Route 66 celebrates its 100th anniversary on November 11, marking a century since the legendary American highway first opened to travelers in 1926, blick.ch reported.
The 3,945-kilometer road stretches from Chicago, Illinois, to the Santa Monica Pier in California, serving as an enduring symbol of freedom and westward migration.
A reporting team from blick.ch marked the milestone by driving a vintage 1979 International Harvester Scout II in the reverse direction, traveling west-to-east from Santa Monica to Chicago over nearly six days. Temperatures in the San Bernardino Valley exceeded 45 degrees Celsius during the initial stretch of the journey.
When the road opened in November 1926, spanning 2,451 miles, only about 850 miles of the route were paved. Entrepreneurs and government planners designed the network to connect sparsely populated Midwestern farming regions with major commercial markets and rail hubs in cities like Saint Louis and Chicago.
Naming the Highway
Entrepreneur Cyrus Stevens Avery proposed the name Route 66 to the United States government in the spring of 1926, according to blick.ch. Avery explained that even numbers designated major east-west arterial routes, and the number 66 was unassigned and sounded appealing.
The highway gained profound cultural significance during the Great Depression, when author John Steinbeck immortalized the struggles of displaced Midwestern farmers traveling west in his 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath. Decades later, the town of Winslow, Arizona, achieved global fame through a street crossing and a massive Route 66 logo popularized by the band the Eagles.
Modern Road Trip
Much of the historic asphalt now runs parallel to Interstate 40, which was completed in the mid-1980s to absorb heavy cross-country traffic. The shift left many vintage roadside motels and businesses between Seligman, Flagstaff, and Oatman quiet and decaying.
Celebrations for the centennial vary significantly by region. While travelers encounter mostly empty stretches and sporadic commemorations through the Southwest, municipalities in Oklahoma host vibrant community events and honor the highway’s heritage.
“Oklahoma City is modern, städtisch und ungemein sauber – so wie noch keine andere Stadt auf unserem Roadtrip,” blick.ch noted of the journey through the state.
Driving the Route in Reverse
Why did the journey run from west to east?
While most motorists travel westward from Chicago to Santa Monica, the blick.ch reporting team chose to drive the route in reverse, starting at the Santa Monica Pier and ending in Chicago.
What vehicle was used for the centennial drive?
The team drove a 1979 International Harvester Scout II equipped with a 5.7-liter V8 engine and four-wheel drive, completing the 3,945-kilometer trip despite minor mechanical issues near Saint Louis.
How much of the original route was paved in 1926?
When the highway officially opened in November 1926, only about 850 of its 2,451 total miles were paved.
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