided protection and assistance. During the depression years thousands of unemployed men from every state worked as laborers on road gangs to complete the final miles of highway.

“Completion of this all-weather capability on the eve of World War II was particularly significant to the nation's war effort. The experience of a young Army captain, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who found his command bogged down in spring mud near Ft. Riley, Kansas, while on a coast-to-coast maneuver, left an indelible impression. The War Department needed improved highways for rapid mobilization during wartime and to promote national defense during peacetime. At the outset of American involvement in World War II, the War Department singled out the West as ideal for military training bases in part because of its geographic isolation and especially because it offered consistently dry weather for air and field maneuvers.”

After the war many of the service men from the east coast chose to relocate to the warmer climates of the west and southwest with Route 66 facilitating their journey. Route 66 meant people no longer had to stay local and the west was an adventure waiting to happen. As a result gas stations, hotels, motels, restaurants, souvenir shops and entertainment spots sprang up along the highway offering tourists and weary travelers a place to rest and relax.

“As a result some of these small businesses developed into corporations, building franchised locations in state after state. Soon travelers deserted the small eateries, gas stations, and tourist camps located in the center of towns for the familiarity of heavily-advertised McDonalds, Whiting Brothers, and Howard Johnson.”

By 1970 most of Route 66 had been by-passed with four lane highways and it was officially removed from the US Highway System on June 27, 1985. Recently Historic Route 66 has begun to return to maps and the actual signs include historic information.

Happy Puzzling!