Route 66 Turns 100 as Towns From Chicago to Santa Monica Celebrate the Mother Road

TULSA, Okla., Nov. 11 (TodayViralUSA) — Route 66, the highway that became a symbol of the American road trip, turns 100 on Wednesday, and towns along its path from Chicago to Santa Monica are marking the milestone with festivals, flag raisings and a new crop of giant roadside landmarks.

On Nov. 11, 1926, state and federal officials meeting in North Carolina adopted a numbered highway system for the then-48 continental states. U.S. Highway 66 stitched together existing roads, dirt paths and gravel tracks into a route of more than 2,400 miles across eight states.

“For 100 years, Route 66 has told the story of America, linking small towns to big opportunities and helping shape our national economy,” said Sean McMaster, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, at a centennial event in Wellston, Okla.

Celebrations coast to coast

Tulsa, which calls itself the Capital of Route 66, is staging a multi-venue centennial celebration on Wednesday. In El Reno, Okla., city officials planned music, food and an inaugural flag raising. Arcadia, Calif., added a centennial decal to its Route 66 bridge, and St. Louis’s National Museum of Transportation is offering special “66” admission pricing for the day.

In Oklahoma City, a time capsule will be buried Thursday beneath “Kicks 66,” a 35-foot red boot sculpture outside the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. It is meant to stay sealed until the road’s 200th anniversary in 2126.

New giants on the Mother Road

Oklahoma, home to the longest drivable stretch of the route at more than 400 miles, has added a series of supersized attractions for the centennial, The Oklahoman reported. They include:

• A 20-foot neon Colt pistol outside the J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum in Claremore, unveiled Oct. 30.
• A 30-foot shimmering “Route 66 Spaceman” in Weatherford honoring astronaut Gen. Thomas P. Stafford.
• “Horsepower” in Sayre, billed as the world’s biggest horseshoe, standing more than 30 feet tall on its base.
• “You Are Here,” a 23-foot pushpin in Wellston marking the midpoint of Oklahoma’s stretch of the road.
• A 23-foot “Compass” sculpture beside the historic Bridgeport Pony Bridge, which appeared in the 1940 film “The Grapes of Wrath.”

They join long-standing landmarks such as the Blue Whale of Catoosa and the 66-foot soda bottle at Pops in Arcadia, Okla., as the road begins its second century.