History of Route 66

Close your eyes and imagine the sight of neon motel signs, the wide, empty expanse of the Mojave Desert, the iconic Wigwam Motel and the aroma of homemade cherry pie and tortillas. You’ve found Route 66, the symbol for the great American road trip, immortalised in folklore, film, poetry and song.

Pioneer beginnings
Traveling the most famous road in the world sees you follow in the footsteps of American pioneers who established wagon trails, then railroads, and eventually the paved expanse affectionately known as the ‘Mother Road’. The first of its kind in the US, created in the wake of the motor car’s success, it changed the way Americans lived. It’s creation in 1926 presented a new sense of freedom and opportunity to the people living along its route.

A gateway to the west
Originally the route spanned 3,940km, running from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California before ending in Los Angeles. The 1930s saw it provide a path to Western promise, with many families using it to escape the dust bowl and depression. For nearly six decades the two lane highway joined Chicago to Los Angeles, answering a want for adventure and offering freedom of the open road.

Creation of icons
An array of ‘mom-and-pop stops’ (privately owned and operated businesses) lined the sides of Route 66, their neon signs become iconic symbols of America’s most famous road. Each enjoyed their own history and wealth of characters passing through for fuel, food, or shut-eye. The 1950s style Metro Diner was famous for serving Elvis Presley, and the tourist stop Two Guns, named after Henry E Miller who called himself “Two Gun Miller”, had a reputation for terrifying visitors. The journey and the rich array of characters encountered along the way established Route 66 as the iconic symbol of the great American road trip.

Today hundreds of miles of the historic route remain, inviting you to visit centres of country music, meet native people, enjoy famous Texan steak and experience the great natural icon of the American southwest – the Grand Canyon. Discover a journey of adventure and the freedom of the open road on this iconic American road trip.

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