Illinois Route 66

     Road Closed. An abandoned section of Illinois Route 66. In Illinois, the "End of 66" occurred in 1977, when it was officially decommissioned as a federal highway. My Route 66 era began here in 2005, with a quick tour of the old road limited to the state. In 2006, I got serious about 66, driving the two-lane from Chicago to Oklahoma City. In 2007, I followed up and completed the run, from OKC all the way to the Santa Monica Pier. My obsession didn't end there in California, of course, as I continue to make shorter runs to fill in the blanks, and to say hello to some of my new 66 friends.
     One needs to be a bit of an economist to understand and appreciate the history of Route 66. This is especially true while driving at 25 mph through the near-deserted downtowns of once thriving cities and towns. Of course, most of the decline in the communities that line the old road can be traced to the arrival of the interstate, but some of the towns that are slowly deteriorating tell the story of post war America. The run down suburbs of Chicago and St. Louis can in part be attributed to the loss of the manufacturing jobs that originally built those communities, those jobs sent overseas or lost because we Americans just don't make things anymore. The mining towns of Oklahoma led the world in the production of zinc from early in the 20th century to the end of WW II, but depletion and world competition after the war shut down the mines by the 1970's. Other factors for the downturn in some 66 communities include the loss of family farms in Illinois, the depletion of gold mines in Arizona and California, the obsolescence of railroad towns all along the road, and also the jet age - who piles the kids in the car anymore for a family vacation? These are just some of the things to consider while on a Route 66 tour. A town needs a reason.