100 Years of Writers and Words Along Route 66
Route 66 has always been much more than a highway. For some, it offered a way out of hardship. For others, it was a chance to see more of the country than ever before. Over time, those countless personal reasons for getting on the road merged into something bigger, turning Route 66 into a shared experience. It became a route defined as much by human need and aspiration as by concrete and steel.
Established in 1926, Route 66 carried families west during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, as many hoped the road would lead to work or stability. After World War II, the same highway took on a different role, drawing travelers eager for the freedom of the open road. In response to this, diners, motels, and gas stations proliferated along its path. Similar to the highway itself, they served as more than just places to stop, but as characters in the larger narrative of American culture.
At its height, Route 66 ran about 2,448 miles across eight states from Chicago to Santa Monica, linking rural towns to major cities. For decades, it served as one of the country’s primary east-west corridors, carrying families, workers, musicians, military personnel, and tourists across America. Even after much of Route 66 was replaced by the interstate system, its physical reach and the communities shaped by it continued to anchor its place in history.
In Chicago, where Route 66 officially began, the road left a lasting imprint on neighborhoods, businesses, and culture. It boosted the local economy and linked the city to a wider American story that unfolded mile by mile across the country.
Where to Begin Your Route
As Route 66 celebrates its centennial, it’s remembered not only for where it leads, but for what it represents: freedom, adventure, reinvention, and the pursuit of the American Dream. Few writers captured that feeling more clearly than John Steinbeck, who coined the road’s enduring nickname, the “Mother Road,” giving language to its emotional weight.
Located just a short walk from Route 66’s historic starting point, the American Writers Museum offers an introduction to the road’s cultural and literary legacy. Writers featured in the museum, including John Steinbeck and Jack Kerouac, had a major influence on how Americans came to imagine travel and national identity.
Learn more about our visiting hours, ticket options, and plan your visit!
Visitors can encounter that legacy through works such as a digitized version of Kerouac’s original On the Road scroll, and exhibitions like American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture. The exhibit traces paths of belief, reflection, and cultural expression across literature, music, film, and comedy throughout the nation’s history. It explores how journeys—whether physical, spiritual, or creative—have long been central to the stories Americans tell to understand themselves and the world around them.
Explore all of our exhibits and upcoming events to experience these stories and others like them.
The Stories of the Mother Road
While Route 66 began as a physical route, its lasting influence was shaped by the stories told about it. Writers, musicians, filmmakers, journalists, and artists used the road to explore the concepts of migration, hope, hardship, and the desire for a better life, giving personal journeys a broader cultural meaning.
This tradition of storytelling helps explain why Route 66 continues to resonate long after its original function faded. The works explored below trace the Mother Road’s movement through American culture across genres, revealing how a highway became a lasting narrative.
Nonfiction & History
Nonfiction has been essential to preserving Route 66’s legacy. As interstates bypassed the original highway, writers stepped in to document what was disappearing: small towns, roadside architecture, family-run businesses, and the social ecosystems built around them. These works often read as acts of preservation as much as travel writing, framing Route 66 as a cultural inheritance rooted in people and place.
Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis (1990)
Often considered the definitive book on Route 66, this work traces the road’s creation, heyday, decline, and revival through a blend of history and personal observation. Local voices and historical photography bring the story to life, capturing the fading towns, diners, and motels scattered along the route.
American Indians & Route 66 by Lisa Snell (2016)
More than half of Route 66 cuts through Indian Country. This guidebook illustrates the histories and cultures of more than two dozen tribal communities along the road. Importantly, Snell focuses on actual cultural practices and lets the tribes share their own stories, as opposed to the harmful and demeaning stereotypes used to attract tourists at the height of Route 66’s popularity. The guidebook is available online for free here.
Route 66: America’s Longest Small Town by Jim Hinckley (2017)
Hinckley presents Route 66 as a single, continuous community rather than a series of stops. The book focuses on everyday life along the road, highlighting preservation efforts, local characters, and the sense of shared place that defines the Mother Road.
Route 66 Still Kicks: Driving America’s Main Street by Rick Antonson (2012)
A contemporary exploration of Route 66’s relevance today, this book examines how the road is being rediscovered and reinterpreted in the modern era. Antonson blends travel narrative with reflection on preservation, tourism, and cultural memory.
The Best Hits on Route 66: 100 Essential Stops on the Mother Road by Amy Bizzarri (2018)
Organized thematically rather than geographically, this book explores the creativity and eccentricity associated with Route 66. Bizzarri highlights how roadside attractions, landscapes, and stories contribute to the road’s enduring cultural imagination.
Father of Route 66: The Story of Cy Avery by Susan Croce Kelly (2014)
A resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Cy Avery played an instrumental in designing the national highway system. Through his lobbying and promotional efforts, he helped turn Route 66 into the American icon it is today. A must-read for anyone fascinated by Route 66 and the history of the “Good Roads” Movement in America.
Fiction
Fiction allows Route 66 to operate symbolically. Novelists have used the road as a setting where personal stories intersect with national forces such as economic upheaval, cultural change, and the enduring desire for reinvention.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)
The novel follows the Joad family as they migrate west during the Dust Bowl, traveling Route 66 in search of work and survival. Steinbeck’s portrayal permanently linked the highway to stories of resilience and collective struggle, giving rise to the term “Mother Road.”
On the Road by Jack Kerouac (1957)
Centered on a series of restless cross-country journeys, the novel captures postwar freedom and movement. Its portrayal of travel as a form of self-discovery helped shape the mythology of American road culture that came to surround Route 66.
Mother Road by Dorothy Garlock (2003)
Set along Route 66 in 1930s Oklahoma, this historical novel focuses on families whose lives unfold beside the highway. The story emphasizes community and the challenges of everyday life during the road’s most difficult years.
Route 66 Series by Michael Lund (first title published in 2000)
This multi-book fiction series, which includes titles such as Route 66 Dreamer, Route 66 Kids, and Route 66 to Vietnam: A Draftee’s Story, follows Midwestern characters from 1915 to 2015. Centered on an American family across multiple generations, the novels use Route 66 as a unifying thread to explore themes of war, peace, growing up, and the social changes that shaped twentieth-century America.
Murder on Route 66 edited by Carolyn Wheat (1999)
A collection of mystery stories set in towns along Route 66, this anthology places crime narratives within the road’s distinct settings. Each story uses Route 66 as a backdrop for suspense, showing how the highway continues to inspire genre fiction.
The Route 66 List, Volume 1: Illinois by Eric Stalner (2019)
Set in the 1960s, this graphic novel follows a father and son on a Route 66 road trip that becomes dangerous when a secret list linked to Cold War agents comes into play. Action and intrigue unfold against recognizable Route 66 landscapes, emphasizing the road’s visual and cultural presence.
Travel Writing and Visual Storytelling
Travel writing and visual storytelling have offered new ways to engage with Route 66, combining illustration, photography, and personal reflection. These works emphasize the sensory experience of the road while expanding whose stories are told.
Route 66: The Highway and Its People by Susan Croce Kelly, photographs by Quinta Scott (1990)
Built around oral histories and documentary photography, this book centers the voices of people who lived and worked along Route 66. Shopkeepers, station attendants, and longtime residents describe how the road shaped their livelihoods and communities.
The American Dream?: A Journey on Route 66 Discovering Dinosaur Statues, Muffler Men, and the Perfect Breakfast Burrito by Shing Yin Khor (2019)
A graphic memoir documenting a drive along Route 66, the book blends travel narrative with illustrated encounters. Khor uses the journey to question immigration, identity, and the promises associated with the American Dream.
Miles to Go: An African Family in Search of America Along Route 66 by Brennen Matthews (2022)
Structured as a road-trip memoir, this book follows a Kenyan family traveling Route 66 today. As visitors to the country, they offer a unique perspective on Route 66. The journey becomes a lens for examining race, belonging, and how contemporary experiences intersect with the road’s historic symbolism.
Riding Route 66: Finding Myself on America’s Mother Road by Henry Cole (2024)
Another international visitor hits the road in this book—British biker and TV presenter Henry Cole—illustrating how the legend and appeal of Route 66 extends across the globe. He has ridden the length of Route 66 four times and enjoys the freedom that the road and a motorcycle gives him. In this book, Cole shows how Route 66 reminds him to embrace the highs and lows of life equally.
Eating Up Route 66: Foodways on America’s Mother Road by T. Lindsay Baker (2022)
An important aspect of any road trip is what to eat—and where to stop when the snack supply runs out. Baker takes readers on a culinary-themed journey along Route 66, from classic roadside stands that have come and gone to start-ups like McDonald’s that are now entrenched as American institutions. Through food, Baker shows how Route 66 helped change and cement national cuisine and culture.
A Route 66 Companion edited by David King Dunaway (2012)
This anthology collects memoir and oral history, as well as fiction and poetry. The result is a rich literary historical portrait that shows how the mystique of Route 66 has captivated writers across genres. From Washington Irving to Leslie Marmon Silko, A Route 66 Companion has a something for everyone.
Children and Young Readers’ Books
Route 66 has also inspired many books for younger audiences. These stories introduce geography and history in accessible ways, often framing Route 66 as a shared family story.
My Little Golden Book About Route 66 by Diane E. Muldrow, illustrated by Alexandra Bye (2026)
This picture book follows a playful journey from Chicago to Santa Monica. It introduces young readers to Route 66 landmarks, history, and the spirit of travel through simple storytelling.
ABC, What Do You See? Rolling Along Route 66 by Annette LaFortune Murray, illustrated by Joyce Harbin Cole (2022)
An alphabet book that pairs letters with Route 66 sights and symbols. Each page introduces roadside icons in a format designed for early learning.
Annie Mouse’s Route 66 Adventure: A Photo Journal by Anne M. Slanina, illustrated by Kelsey Collins (2011)
A family-friendly story that combines illustration and photography as the Mouse family travels Route 66. The book blends narrative with historical detail to introduce children to the road.
Annie Mouse’s Route 66 Family Vacation by Anne M. Slanina, illustrated by Kelsey Collins (2014)
A longer chapter-book version that allows young readers to spend more time with Route 66’s stories. It expands on the journey with additional context and character development.
Driving Along Route 66 by Amanda Jackson Green (2022)
An educational nonfiction book that explains how Route 66 shaped American life. Designed for classroom use, it connects the road to broader themes in history and society.
The Ghostly Tales of Arizona’s Haunted Route 66 by Debe Branning (2024)
A collection of folklore and ghost stories drawn from Route 66 communities. The book introduces regional legends while highlighting the road’s role in local storytelling traditions.
Film and Television
Film and television translated Route 66’s literary appeal into visual language, bringing its stories to mass audiences and embedding the road in popular imagination.
The Grapes of Wrath screenplay by Nunnally Johnson (1940)
Directed by John Ford, this adaptation of Steinbeck’s novel follows the Joad family’s westward migration along Route 66. The film visually cemented Steinbeck’s “Mother Road” as a symbol of hardship and perseverance.
Route 66 created by Herbert B. Leonard & Stirling Silliphant (1960–1964)
This television series follows two young men traveling the highway, encountering different communities each episode. The show used Route 66 as a framework to explore freedom, identity, and postwar America.
Cars screenplay by Dan Fogelman, Jorgen Klubien, John Lasseter, Phil Lorin, Kiel Murray & Joe Ranft (2006)
Originally conceived under the working title Route 66, Cars is an animated film inspired by Route 66 towns bypassed by modern highways. The story centers on a forgotten roadside community, reflecting the cultural impact of the highway’s decline.
Music
Music offered another way for Route 66 to circulate through American culture. Long after the road itself began to fade from daily use, songwriters continued to reference it directly or evoke it through familiar places and rhythms. Together, these works show how the Mother Road lived on through sound, becoming part of the country’s musical vocabulary.
“(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” — lyrics by Bobby Troup
Written by actor and jazz pianist Bobby Troup during a cross-country drive, the song celebrates the joy of travel by naming towns along the highway. First recorded by the Nat King Cole Trio, the song became Route 66’s unofficial anthem and has been reinterpreted across decades by artists including Chuck Berry (1961) and The Rolling Stones (1964).
“Take It Easy” — lyrics by Jackson Browne & Glenn Frey
The debut single by the Eagles, “Take It Easy” is a relaxed rock song about restlessness and movement, featuring a lyric that references Winslow, Arizona. This mention embedded a Route 66 town into popular music history.
“66 Highway Blues” — lyrics by Woody Guthrie & Pete Seeger
Written about the Dust Bowl era, this folk song gives voice to migrants and workers traveling Route 66 in search of work. The song reflects the hardships associated with westward movement.
“Cadillac Ranch” — lyrics by Bruce Springsteen
A song about aging, time, and legacy titled after the Cadillac Ranch art installation along Route 66. The landmark’s inclusion highlights how Route 66 sites entered American cultural expression.
“Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” — lyrics by Dave Kirby & Glenn Martin
Recorded by Charley Pride, this country song about heartbreak and departure includes a reference to walking down “66.” The lyric demonstrates how Route 66 appears as a recognizable cultural landmark in American songwriting.
Route 66 — Asleep at the Wheel (1992)
A Western swing compilation album dedicated to Route 66 themes. The album reconnects the highway with its mid-century musical roots and Americana traditions.
Route 66 Cultural Sites in Illinois
For those exploring Route 66 through Illinois, the story continues beyond the page in several places across the state. The museums below offer additional ways to engage with the Mother Road through storytelling. They preserve the voices, music, images, and lived experiences that shaped Route 66 and the communities along it. These cultural institutions provide physical opportunities to continue the road’s story, connecting the literary and cultural legacy of Route 66 to the landscapes where it unfolded.
Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum (Pontiac, IL) — Preserves and interprets the history of the Mother Road through narrative, memory, and cultural context. Its exhibits reinforce Route 66’s place within nonfiction, oral history, and preservation storytelling.
Joliet Area Historical Museum (Joliet, IL) — Home to the permanent Route 66 Experience exhibit, this museum interprets the road’s impact on Joliet and the Midwest, featuring hands-on displays, historical photographs, and nostalgic scene recreations. As part of the city’s historical narrative, the center highlights how Route 66 shaped local culture and travel history for generations.
Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 (Joliet, IL) — Highlights the role of music and performance in shaping Route 66’s mythology. The museum connects the road’s legacy to songwriting and American popular culture.
Illinois State Museum (Springfield, IL) — A centennial initiative collecting firsthand accounts from people who lived, worked, and traveled along Route 66. These interviews extend the road’s legacy through oral history and lived narrative.
An Enduring Legacy
Route 66 has endured because its story has been told and retold across generations and mediums. Rather than telling a single, definitive story, it serves as a shared framework for understanding movement, change, and the experience of passing through America. In these works, Route 66 becomes a place where personal lives intersect with larger forces, from migration and labor to reinvention and opportunity. It is remembered less as a line on a map than as a collection of lived experiences.
Beginning in Chicago, the American Writers Museum and a network of cultural institutions across Illinois provide spaces to encounter these stories. By preserving writing, music, images, and personal accounts connected to the road, these institutions reveal how Route 66 entered American culture and how its significance has evolved over time. Together, they present the Mother Road as a living record sustained by the people who continue to return to it, reinterpret it, and pass along its stories.
Make the American Writers Museum part of your Route 66 itinerary and plan your visit to discover Route 66’s literary legacy firsthand!
