Route 66 is marking its 80th anniversary this year. I’m setting aside a moment in appreciation for the 200th anniversary of the National Road, which is Wednesday, according to the Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun.
Just think of that for a minute. Thomas Jefferson was president when he signed the bill to create the National Road, which is now U.S. 40, from Cumberland, Md., to Vandalia, Ill. The National Road is more than twice as old as venerable Route 66. It laid the template for the Mother Road.
Here is a cool link to the National Road. Here’s another. Here’s another.
Folksy Belleville News-Democrat columnist Wally Spiers put in his two cents worth on the National Road in a column Sunday: https://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/columnists/wally_spiers/14190700.htm