Historians from the Illinois State Museum in Springfield are looking for people to tell their experiences with the original Route 66 in Illinois before the highway’s centennial in 2026.
“These interviews will help illustrate the significance of this important transportation achievement,” said Erika Holst, the museum’s curator of history, in a news release.
Historians are looking for:
- People who have traveled on Route 66;
- Individuals or people within families who operated restaurants, hotels or auto service businesses along the route;
- People who worked on building, maintaining or rerouting Route 66;
- First responders who worked along the route;
- Those with any other personal experiences with Route 66.
Participants will be asked to sign a permission form and be video recorded. Officials clarified said this is not a paid opportunity.
The interviews and transcriptions will be made public through an online database for the 100th anniversary of Route 66.
“This project also gives us an opportunity to preserve memories of Illinois citizens for posterity,” said Amanda Bryden, registrar for the history collections of the Illinois State Museum and state historic sites.
Those who match the above descriptions are encouraged to email Route 66 project coordinator Judy Wagenblast at jwagenblastp@gmail.com.
(Image of Route 66 directional sign in Illinois by Mike Linksvayer via Flickr)