Homewood Historical Society To Present Route 66 100th Anniversary Program

HOMEWOOD, IL — The Homewood Historical Society will soon celebrate the 100th anniversary of an iconic roadway.

In "The Grapes of Wrath," author John Steinbeck was the first to describe Route 66 as “The Mother Road” for enabling some 200,000 people to migrate from Dust Bowl-ravaged communities to California, hoping for a better life, the society wrote in a release. Others have termed it "America’s Main Street." By either name, no roadway is more fabled, the historical society wrote. It was part of the original U.S. Numbered Highway System in the early 20th century, officially established on Nov. 11, 1926.

The Homewood Historical Society will recognize this milestone at its next monthly program. John Weiss will present "The 100th Anniversary of the Mother Road" on Wednesday, April 8, at the Homewood Public Library, 17917 S. Dixie Highway, Homewood. A brief business meeting is set for 6 p.m., followed by Weiss’ presentation at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Weiss has written extensively about Route 66, especially the 436-mile portion in Illinois, from its origin in Chicago near Michigan Ave. and Adams St. to the Chain of Rocks Bridge in Madison, IL, where the highway continued over the Mississippi River to Missouri. Weiss’ book, "Traveling the New, Historic Route 66 of Illinois," details the still accessible portions of the road and its numerous points of interest.

U.S. Route 66 originally stretched 2,448 miles from Chicago to its terminus at the Santa Monica Pier in California. The road traversed eight states. Its legend grew with the recording of the song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” composed by Bobby Troup and originally recorded by Nat King Cole in 1946. Later, “Route 66” was a popular TV series on CBS from 1960-64, chronicling the road adventures of two young men in a Corvette.

Route 66 ultimately gave way to the new Interstate Highway system starting in the 1950s. The Mother Road was decommissioned in 1985.