One hundred years on
On 11 November 2026 it is a century since the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route was officially designated U.S. Highway 66. [source]
The official highway lasted 59 years, from that designation in 1926 to its removal from the U.S. Highway System on 27 June 1985. [source] The idea of the road has lasted longer: a numbered line that linked main streets, carried people out of the Dust Bowl, moved wartime traffic, and then became a holiday in itself. [source]
This site is part of that centenary year: a place to look carefully at what official sources actually say, and to see the roadside as it has been photographed in the public domain, not as a postcard myth.
If you are planning a drive of your own, treat this as history and context, not as live road advice. Official state Route 66 maps and current travel information will always beat a static website.
Enjoyed the drive?
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