Route 66 : Illinois Part 1

We've spent quite a bit of time over the years (especially the last two years) in Chicago where Route 66 starts so we will skip ahead a little other than to say...the route starts in downtown Chicago  (Lake Shore Drive) which is a great city with lots to do ...my favorite is CIA and the Aquarium along with the Day of the Dead Museum...

Route 66 marker

As most of 66 has been replaced by interstate highways that parallel it...we tried when possible to travel on one of the many older versions of Route 66. In Illinois most of the route is paralleled by highway 55...

Markers show the way and most of Route 66 manifest itself as the business loop through the series of small towns that you can exit to off of the main highway...

Many of these towns were created and then decimated when Route 66 rerouted. All have iconic images, and give a favor of small town Americana in days gone by...There are diners, prisons, factories, schools, farms, stables, city halls, theaters...everything you find in towns and cities...and many restored but many neglected and abandon.

Along the way you will find similar to what we found...lots of buildings especially gas stations, murals, roadside attractions, and signs and historic markers:

Illinois:GAS STATIONS

Along the way...there are lots and lots of gas stations...given that were talking about a highway...cars had to be fueled so a gas station was the one thing that HAD to exist. Given the size, shape and material, most gas stations can be pinpointed as to age and  type of service provided.

newer 1960's gas station...space age canopy can be seen further down the road and often times was lined with neon lights. This same canopy design can be found on drive-in diners. They can be found both still used and abandon.

This is an older building that features several different gas tanks from earlier eras...

Gas stations could be easily identified as to type by the iconic sign.

Many of the older stations have been re-purposed as visitor centers or museums.

MURALS and Buildings

I've always been a fan of graffiti...murals are a more acceptable and developed form of graffiti...they serve as a cultural icon. the artwork is painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface like the street. One of the distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.

A mural that works as the town marker for route 66

Many of the murals reflect the theme of Route 66 like this one showing the route through Illinois

This mural shows the history of the building it's painted on

ROADSIDE GIANTS:
During the heyday of Rt. 66, travelers passed hundreds of signs, murals and other forms of advertisements hoping to grab attention. Among the more famous is fiberglass giants... created during the 60's by International Fiberglass of Venice, California.

The Gemini Giant is a landmark statue by the launching pad drive-in on U.S. Route 66 in Wilmington, Illinois. The 30 foot tall statue is one of many giant "Muffler Man" advertising props found throughout the USA in the Sixties. The Gemini Giant is named after the Gemini space program and holds a silver "rocket ship" in his hands, sporting an astronaut's space helmet that looks like a welding mask. 

Originally designed to hold an axe, the first giant was 'Paul Bunyan'. The axe was changed out for the hot dog when done for the Paul Bunyan Cafe on Rt. 66 in Flagstaff, AZ in 1962. It's now stands in Atlanta, IL, on Rt. 66, Located in Springfield, IL is the 'Lauterbach Tire Man' at the entrance to Lauterbach Tire and Auto Service. True to his name, he holds a full size tire in his left hand. 

Located in Springfield, IL is the 'Lauterbach Tire Man' at the entrance to Lauterbach Tire and Auto Service. True to his name, he holds a full size tire in his left hand. 

A giant Elvis greets you at the Polk-a-Dot Drive-In...with Sky

More...ROADSIDE...

Mural at gas station along Rt66 near speedway

A replica Blues Brothers car at a gas station near the Chicago land Speedway along U.S. 66.

Blues Brothers along the side of first Diary Queen in Joliet, IL

On drive-in roof in Joliet, IL...home to the first Diary Queen

Route 66 : The Beginning

All good stories have a beginning...most times they start at the end of a previous story and I guess that would be the case with us (Sky-CoCo-Jane)...lots of previous stories but this one starts with our journey across America via Route 66...

Route 66 beginning sign

Route 66 contains much of what is America from mom and pop businesses, early history, culture, farming, industrialization, and iconic architectural changes. There are funky roadside attractions, neon signs, and what can only be described as living art dotting the length of Route 66. It's a reminder of where we started, how we evolved and a possible end...It's also reminder of all the people who went before us during good times (mining booms) and bad times (dust bowl and depression) .

Families, businesses, robbers, lawmen, service workers, farm workers, transitives...all traveled down Route 66 looking for America and it's opportunities...and at the end of the day, I guess we three muses are not much different than those that came before us...we too are looking for what America can offer.


For those that don't know...a very brief history...

Route 66 was established November 11, 1926. It ran from Chicago, Illinois through ...Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona before ending at Santa Monica, California...covering a total of 2,448 miles.It has served as a major path for anyone moving westward during the following 70-80 years...

The Route's start is downtown Chicago...like much of Route 66, it has had several 'rebirths' where the road is moved to accommodate local growth, economical needs and political mongering...and the beginning of the route is no different in that aspect... Originally, the Mother Road (Route 66 nickname as well as Main Street America) began on Jackson Blvd at Michigan Ave., but in 1933 the start was moved east to Jackson and Lake Shore Drive....because the first route was reclaimed for the worlds fair.

It's easy to find as the transportation department on a whole in Illinois has marked both old, older and oldest route 66 (or what still exist of it). Early on we also learned that looking for old telephone poles or railroad tracks would often put you on the Mother Road (or very near it!)...most time it also mirrors a near by highway that replaced it like 53 or 55 or 366...there hasn't been one time that we were 'lost', just a tad off course but backtracking and looking for clues always put us back on the right road.

One final note on finding the Mother Road...While much of the road in many of the states it passed through was moved, asphalt over, upgraded, or simply left to farm fields...you can easily recognize some sections of the route by the Portland cement which in some places was done 10 feet thick...there's no missing the whitish cement.

CoCo and Sky at RT66 Sign

So our story begins...