Route 66 is one of the most famous roads in America. It was the primary route for westward migration especially out of the dust bowl in the 1930s. Route 66 was immortalized in the John Steinbeck novel Grapes of Wrath. It also figures prominently in popular culture all the way from the 1946 hit song Get Your Kicks on Route 66 to the Disney/Pixar Cars films. (paraphased from wikipedia).
This old map was a place for people to sign in at an old cafe. Route 66 just barely cut through the corner of Kansas.
The original Route 66 ran from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California and was 2,448 miles long. The original Route 66 was officially and completely retired in 1985 as it had been replaced by the US Interstate highway system. (more wikipedia facts)
A short distance off the old Kansas Route 66, there is a plaque marking the "Three State Corner".
A new monument was put up in 2004.
The original monument put up by the National Youth Adminstration in 1938 is still standing. The NYA was part of the WPA (Works Progress Administration) established by FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt) during the New Deal. A lot of history packed in that sentence 🤣 look it up here if you are interested https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Youth_Administration
Back to Route 66, lots of signs in local businesses or attractions signed by visitors.
Faded signs for Buck's Recreation. Pepsi and Mountain Dew ads.
Not sure what Buck's was but its long gone.
Get some water now. 700 miles of desert ahead 😅
Some of the old signs have been kept up or more likely re-done.
We were in Galena, Kansas for most of these photos.
Here's an old Texaco gas station that has been restored.
And a Kan-O-Tex gas station. Kan-O-Tex was a local refinery that marketed gasoline in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Back before Big Oil pushed out all the regional oil companies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanotex_Refining_Company
For every business that was restored and kept up, there were a few that are just memories like Palace Drug Store.
Stuckey's should probably be a memory 🤣 but they are hanging around.
https://stuckeys.com/letter-from-our-ceo/history/ They were a fixture on America's highways starting in 1937.
Stuckey's pecan rolls were famous. I found a Stuckey's in Missouri and...
had a pecan roll. Just as bad as I remembered. But I forced my son to try one. He will probably force one of his kids to try one someday lol
Speaking of Missouri we got off the interstate looking for a trailhead in the Mark Twain National Forest. We ended up driving along a long forgotten stretch of Route 66. The Gascozark Cafe was established in 1934 and has been out of business for quite awhile.
Gascozark Store still opens once a week on Saturdays as an Flea Market with antiques and collectibles. Gascozark was named by Frank Jones, owner of the cafe, it combined both name, that of the "Gasconade River" and the "Ozarks" region. https://www.theroute-66.com/gascozark.html
Ok now for the real reason for my detour. I wanted to go to Riverton, Kansas home of the Spring River Inn.
http://route66times.com/l/ks/riverton-spring-riverInn-signs.htm This is not my picture. Unfortunately even the sign is gone. The restaurant burned down in 1998. It was a private home turned into a restaurant with a 35 ft buffet. The Spring River Inn was famous for home cooked food and we always got a huge pull-apart cinnamon roll when we left to take home. It operated from 1954 to 1996. I remember going there as a kid for special occasions or anytime we were nearby.
Here is the pillar that used to support the sign. The neon sign was removed in 2013 for restoration but hasn't been returned yet.
Ok thats it for my summer roadtrip along Route 66 or at least the 13 miles that snuck through the southeast corner of Kansas 😁
Yay! 🤗
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I love the history and memories to be found along Rt 66! What a fun post! But... I loved pecan rolls then, and still love them now!
Love the pecan rolls! I thought we were soul mates but this is a serious point of disagreement 🤣 It was really fun doing an old school road trip 🙂
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I love the restored Texas gas station. I can also take over the abandoned cafe :)) The ROUTE 66 road reminded me of the scenery set for the movie scene. Thanks a lot for sharing. I read with pleasure.
Thanks! It was a little like stepping back in time 🙂
The pictures really came out nice, it was as if one was actually there.. Well done
Thank you. It was a very fun adventure.
Very nice!!! I have always wanted to check it out!
Thanks. We also saw some of Route 66 in Arizona last year. Route 66 is a lot of fun.
I drove from Colorado to tx and missed it!
It is interesting the captures that you made of the details of these routes, which make them interesting for everyone to know this place. Greetings !
Thanks. Its a fun piece of history.
You are great in your summer
Thanks. Its been a great summer.
America is beautiful country I must say because there are lot of beautiful places there as I can see now😳
America is a beautiful country and the best way to see it is on the road 👍
Would be truly epic to go along this route one day… it’s still on our list.
We are road tripping most of our time here now too. Seeing a lot.
Beautiful captures @steven-patrick 😊😎 thanks for sharing.
Have a great new week 👋🏻
Thanks littlebee. Colors are coming along nicely 🙂
You are welcome @steven-patrick 😊 yep… seeing bits of red popping up everywhere. I’m sooo enjoying our time here. 🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁
My boyfriend dreams on driving a muscle car on this route one day while listening to music, lol. I'm more of an outdoor person but I wouldn't mind being on his side when he does it. The road is so famous and nice that I wouldn't like to miss the opportunity 😜
'67 GTO convertible. Thats almost like being outside 🙂
Log rolls look good. Thought about traveling out of nowhere one day might have to jump on the route
Log rolls are a piece of Americana thats for sure.
I wonder how they are out the oven from a bakery
Nice post - I have always wanted to check out this route - still on my wish list. Also need to get my kicks.🤣
Thanks. Thats why we all travel right? to get kicks?
Yes indeed I love travelling and get those kicks as often as I can. However because of your post - I was jokingly referring to the song "get your kicks on route 66".
Oh I got it 👍 Sent me looking for a good version of the song. I think this is the best. Captures the original jazz feel
Yes indeed -this is a nice jazzy version. Thank you.
You see any bikers along this route? Reminds me of the harley davidson museum in milwaukee.
There were a couple but this part of Route 66 isn't that popular like in Arizona or some of the other stretches I have seen.
How fun!!! I love the history involved with the entire route and thanks for pulling it up for us. It was such a major way to go west, until it was no longer.
I cannot imagine being on the main drag of it one day.
Did anybody ever like pecan rolls? I remember getting one at Stuckey's on 95South going to Florida. Ha! I have never had another.
This was super fun and I even learned a bit more about that famous stretch! Thanks!
Thanks dswigle 🙂 @melinda010100 claimed to like the pecan rolls but I suspect there is some nostalgia involved there lol I really like the era of history Route 66 represents. Almost all the little busniesses along the highway were mom and pops. Each unique and many over the top original.
That is exactly what I miss, the small businesses that were memorable and supported families. There are still many of those in New England in the Northern tier of our country. Other places too, but, that is where I see the most.
Isn't nostalgia always involved in things we can buy on the side of the road? I have to admit, I could be wrong. One of my brothers gets one if he happens upon one, (once every few years)
Like Vermont lol. I just mentioned to my wife this morning that drving up highway 7 you get a little of that vibe. Small hotels, local restuarants, farm stands, plus you feel like you are stuck in the past because its a 2 lane road with 50 mph speed limit lol
That's not a bad thing! :)
Huy! looks like appreciator actually appreciated this post. Hahahaha
Interesting trip and great photos.
It was a fun trip. Thanks 👍
La famosa ruta 66. Primera vez que la conozco por fotos. Gracias por compartir. Saludos
Gracias 🙂
Woah. This's gonna be a wonderful story to tell. Memorable road trip on one of the most iconic routes.
Road trips are always the best memories 👍