Page 1: Why Route 66?

"All you really need to know is that in the early 1900s, it was one of the first roads that provided an all-weather highway to the West, connecting Chicago with Los Angeles. Covering 2,448 miles, Route 66 passed through eight states and three time zones."

Page 2: Starting in downtown Chicago... and Lou Mitchell's

"The original start for Route 66 is located in downtown Chicago, but you can't actually start your journey from there... but you can finish it! "In Berwyn you'll find a piece of public artwork called The Spindle, a 40-foot spike with 8 cars skewered on top. The Wishing Well Motel was built in 1941 originally as 10 cabins, but later converted into one building with 19 rooms. "

Page 3: Hofmann Tower, Lyons, IL

Hofmann Tower in Lyons is a Chicago Landmark. It is no longer open to the public, in fact the windows were boarded up. But it was a nice place to get out of the car and stretch and relax after downtown Chicago.

Page 4: Wishing Motel to Rialto Theatre o Ria

Page 5: Launching Pad, Riviera Restaurant, & Streetcar Diner

"The "Gemini Giant" is a large fiberglass "muffler man" of the 1960's era... The Van Duyne Motel claims it's the "Best Motel by a Dam Site"... Al Capone loved the Riviera! Don't miss the neat diner restored out back."

Page 6: Burma-Shave, Gardner's Jail & Dwight's Non-Lighthouse

Old Burma-Shave signs, Gardner's 2-cell jailhouse that was built in 1910, and the Ambler-Becker Texaco Gas Station which was built in 1933 and in service until 1998.

Page 7: Odell's subway, Standard Oil Station & Chenoa

"This is Odell's "subway", believe it or not. The Standard station was built in 1932 and fully revived just a few years ago. It currently serves as an information center. The big point of interest in Chenoa was the Pharmacy, built in 1889.

Page 8: Memory Lane in Lexington, Maple Sirup in Funks Grove & Atlanta

Lexington was founded in 1928 and has an old section of the original 66 in a park. Funks Grove's founder and his descendants began making maple sirup and sugar for personal use and it eventually grew into a big business for them.

Page 9: Lincoln, Broadwell, and Williamsville

"Lincoln is "the only town in the United States named for and by Abraham Lincoln before he became president." The Pig Hip Restaurant, noted as being "the best U.S. Route 66 attraction", burned down in 2007. The museum in Williamsville was built in a couple boxcars.

Page 10: Arriving in Springfield, Lincoln Presidential Museum & Library

"At the front of the Tomb is a sculptured bust of Lincoln's head, which is a duplicate of one found in Washington, D.C. Tradition holds that if you rub Lincoln's nose, it will bring you good luck... thus why the nose on this sculpture is so discolored."

Page 11: Mother Jones, Soulsby Station, Rabbit Ranch, & Chain of Rocks Bridge

Art's Motel and Restaurant & "Our Lady of the Highways" shrine were on this leg. "Mother Jones" was a union activist and lived to be a little over a hundred years old. Soulsby's station was built in 1932 and fully revived just a few years ago. It currently serves as an information center. It originally operated until the 1960s selling gas, and then was later used as a body shop until 1975."

For a another website with some nice pictures and descriptions of Route 66 (the "Mother Road") from Chicago to Gardner, click on this link ...  Pictures of Route 66 Sites

Motoring Illinois' Route 66 Story Navigation