Description
Historic US Highway 66, known as the “Mother Road”, is more than just a stretch of pavement. It is also an American icon, a symbol of opportunity, adventure and discovery. US Highway 66 better known in literature, song, and story as Route 66, was a ribbon of roadway over two thousand miles long that connected Middle America to the Pacific coast. Beginning in 1926, Route 66 fulfilled different needs in each subsequent decade. In the 1930’s it was the main travel corridor for migrating families fleeing the Dust Bowl. In the 1940’s, during World War II, the road was filled with military traffic. In the 1950’s Route 66 came into its own as motorists took to the road to explore the nation with a freedom never felt before. In the next decades as the interstate highway system was being developed, drivers bypassed Route 66 in favor of the faster freeways. Unfortunately, the tourists also bypassed the small towns that gave the Mother Road its character and appeal. Petrified Forest is the only National Park in the country that contains a section of Historic Route 66. This stretch of Route 66 was open from 1926 until 1958 and was the primary way millions of travelers accessed the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Near Tiponi Point and the Painted Desert a section of the original roadbed has been preserved along with interpretive signs and a rusty 1932 Studebaker. The Route 66 interpretive center is in Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook, Arizona, USA.
