Route 66 - The iconic "Mother Road" & its current state

Established in 1926, Route 66 (AKA “The Mother Road“) stretches 2448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. It's a symbol of freedom and adventure on the open road that defined America and contributed to the growth of western USA. Route 66 also contributed its unique character as it passed through thriving towns across eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

With increasing need for better roads, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 expanded interstate highways and bypassed most Route 66 towns with more efficient routes. Though decommissioned in 1985, many cultural icons along Route 66 have been preserved. Immortalized in literature, music, and film, The Mother Road's nostalgic appeal still attracts tourists from around the world. The COV-XIX scare was fatal to most of the small business shops, diners, & motels as people stayed home more.

0:00 Begin - Chicago, Illinois
0:23 Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain at Grant Park in Chicago, adjacent to the beginning of Route 66 (1)
1:32 Entrance sign to Hamel, Illinois on Route 66 (1)
1:55 Missouri
2:09 Federhofer's Bakery in St Louis, Missouri (3)
2:15 Route 66 Mural City, Cuba, Missouri (1)
2:24 “The Millworks" mural, Roberts-Judson Millworks Building, Cuba, Missouri (3)
2:33 Mural of Cuba's "Gold Star Boys", Cuba, Missouri (3)
2:43 Route 66 Rocker, Fanning, Missouri (1)
2:55 Billboard for the Mule Trading Post, Rolla, Missouri (3)
3:04 Mule Trading Post in Rolla, Missouri (3)
3:12 Mule Trading Post, Rolla, Missouri (3)
3:18 Classic Phillips 66 & Mobil Gas Pegasus, Rolla, Missouri (3)
3:26 Classic Mobil Gas Pegasus, Rolla, Missouri (3)
3:30 Route 66 Mural City, Cuba, Missouri (1)
3:41 Totem Pole Trading Post, Rolla, Missouri (3)
3:48 Totem Pole Trading Post, Rolla, Missouri (3)
3:57 "Meeting in Missouri" mural, Cuba, Missouri (3)
4:05 Phillips-66 station – turned The Fourway restaurant, Cuba, Missouri (3)
4:14 Murals in place of garage doors of the Phillips-66 station turned The Fourway restaurant, Cuba, Missouri (3)
4:24 Munger Moss Motel neon sign, Lebanon, Missouri (1)
4:37 The 66 Drive-In Theater, Carthage, Missouri (3)
4:43 Old police car at the Court Motel, Carthage, Missouri (3)
4:49 Don's Old Cars & Antiques, Springfield, Missouri (3)
5:00 Don's Old Cars & Antiques, Springfield, Missouri (3)
5:16 Kansas
5:26 Welcome mural, Galena, Kansas (3)
5:37 Pepsi mural, Galena, Kansas (3)
5:41 Coca-Cola mural, Galena, Kansas (3)
5:50 Welcome sign & Coca-Cola advertising, Baxter Springs, Kansas (3)
5:59 Coca-Cola advertising sign, Baxter Springs, Kansas (3)
6:06 A Phillips 66 gas station from 1930 restored as visitor center, Baxter Springs, Kansas (3)
6:14 Welcome & Coca-Cola sign, Baxter Springs, Kansas (3)
6:21 Route 66 soda fountain, Baxter Springs, Kansas (3)
6:29 Route 66 sign, Baxter Springs, Kansas (3)
6:49 Oklahoma
6:58 The Blue Whale of Catoosa, Catoosa, Oklahoma (1)
7:28 Braum's Milk on Route 66, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1)
8:04 POPS Restaurant on Route 66, Arcadia, Oklahoma (1)
8:09 POPS Restaurant on Route 66, Arcadia, Oklahoma (1)
8:15 POPS Restaurant on Route 66, Arcadia, Oklahoma (1)
9:34 Texas
9:53 Art Deco-style gas station & cafe from the 1930s, Shamrock, Texas, preserved as a tourism office (1)
10:00 Greasy Spoon restaurant inside Route 66 Museum, McLean, Texas (1)
10:08 Neon sign of historic Route 66, Amarillo, Texas (1)
10:23 Cadillac Ranch on Route 66, Amarillo, Texas (1)
10:30 Midpoint - Adrian TX
11:28 New Mexico
11:56 Route 66 Mural, Tucumcari, New Mexico (1)
12:03 Tee Pee Curios Shop on Route 66, Tucumcari, New Mexico (1)
12:12 Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico
12:29 Route 66 Restaurant at 1819 Will Rogers Drive, Santa Rosa, New Mexico
12:37 Dog House Drive-In restaurant, Albuquerque, New Mexico (3)
14:10 Arizona
14:17 The Wigwam Motel on Route 66, Holbrook, Arizona (1)
14:54 Highway Diner, Route 66, Winslow, Arizona (2003) (2)
17:59 Historic Route 66 Seligman Sundries coffee shop in Arizona (1)
21:51 Pete’s, a vintage gas station, Williams, Arizona (1)
23:37 An eclectic gift shop and convenience store mere feet off historic Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona (1)
23:46 Oldsmobile. Grand Canyon Caverns Inn, Seligman, Arizona (4)
23:53 Corvette at the Route 66 Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, Arizona (1)
24:02 Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, Arizona (1)
24:55 Tiki head outside Ranchero Motel & Gift Shop, Anteres, Arizona (1)
25:02 Ranchero Motel, Anteres, Arizona (1)
25:10 Ford Ranchero somewhere on Route 66 (4)
34:28 California
34:34 Roy's Motel sign, Route 66, Amboy, California (1991) (2)
34:40 Vintage advertising on a brick wall

(1) Original image from Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress collection. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.
(2) Photography in high resolution by John Margolies. Original from the Library of Congress. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.
(3) Original public domain image from Library of Congress.
(4) Original public domain image from Flickr.