U.S. Route 66 in Missouri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Rogers Highway | ||||
| Lua error in Module:Infobox_road/map at line 15: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MoDOT | ||||
| Existed | November 11, 1926–June 26, 1985 | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US-66 to Galena, Kansas |
|||
|
||||
| East end | US 66 at the Mississippi River to Illinois |
|||
| Highway system | ||||
| United States Numbered Highways List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced Missouri Highways
|
||||
→U.S. Route 66 (also called US 66 or just Route 66) was a famous road in the United States. It ran all the way from Santa Monica, California to Chicago, Illinois. In Missouri, Route 66 stretched from downtown St. Louis at the Mississippi River to the Kansas state line near Joplin.
This highway was first known as Route 14 and Route 1F. Over time, parts of it were changed and moved. Today, other highways like Route 100 and Interstate 44 (I-44) follow much of the old Route 66 path in Missouri.
Missouri was the first state to put up a special sign for US 66. This sign is in Springfield. In 2006, a new sign was added, calling it a National Scenic Byway. This means it's a special road with beautiful views.
The Story of Route 66
How Route 66 Began
In 1922, the road that would become US 66 was called Route 14. It connected St. Louis and Joplin. Then, in 1926, it became a national highway, known as US 66.
From Native American Trails to Highways
The path between St. Louis and Springfield was very old. Native Americans, like the Osage, used it as a trail. People later called it the "Wire Road" because a telegraph line was built along it. This old path eventually became part of the Ozark Trail.
Changes and New Roads
When I-44 was built, it changed how Route 66 ran. For example, US 66 started using I-44 for much of the way from Halltown to St. Louis. In the St. Louis area, it followed other streets like Chippewa Street and Watson Road.
In 1979, when I-55 was finished in Illinois, the end of US 66 was moved. It then ended east of Duenweg in Missouri.
Exploring the Route
Route 66 in Joplin
An old part of the highway, called Route 66 Boulevard, starts in Galena, Kansas. It then enters Missouri north of the main highway.
Route 66 in Joplin had to zig-zag through the city. This was partly because of old mines under the road. The road followed many different streets, like Seventh Street and Rangeline Road. Later, US 66 went straight east from the Kansas state line on Seventh Street. Then it turned north on Rangeline.
From Joplin to Springfield
Near Carthage, Route 66 used to wind through small county roads and city streets. These included Carterville and Webb City. In Carthage, a small part of US 66 shared its path with US 71. This is now Route 571.
I-44 starts southwest of Halltown. It was built to connect with the Will Rogers Turnpike in Oklahoma. I-44 goes directly from Oklahoma into Missouri, skipping Kansas. Drivers should know that I-44 took over for US 166 near Joplin. The old Route 66 is now mostly Route 96 from Webb City to Springfield.
Route 66 in Springfield
In Springfield, Route 66 followed streets like Chestnut Expressway and Glenstone Avenue. Here, US 66 also shared its path with US 65 for a few miles.
Springfield was home to the first drive-thru restaurant in the world, called Red's Giant Hamburg. Another interesting place was the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque.
From Springfield to St. Louis
Near Philipsburg, I-44 was built away from Route 66. It passed through Marshfield, where famous astronomer Edwin Hubble was born.
Route 66 then entered the beautiful Ozark Mountains. In Rolla, about halfway to St. Louis, US 66 crossed US 63. You can also see a half-scale model of Stonehenge near the highway there. It belongs to the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Cuba, Missouri, is known as Route 66 Mural City. It has many artworks and sculptures along the road. Its restaurants are popular stops for travelers.
Between St. James and Sullivan, there are many grape farms and wineries. The highway also passed near Meramec Caverns in Stanton, which was a very famous stop.
Route 66 in the St. Louis Area
The first path of Route 66 in St. Louis split off at Gray Summit. It went east on Route 100 and then north. It crossed into Illinois over the McKinley Bridge.
Later, a new road called Watson Road (now Route 366) was built. Route 66 then used Watson Road and Chippewa Street. With this change, US 66 crossed the Mississippi River on the MacArthur Bridge.
There was also a Bypass US 66 that crossed the Mississippi on the Chain of Rocks Bridge north of St. Louis. Today, this path is an outer road for I-270.
Route 66 also crossed the Mississippi on the Martin Luther King Bridge and the Poplar Street Bridge.
Historic Places Along the Way
Many old buildings and places along Route 66 are now on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. These include:
- The 66 Drive-In in Carthage, Missouri. This was an outdoor movie theater built in 1949.
- The Elijah Thomas Webb Residence in Webb City, Missouri. This is a beautiful old home built around 1891.
- The Pulaski County Courthouse in Waynesville. Built in 1903, it is now a museum.
- The Gillioz Theatre in Springfield. This theater showed movies and live plays from 1926 to 1970.
Famous Restaurants
The Red Cedar Inn was a log cabin restaurant in Pacific. It opened in 1933 and closed in 2005. Its owners had previously sold alcohol illegally but then opened lawful places after the Prohibition ended.
The Big Chief Restaurant in Wildwood opened in 1928. It was first a hotel with many small cabins for travelers. It also had a restaurant, dance hall, gas station, and playground. The cabins were later removed, but the restaurant was fixed up and reopened in the 1990s.
Motels and Tourist Courts
The 1936 Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba and the 1945 Rock Fountain Court in Springfield were "tourist courts." These were groups of small cabins built with local stone. This style was popular before modern motels with many rooms in one long building.
The Wagon Wheel Motel is still open today, making it the longest continuously running motel on US 66. Its restaurant is now a gift shop.
In 2012, the Boots Court Motel in Carthage started welcoming travelers again after being restored. This motel, built in 1939, famously offered "a radio in every room."
Sadly, other Route 66 motels are gone. The Coral Court Motel in Marlborough was torn down in 1995. John's Modern Cabins in Newburg have been left to fall apart since the 1970s.
Bridges Along the Route
The Meramec River U.S. 66 Bridge - J421 was built in 1931. It was part of Route 66 when the road went through Times Beach. This town was later abandoned due to pollution. The bridge is now part of Route 66 State Park, but it's too old to use. The Gasconade Bridge is another old Route 66 bridge that has been closed. People are working to fix it instead of tearing it down.
Future Road Technology
In 2016, a company called Solar Roadways announced plans to test new "smart highway" technology. They will try out special hexagonal road panels as sidewalk paving at the Route 66 Welcome Center in Conway. If these tests go well, these panels might even be used on parts of the historic Route 66 road itself!
