Today, for most travelers on U.S. Route 66, the goal is the journey itself, not any particular destination. The highway was established in 1926, when it was advertised as “the shortest, best and most scenic route from Chicago through St. Louis to Los Angeles.” The route’s founder, Cyrus Avery, believed that from St. Louis, the traditional outfitting and supply point for those traveling west, the best way onward to the Pacific Coast was through small towns in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and California. During the 20th century, retailers, motels and gas stations thrived along the route, benefiting from a steady stream of new customers.Begnning in the late 1950s, modern interstate highways supplanted the old U.S. highways. Route 66 was removed from the federal highway system in 1985 but continues in use as a scenic byway or local road.
Today, for most travelers on U.S. Route 66, the goal is the journey itself, not any particular destination. The highway was established in 1926, when it was advertised as “the shortest, best and most scenic route from Chicago through St. Louis to Los Angeles.”