The Santa Monica Pier was dedicated Tuesday morning as the official western terminus of Route 66 during a ceremony with a replica of an “End of the Trail” sign that once graced the nearby intersection of Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard for years.
A caravan of vintage cars started from the Santa Monica and Lincoln — near the route’s previous official terminus at Lincoln and Olympia — and continued west to the pier before the ceremony started.
From the news release:
The official designation of the Santa Monica Pier as the West Coast’s end to Route 66 during the Pier’s centennial year was developed in partnership with the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau, Route 66 Alliance, 66 to Cali Inc. and the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation to acknowledge a commonly held public perception that the pier was the end of the historic roadway, although never officially recognized.
“This Veterans Day marks the 83rd anniversary of Route 66, and we are proud to on this day unite the nation once again from Illinois to California by commemorating the national link the ‘Main Street of America’ delivered so many years ago,” said Jim Conkle, chair of the Route 66 Alliance, “We believe that unveiling this sign at the iconic Santa Monica Pier today will resonate deeply with those across the country who are passionate about the roadway’s enduring legacy.”
The sign’s unveiling was a tribute to a historic and famous sign that read “End of the Trail” that once stood overlooking the Santa Monica Pier during the 1930s. Although long ago disappeared, the sign played a role in creating the national public opinion that the end of Route 66 was at the Santa Monica Pier, even though the official terminus was under debate throughout the road’s history.
Dan Rice, owner of the 66 to Cali apparel shack at the pier, deserves a lot of the credit for getting this project rolling. Incredibly enough, the pier had never acknowledged its link to Route 66 before.
More coverage by KABC-TV of Los Angeles, including video, can be seen here.
UPDATE: Here’s another story by NBC Los Angeles.
UPDATE2: Here are a couple of photos from the Associated Press from the event.
UPDATE3: Here’s a story by the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times.
Here’s a photo gallery by the Los Angeles Daily News.
Here’s the Santa Monica Pier’s Flickr feed from the ceremony.
UPDATE4: Here’s a New York Times story.
The Argonaut in Marina del Rey, Calif., has a story.
UPDATE5: Here’s a very good analysis and forward-looking piece by The Independent in London.
UPDATE6: Another report from the Belfast Telegraph.
A dissenting view from Bill Bauer, writing an op-ed piece to the Santa Monica Daily Press.
UPDATE7: Joel Martin Levy responds to Bauer’s missive in the Santa Monica Daily Press. In short, he says: “Chill, Bill.”
UPDATE8: Another interesting response to Bauer called “Why So Serious?”
I was thinking, since Route 66 is officially decommissioned and has no legal status, how can the designated end of the route be moved? Since its official (that word again) end years ago the route doesn’t exist legally. Hence, its just ‘there’. For anyone to adjust the path of the route it would have to be formally ‘recommissioned’ then approved in Washington. And only the state highway commission can recommend route adjustments or changes to the Federal Highway Administration.
I realize the commercial importance of the move, but it could open a can of worms along the route should other states or locales decided they’d gain some advantage by adjusting it. Chicago could, maybe, create a paved path to Lake Michigan and declare that the eastern terminus. And so on.
Maybe this action hails from the post Route 66 era where it’s primary purpose is much different from when it was an actual artery of traffic and commerce.
Seems like this is just a photo op.
I’m not necessarily disagreeing that it wasn’t much more than a photo op.
However, I think the decision was made to forge some sort of link to the Santa Monica Pier and Route 66 because of years of sheer acclamation.
And if it was a publicity stunt, it worked. I haven’t seen this much publicity for the Mother Road in years.
If it was just a “photo op” it worked! It gave the Mother Road some great publicity and as for one whose traveled the road several time, I would liked to have had a sign telling me I had reached the end, instead of guessing where the road had ended. There have been many alignments of the road over the years and I don’t think this “photo op” is going to create a problem if people don’t let it. Can’t wait to travel Route 66 one more time and in my mind and my camera’s view, find the “end of the Mother Road”.
As usual Ron, thanks for your amazing dedication to Route 66 and the kind words about me in your article. For years, there has been a belief that the pier was the end of the route. Was it? No. But certainly the “End of the Trail” sign helped create that impression before it disappeared. Wednesday’s event was really about recognizing that fact, while also finally giving the road the ending most people already thought she had. In my opinion, and the turnout Wednesday and phenomenal amount of media coverage seem to agree, the pier also gives the Mother Road the festive and celebratory ending she and everyone who has traveled her always deserved. With her decommissioning, it was finally possible to align these two facts: the impression of the end and the actual end could finally be made the same. With the rediscovery of the sign, it all finally made sense. After all, for decades everyone’s been going to the pier to end their trips anyway. The scary part to me is that with her decommissioning, and with the near loss of not just the road’s history but the road itself, the Wednesday event may have never happened. I don’t think that anyone on this site would disagree that the near loss of Route 66 twenty-four years ago would have been devastating to this country’s history and to all of our experiences, but I know my life would be much less full had I never found the Mother Road. When I found the sign and later learned its story, I felt that the sign’s loss was another part of the road’s history that we could recover, and thank God, others agreed and we resurrected it. More of the lore, myth, and mystery that has always made the road fun has now been reclaimed. The side benefit is that with the city of Santa Monica involved and excited about the huge amount of support and fervor behind America’s Main Street (which incredibly they did not know), the road has finally linked with a civic friend that has the political power to preserve her history for future generations. This was no photo op. It was a declaration that the Route’s history didn’t end in 1985. It’s alive and well today. It has now reached 2009 and will continue to touch the future. Thanks to Jim Conkle for having the forward thinking vision as President of the Route 66 Alliance to realize that fact and help us all to make this happen. In this case, he may have just saved the road for all time. Until now, hardly anyone in L.A. has even cared about Route 66. Now the whole city is celebrating it. Each time now that one of the 3 and a half million people who walk that pier each year asks, “What’s that sign?” and gets an answer, it’s another person who gains awareness of our beloved road. With awareness creates a potential new fan and traveler upon it, and with that the road can live forever. As long as people continue to love it, there will always be someone with the passion to fight for her. I love her and will do all I can to not just bring her back to life, but to keep her alive eternally. Fortunately, God seems to have given me a healthy share of this opportunity by giving me a huge forum to reach so many people at the pier. I do want to be very clear that Wednesday’s event does nothing to change history. The road always ended where it ended, and no one should forget any of that. 7th and Broadway, Lincoln and Olympic, then later in Pasadena as the road began to shrink backward, and finally at the California/Arizona border before she was decommissioned completely. Although the latter two official endings were sad ones, they are part of its history and they need to be remembered. For many, the unofficial ends at Santa Monica Blvd. and Ocean Ave. (at the Will Rogers Monument) and the final one at the Santa Monica Pier are just as important because they were what the people chose enmasse to end their own journeys regardless of what was “official.” I love the road’s history and all the road’s ends…be they official or unoffical, they are fascinating facts I talk about to people who visit my store on the pier. It’s part of what makes the road so interesting. What I’m excited about now is that the history is alive, current, and continuing…I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this much media coverage for Route 66…this will only help her kick that tell-tale cough of one who was dying. Thanks so much to every person who has written a book, run a business, or poured a cup of coffee in one of the diners along her. You have all helped to make our beloved Mother Road a little healthier again. God bless and see you on the road.
Ron, I second Dan’s comments on your site and the value it adds to the road.
Yes, the event was a success and we got world wide media coverage. In fact at least 50 million people were exposed to the TV, radio and newspaper coverage of the event. And it is not over as some magazines are also doing articles.
So to those, and believe me they are very few, people that found fault with what we did I can only ask them “What did you do for the road on its 83rd Birthday?” Did you spend time and money on the road, were you involved in an event that even 50 people were aware of? I am tired of having to defend what I do for the road to the same people all the time. The people that count, those that own a business, travel the road or enjoy the road if they were unhappy with this event they haven’t said anything. As Ron pointed out this is the most activity and media attention the road has had for some time.
So guess what will happen now? Maybe you will sell a few more books. Just be sure to tell everyone you don’t approve, endorse or recognized the Santa Monica Pier as the end/start of the road. The rest of us do.
got my kicks
Let me preface the below by stating that as author of “Finding the End of the Mother Road: Route 66 in Los Angeles County,” I have a vested interest in the events of 11/11/2009 on the Santa Monica Pier. But as much as I longed for the past that day, my present preservation struggles in my local community prevented me from taking part in an event that I wish I could have been at. I may not agree with some of the semantics and terminology that have circled around this event, but I readily admit that the Pier is as much a part of Route 66 as the Grand Canyon, the Meteor Crater, the Cadillac Ranch, Meramac Caverns, and countless other locations considered to be Route 66 attractions.
Having had a week to calm down from the things I have read about and since the event, and having exchanged many emails with people on both sides of the aisle on this one, I have to respond to some of the posts above.
Some points:
Dan Rice says “With her decommissioning, it was finally possible to align these two facts: the impression of the end and the actual end could finally be made the same.”
Unfortunately, no one present at the naming, and no one involved, has the authority to do that. So they in fact do NOT become the same. That’s the FACT. Not supposition. Not guesswork. Not publicity. Nothing but fact. The Pier is NOT the official end of Route 66. It has never been. It never can be.
Dan Rice says “Until now, hardly anyone in L.A. has even cared about Route 66. Now the whole city is celebrating it.”
Again it is unfortunate, but with Dan’s first comment, he is right. But he’s wrong with the second comment, and that is even more unfortunate. I would like to know anyone in LOS ANGELES (which Santa Monica, by the way, is a separate city last I checked) that is celebrating it. I live here. Trust me, it may have made the news. But most people wondered what it was. Angelinos do not care about 66 unless they are into historic preservation. And historic preservation and this publicity stunt don’t mix, so I doubt that too many Angelino preservationists jumped on the bandwagon, either.
Dan Rice says “Although the latter two official endings were sad ones, they are part of its history and they need to be remembered. For many, the unofficial ends at Santa Monica Blvd. and Ocean Ave. (at the Will Rogers Monument) and the final one at the Santa Monica Pier are just as important because they were what the people chose enmasse to end their own journeys regardless of what was “official.””
Dan is absolutely right in this in all aspects. I could not agree more. Except I would take the quotes off of “‘official'” at the end there. But I have to hand it to Dan in that these are my sentiments exactly. It is depressing to me to think of the end of 66’s live. However, in this case, it signifies a new beginning. It’s a new beginning that Dan, Jim Conkle, and countless others are capitilizing on today. Myself included, to some extent. I cannot deny that.
Jim Conkle says “So guess what will happen now? Maybe you will sell a few more books. Just be sure to tell everyone you don’t approve, endorse or recognized the Santa Monica Pier as the end/start of the road. The rest of us do.”
Trust me Jim, I do. The event was farcical in its meaning. “Official ending?” As I said on my facebook page, anyone who wants to call the Pier the official ending can kiss my ass. You included. It is NOT official. Sure, it’s a great symbolic ending. But it is not official in any book that records accurate historical facts as designated. And yes, I have sold additional books because of Dan Rice’s work. And I do appreciate the publicity that you have brought to the road. Next time, however, check the facts. Look up the word official before using it.