The Mother Road
U.S. Route 66 Museum, Clinton, Oklahoma
U.S. Route 66 was one of the original highways in the United States, officially established in 1926. It formed a critical element in population shifts westward during the 20th Century, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The road originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending in Santa Monica, California, a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).
The Route 66 highway sign has become highly iconic for the era, America's love affair with the automobile, and travel in general. John Steinbeck first coined the phrase "The Mother Road" for the route in his famous novel "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939), where the highway symbolizes escape, loss and hope.
As shown in the Disney/Pixar movie franchise "Cars" however, the Interstate Highway System gradually replaced Route 66 as a major artery for the country and many once-prosperous towns fell into decline.
Nostalgia and economic motivations have since driven these communities to re-establish portions of the road as a National Scenic Byway by the name "Historic Route 66", with a number of museums dedicated to preserving this part of American history.
Here in Clinton, Oklahoma this small but worthy museum carries on that effort. It's designed to look like a 1950s drive-in restaurant and showcases a classic cherry-red 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback in the front lobby.
*Press L or left click on the photo for best viewing.
Link to ~My best photos~
*** All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. ***
The Mother Road
U.S. Route 66 Museum, Clinton, Oklahoma
U.S. Route 66 was one of the original highways in the United States, officially established in 1926. It formed a critical element in population shifts westward during the 20th Century, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The road originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending in Santa Monica, California, a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).
The Route 66 highway sign has become highly iconic for the era, America's love affair with the automobile, and travel in general. John Steinbeck first coined the phrase "The Mother Road" for the route in his famous novel "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939), where the highway symbolizes escape, loss and hope.
As shown in the Disney/Pixar movie franchise "Cars" however, the Interstate Highway System gradually replaced Route 66 as a major artery for the country and many once-prosperous towns fell into decline.
Nostalgia and economic motivations have since driven these communities to re-establish portions of the road as a National Scenic Byway by the name "Historic Route 66", with a number of museums dedicated to preserving this part of American history.
Here in Clinton, Oklahoma this small but worthy museum carries on that effort. It's designed to look like a 1950s drive-in restaurant and showcases a classic cherry-red 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback in the front lobby.
*Press L or left click on the photo for best viewing.
Link to ~My best photos~
*** All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. ***