Route 66 from Oro Grande, Calif., to the Arizona state line near Needles was designated a scenic route by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, according to a report today by The Sun Runner magazine. The county made the move at the urging of 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt. According to the report: “Route 66 … Continue reading Part of Route 66 in California designated a scenic route
About 125 grants from the National Scenic Byways Program were announced Thursday, with several of them going to Route 66 projects. The following is a Route 66-related list of the grant award, where it’s going, and a description from the Federal Highway Administration of its purpose: — $267,038, Kingman, Ariz., Historic Route 66 Kingman Pedestrian Crossing … Continue reading Several Scenic Byways grants go to Route 66
Road warrior and author Brian Butko dropped me a note Friday, telling me that he has received a cover image of Michael Wallis’ upcoming book, “The Lincoln Highway: From Times Square to the Golden Gate.” The cover is shown below: There’s no set release date for the book, except it’ll be out this summer. It’s … Continue reading A preview of Michael Wallis’ Lincoln Highway book
The Joplin (Mo.) Globe reports that the Route 66 town of Miami, Okla., will shell out about $150,000 for historical markers and other projects along the Mother Road. About $120,000 of that will come from the National Scenic Byways program, while the rest will be provided by the city and tourism bureau. The projects are: … Continue reading Miami will receive grants for Route 66 projects
In the wake of the horrific Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, nervous traffic officials across the country are fanning out to check bridges in an effort to ensure a similar tragedy doesn’t occur. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that one of the structurally deficient bridges in Missouri is on Route 66: One of those … Continue reading Time to check those bridges
A historical marker that explains the origins of the Rock Creek Bridge that once carried old Route 66 near Sapulpa, Okla., was stolen about a month ago, reports the Sapulpa Daily Herald. Fortunately, the marker that was pilfered is not the original. The original marker is at the Sapulpa Historical Society Museum. The bridge was … Continue reading Marker near Rock Creek Bridge stolen
Larry Harnisch, who writes a history blog, The Daily Mirror, for the Los Angeles Times, has an interesting post about the Madonna of the Trail monument that was erected in 1929 on Foothill Boulevard, aka Route 66, in Upland, Calif. Harnisch writes: These monumental statues were meant to venerate the pioneer spirit, but today, some … Continue reading Madonna of the Trail
It’s not about Route 66. It’s not a book in the traditional sense. But Jeff Jensen’s “Drive the Broadway of America” (self-published, 223 pages, $30, including shipping) should greatly please Route 66ers and entice roadies to new two-lane adventures. Jensen’s book, subtitled “The U.S. 80 and the Bankhead Highways Across the American Southwest,” is the … Continue reading Book review: “Drive the Broadway of America”
Many Route 66 fans loathe to give much thought to interstate highways. However, to understand the history of the Mother Road, one must also understand the history of the superslabs. That’s where Earl Swift’s new book, “The Big Roads” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 376 pages, $27, e-book available), comes in. Subtitled “The Untold Story of the Engineers, … Continue reading Book review: “The Big Roads”
It’s time for the Route 66 community to talk to congressmen about eventually designating the Mother Road as a National Historic Trail, under the auspices of the National Park Service. Of the eight states where the old highway traverses, six have attained Byways or All-American Road status for Route 66. A seventh — California — … Continue reading Let’s make Route 66 a National Historic Trail
