Here’s an article from the Alton (Ill.) Telegraph about nearby Edwardsville being named host of the national Route 66 Festival in 2008, which has already been reported here and several other newspapers.
Here’s the quote from the story that bugged me, however:
“It’s going to put us on the map,” said Carol Foreman, director of the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce. “We’re going to be one of those cities that you’re going to have to be sure to stop at when you’re on the route.”
Well, maybe. I’m certain some Route 66 travelers will stop in Edwardsville because it has amenities: gas stations, good places to eat, a smattering of hotel rooms. It’s a clean-looking town, boasts low crime rates and has an active chamber of commerce.
But, frankly, as a Route 66 town, Edwardsville is not all that impressive. The city, which has seen tremendous growth in the past decade because of sprawl from St. Louis, has nearly obliterated the history that made it attractive to roadies. A longtime roadie favorite, an old A&W Root Beer stand, was razed years ago.
I think it’s telling that the city’s list of historic landmarks has many from the 19th century, but few from the 20th century. Just one — the Coles Monument — dates to the Route 66 era. Edwardsville prizes a certain type of history, but ignores another.
To be fair, all towns on Route 66 have suffered with historical losses. But it seems that prospering suburbs, such as Edwardsville, have lost the most. Quirky, fascinating businesses that were built in the 1930s through the 1960s often are the first to feel the wrecking ball when gentrification arrives.
To me, Edwardsville is similar to Edmond, Okla. Edmond also has a university in town and is one of the fastest-growing cities in its metro area. But I’m hard-pressed to think of one Route 66 attraction in Edmond because so much of it has been redeveloped. In contrast, Arcadia, a town one-twentieth of Edmond’s size, has two very good Route 66 attractions and soon will get a third.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m looking forward to the Route 66 Festival in Edwardsville. I’m fairly certain that with the city’s chamber and the involvement of the active Illinois Route 66 Association, it will be a well-run event. But if I’m going to check out local Route 66 sites, I’m going to drive west to the Luna Cafe in Mitchell or east to Scotty’s Route 66 Grill in Hamel. I’m not going to find roadside history in Edwardsville.
Edwardsville is in a unique state of flux right now. The college on the west side of town – once just commuter but now overwhelmingly residential – is expanding, overflowing its boundaries, while the east side of town is growing more and more genericly suburban commercial. In between, traffic is a standstill. The northern half of 66, coming in after winding through serene Madison County fields, is cute, but after the older downtown stretch it expands to four lanes and is practically useless; taking the college route is actually better. Once you descend out of the city and down into the Mississippi Valley, it’s beautiful once again, and the landmarks – the ones listed here plus the remnants of the Bel-Air Drive In and the Chain of Rocks Bridge – are first rate.
There’s a reason I haven’t covered Edwardsville on my Route 66 site yet, but I’ve extensively photographed west and east of it.
I agree Ron, the loss of the A & W was a shame. I’m surprised a college town couldn’t support a business like that. I read about it in the Winter 1999 issue of Route 66 Magazine, and was looking forward to eating there during my August 2000 trip, but it was closed by then.
It was a disappointment because so many of the old, original A & W drive-in restaurants in my home state of CT were already gone, so I was excited to eat at one!
Check it out now…
I am a forty year Edwardsvillian. The analysis is absolutely correct. This was once a somewhat attractive small town, and I spent many an evening at the old A&W. But the push into here of Missourians who commute to work but could care less about the towns, the overdevelopment of overpriced real estate and the commercial sector, particularly fast food, and the university’s attempt to remake itself into a more “high powered” institution have really hurt the town’s ambience.