Ahead of the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival this weekend, the city of Springfield, Missouri, launched an interactive “story map” website detailing about 80 Route 66 businesses that once stood or still exist in the city and its outskirts.
According to KSMU radio, the city’s Geographic Information Systems division used mapping software Esri to create the website.
The story map starts at the former site of Bumgartner’s Store in Strafford and ends at the former site of the Lone Start Court on West Chestnut Expressway, which now houses the Best Budget Inn.
Stops between the two include the former site of Red’s Giant Hamburg, Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven, the former Kentwood Arms Hotel and the Woodruff Building (now Sky Eleven) and several motor courts, plus long-forgotten locales such as the Star Terminal Café, Brown’s Tourist Camp and Manhattan Dinner House. The story map features historical photos of the places in their heyday and current photos of the sites today.
Surfing through the site, it’s a little disconcerting to see how many the sites detailed now are gone. By my count, no more than 15 sites still exist.
But at the same time, it’s really well done. Other large cities on Route 66 would do well to copy it.
(Screen shot of the Springfield, Missouri, Route 66 website)
Just sat here and went through the whole thing. Excellent idea.