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Route 66, one of the most iconic highways in the United States, is set to be 100 years old in 2026, so the multi-state coalition is trying to educate people about the history and importance of roads as they prepare to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Road Avering Partnership is made up of representatives from eight states on which Route 66 runs, and wants to revitalize the roads by boosting tourism and attracting businesses.
“Route 66 is more than just a road,” said Bill Thomas, chairman of Route 66 Road Awery Partnership. “It represents adventure. Our spirit of freedom along the public roads. And it was extremely important in the development of our country.”
Route 66, known as “Mother Road,” was founded on November 11, 1926, and initially stretched over 2,400 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica.
Despite being extremely helpful in helping people move west during the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s, Route 66 was officially removed from the US expressway system as interstates were developed.
Over the years, interstates provided drivers with new, faster ways to cross the country, but tons and tourists slowly disappeared along the route.
Road also faced criticism of the motel for refusing to serve black families and despise potential cultures as caricatures.
Despite Route 66 fading into people’s memories, there are still some quirky sights, including the historic Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino.
Rialto, California – June 15: Built in 1949 on the old Route 66, Wigwam Motel consists of individual Tepi-shaped rooms on June 15, 2007 in Rialto, California. Route 66 opened in 1926 from Chicago to Los Angeles, becoming a Western travel route for those looking for work to escape the Great Repression and the Dust Bowl disaster of the 1930s. It then offered vacation vacations and driving adventures until 1985, when it was abolished as a federal highway. Due to Neglect and Commercial Development Route 66, the first highway connecting the Midwest with the West Coast, it has recently been added to the World Monuments Fund’s biennial compilation list of the world’s most endangered landmarks and to the annual list of the National Trusts for America’s most endangered historic preservation. (Photo: David McNew/Getty Images)
After it was first built in 1947, the Wigwam Motel forked in the 1950s with a chain of hotels. Of the seven people originally built, three are still operating, including the San Bernardino location.
“It’s a great place to stay. Give it the charm of its roadside, its old unique feel, the feel of the old school trips people used to photograph,” said Samir Patel, who bought the Wigwam Motel in 2003.
Ahead of the 100th anniversary celebration, the Roadhead Partnership is looking to create a renaissance and rebirth. In April next year, various events will begin to celebrate the anniversary. To find the Route 66 event, see here.
“We want to preserve them so that future generations can enjoy them, as people in the past have,” Thomas said.
The celebration is expected to begin on April 30, 2026 with a nationwide kickoff at the birthplace of Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri.
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