Introducing Route 66 in the United States

Category: Transportation/Tourism>>Other means of transportation

Analysis:

Route 66, the legend of American highway history

Diagonally Route 66 runs from Chicago to Santa Monica, California.

The animated film "Cars", a collaboration between Disney and Pixar, describes an anthropomorphic world where all cars can speak and think. There are joys and sorrows. The protagonist "Lightning McQueen" is a rookie in the racing world. He wants to show off his skills in the upcoming Pistol Cup competition in California. Unexpectedly, due to an accident, By accident, he came to the declining town "Radiator Springs" on "Route 66" and started the strange life journey of "Lightning McQueen".

"Cars" plays an educational and entertaining role, not only making the audience think about the meaning of life in busy life, but also reawakening the American people's memories of Route 66 due to the release of this movie. .

Route 66, which used to be an important transportation thoroughfare in the United States, was once prominent. However, due to the passage of time, it has experienced prosperity and decline; its past and present are still lingering in the minds of many Americans.

The rise of transporting supplies across state lines for vacations

Route 66, which no longer exists on the U.S. road map, can be said to be the most scenic road in the first half of the 20th century. Construction began Established in 1927 as part of the U.S. highway system, it was not completed until 1938. This highway runs from Chicago to Los Angeles and even south to Santa Monica. It passes through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California; it has a total length of 2,448 miles (approximately 3,939 kilometers), spanning eight major states and three time zones, connecting and shortening the At that time, the distance from the Midwest to the West Coast of the United States.

With the development of Route 66, the number of travelers has increased, and towns and villages along the route have developed one after another. Small shops (mom-and-pop-business) have emerged as the times require, providing passengers with refueling, dining, and shopping services. . In addition, the road is stable and easy to travel, so it is favored by truck drivers. As a result, it is busy with traffic every day, and it has become an important east-west transportation channel.

During World War II, as war-related industries were mostly established in California, more people migrated from the East Coast or the Midwest to the West Coast in search of business opportunities. In addition to civilian supplies, Route 66 also plays an important role in transporting armaments. The already busy and prosperous road has become even more crowded during this period.

Because Route 66 crosses many famous attractions, such as the Painted Desert, the Grand Canyon, and the meteorite caves in Arizona. Therefore, in the 1950s after the war, it was transformed from being mainly used to transport supplies to becoming the main artery for Americans to travel from the East to California for vacation.

With the rise of Route 66, some regional attractions along the way, such as Indian teepee-shaped motels, Indian heritage shops, and crocodile tourist farms Wait, it also develops.

Some stores even saw business opportunities and began to introduce creative marketing techniques. The first fast food restaurant, Red's Giant Hamburg's, came into being in Missouri and invented the so-called "drive-through" business method, allowing travelers to easily buy delicious food without getting out of the car. burger. The first McDonald's was also born in San Bernardino, California during this period.

Some stores even had a surprising move. At that time, a steakhouse along the road launched a 72-ounce steak, claiming that anyone who could finish it within an hour could enjoy this giant steak for free. Macro Steak; many people flocked to the store after seeing this advertisement, and the store owner also made a fortune.

Attractions such as this have gradually changed the original simple appearance of Route 66, but they have also greatly increased the reputation of Route 66; it witnessed the lives of ordinary people in the United States in the early 20th century, and its history The value is not only a piece of highway history, but also the epitome of American modernization.

The decline of interstate highways replaced them

During World War II, President Dwight Eisenhower was deeply impressed and admired Germany's fast autobahn. He hopes that the United States will have a similar highway, which will allow people to travel quickly and safely between the east and west coasts of the United States on a comfortable and flat road; it will also be able to move troops and transport supplies quickly and instantly during war.

So after the war, Eisenhower vigorously promoted the "Interstate Highway Act" (Interstate Highway Act). This act was successfully passed in 1956, changing the fate of Route 66, and began to turn from prosperity to decline.

After the construction of the wide, straight, four-lane interstate highway, it brought people a faster and more convenient transportation network; the undulating and winding Route 66, which was built along the terrain, was no longer favored by tourists. Gradually they were reduced to local roads, private drives, or even abandoned and no longer used. Later, the U.S. Army removed it from the highway map in 1985, and Route 66 officially entered history.

After 20 years of prosperity, Route 66, which used to have tens of thousands of vehicles per day, now only has dozens of vehicles per day; and after being removed from the road map, sometimes there are even 10 vehicles in a row. Not even a car. The towns along the way have become eclipsed, and once-famous businesses have closed one by one, making the scene on Route 66 even more desolate.

Reviving the memories of the pursuit of independence

Although Route 66 is no longer visible on the road map, there are still a group of people who still remember this road and the things it once brought to the United States. Every detail of the people. So in 1990, the "National Historic Route 66 Federation" (National Historic Route 66 Federation) was established in Arizona and Missouri respectively to gather like-minded people and awaken Americans' memory of it.

In the same year, Missouri declared this road a "State Historic Route" and established a "Historic Route 66" road sign. Thanks to the efforts of the Route 66 Alliance in various places, Route 66, which originally disappeared from the map, has returned to the map under the name "Historic Route 66."

Even though Route 66 has experienced several ups and downs, it will always have an irreplaceable position in the history of American highways. It is the earliest highway from the east coast to the west coast in the United States. Due to its diagonal path (from Chicago to Santa Monica), it breaks the previous restriction that east-west highways were all horizontal and shortened the distance from east to west. time. Route 66 is not only the main artery of east-west transportation in the United States, it also plays a pivotal role in the history of the United States' Western Development (Wesard Movement).

At the end of the 19th century, Route 66 was just a dirt road that could only be used by horse-drawn carriages; however, by 1926, *** in view of transportation needs, spent a lot of money to connect the intermittent roads. Due to the undulating terrain, construction was difficult, and it took more than ten years to complete. At that time, the United States was going through the "Great Economic Panic" period. The construction of Route 66 provided tens of thousands of job opportunities for the depressed economy at that time and helped many workers make ends meet.

In addition, according to data, the Midwestern United States experienced a major drought, and the vast land suddenly turned into a dry land without any grass. At that time, many farmers were driven into poverty by the drought, so they packed up their only possessions and headed to California with their families along Route 66, hoping to pursue wealth and start a new life in the West. Therefore, Route 66 was a road symbolizing dreams and realizing the American dream in the hearts of Americans back then.

Nostalgic Experience the Western Dream Road

Nowadays, driving on the historic Route 66, you can see corn fields, Indian reservations and endless deserts as far as the eye can see. The vast loess is full of western cowboy style when cacti are scattered sporadically; many film producers choose to shoot scenes along Route 66 when shooting western movies or albums. A trip on Route 66 is like falling into a time tunnel, returning to the era when Western cowboys were popular. Next to the highway town are taverns selling sparkling water, motels with flashing neon lights, and ancient and old gas stations. The legendary anecdotes of the West are unfolding before your eyes. Those who are nostalgic will definitely fall in love with the atmosphere created by Route 66. You might as well choose a quirky tavern to stop, drink a beer, and enjoy the simple and slow-paced feelings of the past.

A traveler once drove a Cadillac convertible across the United States along Route 66, from Chicago to Los Angeles. During this nearly 2,500-mile journey, the scenery along the way was like "an American legend." "Every scene unfolds before your eyes", "Although it is long, you won't want to rush through it." For many travelers who come on a "pilgrimage" to Route 66, this journey is like a "dream road to review the past and experience the western style."

Symbolizing the spirit of pop culture

In the early 20th century, Route 66 not only provided convenient east-west transportation in the United States, but its fame also became an element of American pop culture at that time. .

The most famous example is the masterpiece "The Grapes of Wrath" published in 1939 by the writer John Steinbeck. The protagonist in it moved from Oklahoma to California. All the experiences he experienced on the road, both bitter and tender, all happened on Route 66.

Through this novel, the author describes and criticizes many contemporary issues, including poverty, racial discrimination, etc.; many people migrate to the West Bank through Route 66, seeking hope in life and a better future with the next generation. future. In this book, Steinbeck called Route 6 "the Mother Road" and "The Flying Road," and this nickname is still used today. After "The Grapes of Wrath" won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940, it became more popular, and Route 66 became more deeply rooted in people's hearts, becoming a symbol of American pioneering, courage and pursuit of freedom.

Bobby Troup, a jazz composer and actor, wrote one of his most famous songs, "Having Fun on Route 66," after driving on Route 66 all the way to California. "(Get Your Kicks on Route 66). Later, the song was recorded and released by the famous singer Nat King Cole, and it became a smash hit at the time, which also brought Trump to the peak of his career.

At that time, the highway was so famous that CBS Television launched a TV series named "Route 66" after it from 1960 to 1964. The play describes the adventures of the two protagonists on the American highway in a Chevrolet sports car called the Corvette; because of this series, this Corvette has become the spokesperson for Route 66. In addition to TV series, there are also documentaries filmed on Route 66, allowing the public to remember its past scenery and history.

Basketball fans know that the Tulsa 66ers, a minor league team owned by Southwest Basketball LLC, is named after this road. . The 1A team "Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino" (Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino), which American baseball player Chen Yongji currently plays for, is also named after this road. This shows that Route 66 has a profound influence on American culture.

Main Street The Forever Mother of Highways

Many people nickname Route 66 "the Main Street of America". Although some people think that another Route 40 (U.S. Route 40) is the so-called "Main Street of America"; however, thanks to the efforts of the "Route 66 Alliance", this title can be preserved.

Also because the section of Route 66 from Chicago to Oklahoma is a diagonal route from northeast to southwest, visually it looks like diagonally drawn diagonally on the map of the United States, so soon after it was completed, Many people call it "the Great Diagonal Way".

In addition, the "Route 66 Association" (US Highway 66 As-sociation) also named it "the Will Rogers Highway" (the Will Rogers Highway) in 1952 to commemorate the comedian Will Rogers Highway. Roger, specifically named after a monument set up on the border of Route 66 in Santa Monica.

Just like the "Mother of the Highways" described by Steinbeck, Route 66 indeed played a pivotal role in the history of American highway development. Since the 1950s, the federal government has vigorously constructed modern interstate highways (Interstate), basically based on Route 66. In addition, the major highways across the United States today, such as Route 40 (I-44), Route 44 (I-44), Route 55 (I-55), etc., also follow the route of Route 66; so Route 66 is known as the "Mother of Highways" and it is truly worthy of its name.

Today’s Route 66, thanks to the efforts of a group of caring people, has repaired its damaged roads in the eight states it passes through. The "Route 66" Alliance also launched the Adopt-A-Hundred Program. 27 volunteers are each responsible for a hundred miles of road. They drive to patrol the claimed area at least twice a year. If there are any road If it is damaged and needs to be repaired, it will be reported to the alliance for construction.

Although Route 66 is long, each section bears witness to the history of the United States in the 20th century. It also enters the lives of the American people and accompanies them to write the chapters of their lives.