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Dorothy Copus Brush Memories of Route 66 live on To all those who grew up knowing nothing but
interstate highways, the sentimental outpouring over the 75th
anniversary of Route 66 must seem silly. But to those who remember
the glory years of that road - from its opening in 1926 until
it was gradually bypassed as interstates were completed - it
was nothing short of a miracle. In 1921 the Federal Highway Act was passed
in response to the clamor for good roads which resulted in the
formation of a powerful group called the Good Roads Movement.
Across the nation, including the Plateau, the topic of better
roads was uppermost in the minds of the citizenry. Thanks to
the introduction of Henry Ford's affordable automobile, everyone
itched to hit the road and see the U.S.A. From this nation's beginning adventurers were
challenged to explore what lay beyond and they followed paths
used by Native Americans. Then came the trails cut by covered
wagons and finally those original routes were used as the railroads
came on the scene. On Nov. 11, 1926, Route 66 was opened following
those same early paths across the country. From Chicago to Los
Angeles, 2,445 miles beckoned everyone to come and see this great
country. It didn't matter that only 800 miles were paved and
the other 1,648 miles was gravel, dirt and even wood planks in
some spots. The two-lane route meandered through Illinois, Missouri,
Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and ended in California
at the Pacific Ocean. Writer John Steinbeck called it the Mother
Road. For others who lived along especially dangerous parts of
the route, it became known as Bloody Alley because of the terrific
toll of lives lost. To most, it was America's Main Street. It
didn't matter to the traveler that the ride was bumpy and often
dangerous. They heeded the warning to carry their own water and
they kept filled canvas water bags in the car. Gas stations had
not come on the scene, and those driving along Route 66 could
only hope they might find a gas depot before their tanks went
dry. Travelers learned how vast was their country
and how different the geography and terrain. They also learned
what a diverse population we were. That knowledge was gained
for the traveler and the people living in the small communities
along the route. Then came the days of the dust bowl in the
1930s, and Steinbeck gave Route 66 another name, The Road of
Flight, as thousands of those who had been beaten down and broken
by that awful weather took to the road as immigrants taking all
they could carry with them. In the 1940s Route 66 carried troops and transports
filled with war supplies. When that war ended, there remained
an uneasiness that our country's road system was inadequate,
should we ever be invaded. An interstate road system was seen
as the solution. It took five interstates to replace Route 66,
but by the late 1950s America's Main Street had lost its appeal
as a road. The 9,000 cars that had passed through small towns
daily were gone and, eventually, so were many of those communities.
In 1984 the last section of Route 66 was bypassed in Arizona. There were too many Route 66 fans for it to
ever be forgotten. In its years of service songs, poems, magazines
and books were devoted to it. The television series "Route
66" had a five-year run. Today there are nine national Route
66 associations, nine museums dedicated to preserving its importance,
and even five international associations in Canada, the United
Kingdom, France, Germany and Norway. Congress passed an act designating
millions of dollars to protect a number of Route 66 areas, but
none has been given out as yet. So the memories of those adventures on Route 66 have lived on for 75 years, and this is the year new generations are learning about that great road. |