After Route 66 was decommissioned, author Michael Wallis wrote Route 66 The Mother Road. His book is credited with sparking a renewed interest in Route 66 at a time when motorists were staying on the Interstate. Wallis also served as a consultant for the Pixar film Cars, voicing the character of Sheriff.

Known as the Guardian of Route 66, Angel Delgadillo was a barber living along Route 66. When the Interstate opened and Route 66 was decommissioned in 1984, Angel almost went out of business within one month. That prompted Angel to establish a movement in preserving the stories of America’s Main Street. At 99 years old today, Angel still advocates for Route 66 and has even been featured in a Chevrolet Super Bowl commercial.

The Route 66 Bunion Derby was a 3400 mile footrace across the United States in 1928. Dubbed the “Bunion Derby” the race began in Los Angeles and followed much of Route 66 to Chicago before heading east to New York City, where it finished at Madison Square Garden. The event was part race, part circus, with an entourage of support vehicles, concessions, and sideshows, and it attracted 199 runners, with Oklahoma native Andy Payne ultimately winning the first-place prize of $25,000.

One of the most popular stops along Route 66 is the town of Oatman, AZ. Situated in the Black Mountains of Arizona, these “wild” burros, are descendants of the burros used during the area’s gold mining era. The burros now roam freely through the streets and have become a popular and quirky part of Oatman’s charm.

Route 66 giants are large, fiberglass statues called Muffler Men, standing 18 to 25 feet tall, which were originally created in the 1960s as advertising icons for businesses along the highway. These figures have become iconic symbols of Route 66 and are now popular roadside attractions.  Hear the story how hundreds of these fiberglass giants once dotted the service stations along the highway but had to be destroyed due to safety reasons.

The Arcadia Round Barn in Oklahoma is the only round barn you’ll find along The Mother Road. Constructed in 1898 by a local homesteader, find out the purpose and myths of round barns, and how this historic structure was the focus of social gatherings for decades before crumbling apart. Years later, locals worked together to save one of the most recognizable barns along the road.

The Times Beach “disaster” was the evacuation and demolition of a small town on Route 66 due to severe contamination from the toxic chemical, dioxin. Decades later, the mayor of this town tells firsthand what it was like agreeing to have the federal government to purchase the town, relocate its approximately 2,300 residents, and demolish every structure, including every home, the police cars, and even the water tower. 

After retiring as the Director of the Tulsa Zoo, Hugh Davis began to build an 80 foot long concrete whale as an anniversary gift to his wife. After spending years on the project, the whale was finally completed and instantly became a favorite swimming spot for the locals. At 78 years old, Blaine Davis tells what it was like growing up with a father who was determined to complete the whale, despite not having any concrete experience. Today, the Blue Whale is one of the most recognizable spots along Route 66.

The Burma Shave advertisement campaign consisted of placing 6 witty, rhyming signs along Route 66 that would entertain traveling motorists. At 83 years old, Clinton Odell talks about his dads brilliant marketing campaign and how he worked placing signs on the road as a college student and one determined customer who collected 900 Jars for a free trip to Mars! (Burma Shave did not let that customer down.)

Originally established as an outpost military camp, Fort Reno later housed POW’s during WW II. Hear the story about how these soldiers literally took care of the community while the local boys were fighting the war. After a few soldiers were laid to rest in Oklahoma, their bodies were exhumed in 2014 and returned back to their country of origin when family members assumed they were lost with no record of death.

The Joliet Prison, in Illinois, is one of the oldest prisons in the United States that housed both criminals and enemies from the Civil War.  Popularized by the popular movie, The Blues Brothers, the Joliet Prison is drawing national attention along Route 66 in the field of prison tourism- second to Alcatraz.

Bonnie Orcutt was an accomplished musician who had performed at Carnage Hall in NYC. However, after her husband was tragically killed she relocated to the Mojave Desert along Route 66. When the Interstate was being planned, Orcutt refused to leave her home and she began her letter writing campaign. Discover how she personally wrote President Johnson and how the state paved a 4 mile driveway for her to access Route 66 that would later become the unofficial test track for Car & Driver magazine with cars reaching speeds of 200 mph.