U.S. Route 66 Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids U.S. Route 66
Will Rogers Memorial Highway

Route information
Length	2,448 mi (3,940 km)
Existed	November 26, 1926 (1926-11-26)–June 26, 1985 (1985-06-26)
Tourist routes	Historic Route 66
Major intersections (in 1947)
West end	US 101 Alt. in Santa Monica, Cal.
	US 6 / US 99 / US 101 in Los Angeles, Cal. US 91 from San Bernardino to Barstow, Cal. US 93 / US 466 in Kingman, Ariz. US 89 from Ash Fork to Flagstaff, Ariz. US 666 from Sanders, Ariz. to Gallup, N.M. US 60 / US 87 / US 287 in Amarillo, Tex. US-77 in Oklahoma City, Okla. US-166 in Baxter Springs, Ks. US 71 from Joplin to Carthage, Mo. US 40 / US 50 / US 61 in St. Louis, Mo.
East end	US 41 / US 54 in Chicago, Ill.
Location
States:	California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois

Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced

U.S. Route 66 (also known as Route 66, U.S. Highway 66, The Main Street of America, The Mother Road and the Will Rogers Highway) was a highway in the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926. However, road signs did not go up until the following year. The famous highway originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through the U.S. states of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, before ending at Los Angeles, running a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km). It was replaced by freeways starting in the 1950s and stopped being a highway in 1985.

Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In in Seligman, Arizona. The eatery is still a popular tourist stop.

Images for kids

A remnant of an original state right-of-way marker serves as a reminder of the early days of the road's construction. This was part of the 1927 construction of US 66.
The Chain of Rocks Bridge across the Mississippi River was built to carry the growing traffic of US 66 around the city of St. Louis
Modern-day sign in New Mexico, along a section of Route 66 named a National Scenic Byway
Route 66 between Oatman and Kingman
Abandoned, fire-damaged Whiting Brothers gas station. All along the route, preservation efforts are under way to preserve original buildings such as this.
The ghost town of Two Guns, Arizona, once featured a zoo, gift shop, restaurant, campground, gas station, and "death cave".
The leaning water tower, east of Groom, TX, along I-40 (old US 66)
Old Route 66 near Amboy, CA
US 66, going to Oatman, AZ in 2007
"Sidewalk highway" section of US 66 near Miami, OK
Restored service station in Mt Olive, IL
The sign of US 66's western terminus at the Santa Monica Pier
US 66 marker on the corner of Navajo Boulevard and Hopi Drive in Holbrook, AZ
The Midpoint Café in Adrian, TX, at the midpoint of the route

U.S. Route 66 facts for kids

Images for kids

See also