Oklahoma City - It was one of the icons of 20th century America, a 3 917km ribbon of highway that, in stretching across most of the country, sparked a million road trips
It was also a true nugget of Americana, flanked by a crowd scene of inexpensive motels, dusty petrol stations and giant advertisements.
So much so that a new museum is hoping to capture the myths and mythology of the famous Route 66 by providing a home for many of the vintage billboards and neon signs that gave the road its spirit and character.
A group of Route 66 enthusiasts are attempting to set up a new institution in honour of America’s “Mother Road”. It will be located just outside Oklahoma City – one of the more out-of-the-way places that the highway dissected on its meandering journey between the skyscrapers of Chicago and the Santa Monica portion of Los Angeles.
The Billboard Museum will gather together some of the classic hoardings – touting everything from shaving cream and soft drinks to brands of tyre – that dotted the side of the highway. It will also showcase old hotel signs, rescued items from faded diners – and other assorted bits and pieces that hark back to the America of the Fifties and Sixties.
The museum will be located in either Yukon or Bethany – westerly suburbs of Oklahoma City, which lie just to the north of the old Route 66.
As well as its cluster of exhibits, it will offer an outdoor driving track, festooned with antique advertisements, which will attempt to recreate the motoring experience which so thrilled a generation of Americans.
“I think (the idea for the museum) is unique,” says Bob Palmer, an Oklahoma-based artist who specialises in vintage signs, and has prepared a range of murals in support of the project. “I feel inspired. It’s long overdue. It’s another way to appreciate this artform.’
Technically, fans of Route 66 can still follow its path – but the road has not existed in a fully official form since June 27, 1985, when it was removed from the United States Highway System, deemed to be obsolete in the modern era of multi-lane freeways.
Route 66 came into being on November 11, 1926 – born as a single road that would link the Midwest and America’s Pacific coast.
Once completed, it ran through eight US states – Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
It grew in importance during the Thirties, becoming an economic artery for poor families in states such as Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas – seeking to flee west, escaping the agricultural hardship of the “Dust Bowl” and the financial misery of the Great Depression.
At this time, Route 66 marked a clear line to the perceived riches of the West.
But Route 66 really gained in popularity during the Fifties and Sixties, as a post-war America, booming with optimism and in love with the motor car, discovered the concept of the highway adventure – and set off west, soft top down and the radio turned up. With this came all the facilities and buildings that spring up around major transport networks – garages and eateries, shops and small stores, accommodation for the weary traveller.
The fact that Route 66 passed close to several key holiday attractions – not least the Grand Canyon in Arizona – on the way to the beaches of LA, also added to its status.
But it began to drift in importance as air travel came into focus. Gradually, sections of the road were superseded by newer, faster highways, and Route 66 became a romantic relic.
However, since its official moth-balling in 1985, sections of the Mother Road have been preserved as “National Scenic Byways” – particularly stretches in Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico and Arizona, which are now safeguarded as “Historic Route 66”.
The Billboard Museum hopes to capitalise on Route 66’s enduring image – although this is subject to sufficient funds ($4 million just for the land) being raised. – Daily Mail