In its heyday, U.S. Highway 66 connected Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California, spanning over 2400 miles in three time zones and eight states (Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California) as it did so. The first highway to connect California and the Midwest, Route 66 was known alternately as "America's Main Street" and "the Mother Road." It forever has a place in the collective consciousness, as exemplified by Bobby Troup's 1946 song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66," which has been recorded by everyone from Nat King Cole to the Cramps, and the Route 66 television show in the early Sixties. More than merely a roadway, Route 66 has outlived official highway designation and remains symbolic of American consumer and car culture, the freedom of the road, and the promise of the West.The history of Route 66 is America's history. It symbolizes America's fascination with Westward expansion and the freedom of travel. It encompasses national parks, kitschy tourist traps, gas stations, motels, and roadside diners. It began as a series of roads connecting Western settlements and farms, but it grew with the country, expanding and improving under various Federal-Aid to Highways Acts. In 1926, highways were officially numbered--Route 66 among them--and assigned uniform, shield-shaped signs; by 1938, Route 66 was fully paved. The Fifties gave rise to a desire for bigger, faster interstate highways, and, piece-by-piece, Route 66 was decommissioned. However, nostalgia buffs began to call for preservation of the highway and its roadside, and a law was passed to study the situation in 1989. A second law, passed in 1999, has awarded jurisdiction of coordination of the efforts by local state, county, and city governments, non-profit organizations, and private individuals to the Department of the Interior. Additionally, the Federal Highway Administration has declared several segments of the road "National Scenic Byways," and many sites along the roadside have been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
This pathfinder is designed to assist anyone researching the cultural significance Route 66, the automobile, and the American roadside. It is of particular use for 20th century history buffs and popular culture junkies. Many of the works included can be flipped through for pleasure or be used chapter at a time. Some of the works will be of use particularly to sedentary researchers; others will appeal more to the road warrior. A conscious attempt has been made to include works covering the variety of angles from which one can approach the study of Route 66. Items are limited to those available in the libraries of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Many other resources are availble for purchase, through Interlibrary Borrowing, or at other local libraries.
The following subject headings are provided as starting points. Most of them also have subdivisions that are equally useful, but they are not included here because they will appear in the online catalog when one searches for the broader heading.
United States Highway 66.
Automobile travel.
Motels--United States.
Roads--United States.
Roads--Social aspects--United States.
Roadside architecture--West (U.S.).
Service stations--United States--History.
Architecture, Modern--20th century--West (U.S.).
The study of Route 66 is truly multidisciplinary and the books are scattered through the library. The call numbers listed here are only a few of the more common places useful items may be found.
E169
E174
F595.3
GV1021-GV1024
HE355-HE356.U55
HE5623
NA712
NA6212
TL153
Davis Davis Library Stacks
Davis Ref Davis Library Reference
Maps Maps Collection, Wilson Library
RBC Rare Book Collection, Wilson Library
UL Undergraduate Library Stacks
Scott, Quinta and Susan Croce Kelly. Route 66: The Highway and Its People. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988. [Davis, UL HE356.U55 S25 1988]Heavy on Oklahoma, this source, as the title suggests, traces the highway's history as it grew from ruts in the desert into a fully paved, well-traveled road that was eventually replaced by the interstates and almost forgotten. A third of the book is devoted to black and white photographs of Route 66 scenery, and much of the history is told from personal perspectives. Also includes an extensive bibliography and footnotes.
Wallis, Michael. Route 66: The Mother Road. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990. [Davis F595.3 .W35 1990]
Perhaps the most often mentioned work about Route 66, this rich text devotes a chapter to each state through which Route 66 runs. It tells the history of Route 66 as wells as that of the lands encountered by the highway. Included are a pullout map listing almost every community on Route 66, full color reproductions of antique postcards, biographical sidebars, and a resource list of fiction, nonfiction, and organizations.
Wallis, Michael. Route 66: The Mother Road. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2001. [Davis F595.3 .W35 2001]
This update of the 1990 edition mirrors the earlier text but does not have the pullout map. An extensive final chapter about the Route 66 Revival has been added, as have new photographs, a list of Route 66 personalities who passed away since the first edition, and a year-by-year Route 66 timeline.
Witzel, Michael Karl. Route 66 Remembered. Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1996. [Davis HE356.U55 W58 1996]
This fantastic collection of full-color photos and reproductions of old postcards is split into chapters on tourist traps, filling stations, food, motels, and memories. Interspersed in the main text are boxes devoted to specific "Mainstreet Motoring" topics and "Highway Havens." Also includes a thorough bibliography.
While UNC owns no dictionaries or encyclopedias specifically devoted to Route 66, it has several American history- and American culture-specific items with alphabetically arranged entries that provide an introduction, overview, and general factual information for quick reference.
The Oxford Companion to United States History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. [Davis Ref, UL Ref E174 .O94 2001]
A single-volume tome with condensed yet informative entries. Along with ROUTE 66, one may find useful the HIGHWAY SYSTEM, MOTOR VEHICLES, TOURISM, the WEST, McDONALD'S, CONSUMER CULTURE, FIFTIES, and the GRAPES OF WRATH entries.
The Sixties in America. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 1999. [Davis Ref E841 .S55 1999]
Told from a present-day perspective, the ROUTE 66 entry in this three-volume set focuses on the manner in which Route 66 impacted 1960's American popular culture. Additional entries are: INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM, TRAVEL, and AUTOMOBILES AND AUTO MANUFACTURING
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. [Davis Ref, UL Ref E169.1 .S764 2000]
The definitive encyclopedia of popular culture, this five-volume collection devotes almost two pages to the cultural and historical significance of ROUTE 66. Other relevant entries are: McDONALD'S, GAS STATIONS, HIGHWAY SYSTEM, and the GRAPES OF WRATH.
Thompson, Peter. Dictionary of American History: From 1763 to the Present. New York: Facts on File, 2000. [Davis Ref E174 .T47 2000]
Another one-volume work with short but detailed definition of various elements of American culture. Applicable entries include: ROUTE 66, OKIES, DUSTBOWL, McDONALD'S, COCA-COLA AND PEPSI, and GREAT DEPRESSION.
Alsberg, Henry G. The American Guide. New York, Hastings House: 1949. [Davis GV1024 .A197 1949a]This historic set of guidebooks provides insight to roadtrips in the postwar era, Route 66's heyday. It is divided into volumes by region: the North and Northeast, the Lake States and the Plains States, the South and Southwest, and the Mountain States and the West Coast. Each volume is then arranged by state and individual highway number and describes roadside attractions, towns, and accommodations exit by exit. Also featured are regional maps.
Rand McNally and Company. Road Atlas. United States, Canada, Mexico. Chicago: Rand McNally. year. [Maps and Maps Folio G1201.P2 R35]
A standard, everyday source for road maps, the Rand McNally Road Atlas has been in existence longer than Route 66 has been completely paved. The maps show the user Route 66's path across the country and each state. One can also trace each end of the highway along the city street maps of Chicago and Los Angeles. Examining multiple years, one can also observe the changes in the route, until it disappears completely from the atlas in the 1986 edition.
Schneider, Jill. Route 66 Across New Mexico: A Wanderer's Guide. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1991. [Davis F794.3 .S34 1991]
While billed as a guidebook, this text is filled with rich history and memories that make for an entertaining read even when independent of a road trip. The book contains only a few pictures, but it also has several maps to follow. The book is arranged geographically to lead the reader on a trip along Route 66, and the journey has been divided into two trips, both originating in Albuquerque. One heads west to the Arizona border and the other heads east to the Texas border. Most useful for anyone with a specific interest in Route 66 as it passes through New Mexico.
Belasco, Warren James. Americans on the Road: From Autocamp to Motel, 1910-1945. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1979. [Davis GV1021 .B37]This work covers the history of highway accommodations from 1910 to 1945. Specifically discussed are autocamps--like those seen in The Grapes of Wrath--and their evolution into motels as highway travel and roadtrip vacations grew in popularity. It also has a fair number of black and white photographs of autocamps and motels.
Finch, Christopher. Highways to Heaven: The Auto Biography of America. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. [HE 5623 .F56 1992]
A fun but thorough examination of the automobile's place in American culture. Finch traces the history of cars and their use and trends. He also examines highways, associated businesses like drive-ins and motels, related political issues like gasoline shortages and drinking and driving, and the automobile's portrayal in popular culture. The text has few pictures but includes a lengthy bibliography and a detailed index.
Jakle, John A. and Keith A. Sculle. The Gas Station In America. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994. [UL TL153 .J27 1994]
This history discusses the significance of the gasoline service station in American road culture. Architecture, mom and pop businesses, and individual corporations are among the subjects to which chapters are devoted. The book also contains a wide variety of photographs of gas stations, reproductions of early advertisements, and floor plans.
Kaszynski, William. The American Highway: The History and Culture of Roads in the United States. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2000. [Davis, UL HE355 .K33 2000]
This social and cultural chronology of American highways, road signs, filling stations, eateries, and hotels is divided into five eras that span the twentieth century. The text is quite readable and accompanied by historic black and white photographs and illustrations on almost every page. Extensive footnotes and index.
Andrews, J.J.C. The Well-Built Elephant and Other Roadside Attractions: A Tribute to American Eccentricity. New York: Congdon and Weed, Inc., 1984. [NA712 .A74 1984]This book examines the oversized tourist attractions and architectural oddities found along the American roadside. A history and photograph is included for each structure; many entries also have floor plans. A fun book to flip through, but researchers may be frustrated by the lack of index and discernable order of the entries.
Brouws, Jeffrey T, Bernd Polster and Phil Patton. Highway: America's Endless Dream. New York : Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1997. [UL HE355 .B7413 1997]
This work explores American highways and highway culture and is divided into thematic sections (for example "Lanes", "Signs", and "Gas Stations") of introductory text and photographs. The text tells of the evolution and devolution of highways; most photographs are recent and depict the current dilapidated state of the once grand American highway roadside. Contains an annotated bibliography of fiction and nonfiction related to highways and a list of roadtrip movies.
Liebs, Chester H. Main Street to Miracle Mile: American Roadside Architecture. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995. [Davis NA6212 .L54 1995]
Liebs' work examines the evolution of the roadside through the twentieth century. He ties changes in architecture, business types, and the use of space to history and cultural shifts revolving around the automobile, and ties them together with text and photographs. The long bibliography is subdivided by automobile-related building type (for example, auto showrooms and miniature golf courses) and will be extremely useful to anyone researching any one of them.
Marling, Karal Ann. The Colossus of Roads: Myth and Symbol Along the American Highway. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984. [UL NK805 .M27 1984]
As the subtitle indicates, this work analyzes mythologies and symbolism associated with the oversized tourist attractions commonly found along American highways. While the focus is Minnesota and Route 66 is not mentioned by name once, this text is still useful for its basic scholarship. It also provides historical information about common Route 66 sights like the jackalope and the Burma Shave sign.
Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. [various publishers] [Davis, UL, RBC PS3521.E735 O5 year]Now a considered a beat generation classic, Kerouac's novel is credited with inspiring wanderlust in a generation. As beatnik culture evolved into hippie culture and Kerouac's novel and stream-of-consciousness writing style gained popularity, the road trip across the country from the East Coast to California along Route 66 became a rite of passage.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. [various publishers] [Davis, UL PS3537.T3234 G8 year]
It was Steinbeck who christened Route 66, the highway that led the Okies from Oklahoma to California during the Depression, "the Mother Road." The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of the Joads, an Okie family, who leave their farm in the Oklahoma Dustbowl in search of the promised land in California. Instead they find exploitation and continued hardship working as migrant crop pickers.
Academic Search Fulltext Elite
Available through Davis E indexes and databases. http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/A multidisciplenary database provided by EBSCOhost, this database contains a little bit of everything. Citations are to both scholarly journals and popular magazines, with the option of limiting results to peer-reviewed publications, and some of the articles are available in full text. Citations begin in the 1980s; fulltext starts in the 1990s. A useful resource for something that spans academic categories as Route 66 does.
America, History and Life
Available through Davis E indexes and databases. http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/This database provides citations to articles from 1964 to the present that deal specifically with American history. Here, researchers will find scholarly articles about Route 66 and its place in the history of the United States.
Expanded Academic ASAP
Available through Davis E indexes and databases. http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/Another multidisciplenary database, this Infotrac product includes both scholarly journals and popular magazines. Searchers also have the option of limiting their results to refereed publications. Citations begin in the 1980s; full text is available for many publications after 1990. Very useful for searches that cross genres, as Route 66 research does.
PCI (Periodical Contents Index)
Available through Davis E indexes and databases. http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/An electronic keyword index to the contents of several thousand humanities and social sciences periodicals, PCI provides historic citations for these publications from their first issue until 1990. Using keywords such as "route 66" or "highway 66," researchers will find articles contemporary to Route 66's designation as an official highway.
United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. Special Resource Study: Route 66 Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California. Denver, CO: United States Department of the Interior, 1995.
http://www.wemweb.com/66_study/toc_0.htmlIn 1989, Congress enacted a law commissioning the National Park Service to study the Route 66 Historic Corridor. The result, though frequently cited, was not a federal depository item and thus is hard to find in libraries. Luckily, the California Historic Route 66 Association has included a copy on their web site. The study describes the historical background of the road, the Route 66 driving experience, issues in preservation, and the groups already actively involved in Route 66 preservation efforts.
Each of the eight states has its own Route 66 association. There are also several world wide.
National Historic Route 66 Federation
http://www.national66.com/index.htmlThis site presents the history of Route 66 and information about joining the Federation and adopting 100 miles of historic Route 66. For the visually inclined, there is also a virtual photo gallery of sites along the road and reproductions of historic postcards.
The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona
http://www.azrt66.com/A well-designed site with minimal information, this page leads the researcher to general information about the organization and its events.
The Route 66 Collection from the California Historic Route 66 Association
http://www.wemweb.com/index.htmlThis site has a link to general information about the association, individual California Route 66 communities, and the Route 66 Museum in California. It also is home to the National Park Service study on the preservation of the highway.
Route 66 Association of Illinois
http://www.il66assoc.org/A simple site with useful organizational information about the Illinois Route 66 Association, some images, book excerpts, and oral histories.
Kansas Historic Route 66 Association
http://www.route66.itgo.com/ks66.htmlKansas only has 13.2 miles of Route 66, but they have an active Route 66 Association nonetheless. The site has driving directions, a list of sites, and links to information about the three towns that lie on the highway.
The Route 66 Association of Missouri
http://www.missouri66.org/This site has a nice retro look and a user-friendly design. It has a virtual photo gallery of Route 66 in Missouri, news and events relating to Route 66, and information relating to the organization.
New Mexico Route 66 Association
http://www.rt66nm.org/Though the site has a few too many ads that obscure the actual content on the front page, it provides access to the organization's newsletter, photographs, postcards, and maps of Route 66 in New Mexico, and contact information to agencies that have something to do with Route 66.
Oklahoma Route 66 Association
http://www.oklahomaroute66.com/This site is the leading resource for information about Route 66 in Oklahoma. It has articles, pictures, and links to other Oklahoma Route 66 information sources, such as about the State Department of Tourism and the Route 66 Museum.
The Texas Old Route 66 Association
http://www.barbwiremuseum.com/TexasRoute66.htmThis site has a nice map of Route 66 in Texas, though, unfortunately, the map is turned sideways. The site has a few photographs, information about the organization, and a description of the path of Route 66 through Texas.
Across the Tracks: A Route 66 Story
http://www.unm.edu/~rt66/index.htmlThough the page is a little hard to navigate initially, it provides a fabulous virtual tour of seven cities across Route 66. Each city has a main page, a travelogue, and history, literature, sights, and people links.
The Largest Route 66 Resource on the Web
http://route66.itgo.com/8states.htmlAs the title is not shy in admitting, this site contains links to all the Route 66 web sites anyone could need.
Route66.com
http://www.route66.comA hub for Route 66 information, this site has a guide to dining establishments, hotels and motels, and other attractions along Route 66. It also has an events calendar, stories from travelers, links to the Route 66 Corridor Act, photographs, and a newsletter.
Route 66: Cruising the American Dream
http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/r66/This multimedia scholarly project was originally created as a senior thesis in the American Studies department at Yale. The site provides a virtual tour of Route 66 as well as a paper explaining the choice of the medium and its relation to the subject of the project.
Route 66 for Researchers
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~rse/route66.htmA bibliography of resources compiled by Cline Library at Northern Arizona University. Unfortunately, the author of this bibliography has not annotated it, but it provides a nice list of books and call numbers for researchers to search for within other libraries.
Route 66 Web Rings
http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=oldroute66&list
http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=usroute66&id=1&hub