U.S. Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 and soon became the main national east-west highway, used by millions. It ran from Chicago to Los Angeles through 8 states (Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California) and 3 time zones for a total distance of 2347 miles(3755 km).

Route 66 was immortalized by John Steinbeck’s classic novel The Grapes of Wrath in which he named it the "Mother Road" and the 1940 movie of the same name. In the minds of few generations Route 66 symbolized the road to opportunity.

There were some controversies between the states about naming the road, but Cyrus Stevens Avery, the father of Route 66, settled on "66" as he thought the number would be easy to remember and pleasant to say and hear. The road became the first highway completely paved in 1938.

Traffic grew on the highway because it passed through so many cities and towns. Route 66 was also the popular truck route because it was mostly flat.

In the 1930s many farming families used US 66 to escape from the dust storms and find jobs in California. During World War II more migration west occurred because of military industries in California. In the 1950s, Route 66 was used by many travelers and vacationers heading to Los Angeles.

Route 66 was officially removed from the US Highway System in 1985 and replaced by the Interstate Highway System.

More than eighty percent of the original route is still drivable though careful planning needed to avoid dead ends and breaks.