John Spencer

Route 66 in Pictures John Spencer

Route 66 once stretched from Chicago to southern California. It was the primary route thousands of victims of the dust bowl took in their quest to find jobs and to better their lives. It's the route made famous by Steinbeck's classic "The Grapes of Wrath." But Tom Joad and his family were far from the only ones who traveled the road in desperation. Later, hundreds of thousands of others traveled the route for enjoyment. You or someone you know traveled the route. These days, sadly, much of the road has simply disappeared. When Interstate 40 was built it was built right over the top of many parts of Route 66. Many other parts were cut off and simply faded away. Eisenhower's dream of fast coast to coast automobile travel was a blessing to many. But it was a curse to many others who made their livelihood at one of the thousands of businesses which had sprung up along Route 66. Thankfully, many of the old hotels and restaurants and gas stations have survived. Some are still thriving. Most, though, have died. This book chronicles all of them: the dead, the barely getting by, the ones still enjoying success as a part of the famed "Route 66."