Two local authors gave a presentation on the history of Route 66 at a book signing event last Friday at the Lebanon-Laclede County Library.
Jim Ross and Shelley Graham read from their book, “Route 66: The First 100 Years,” which features photographs and stories covering the highway’s history. They discussed the construction of the Mother Road, the Depression years, the highway’s heyday in the 1950s and the renewed interest in recent years.
Ross said the book celebrates the centennial of the route.
“We spent about two years on it and lucky for us, we had a huge archive of documentation,” he said. “We knew a lot of people with a lot of connections with thousands and thousands of photographs. So at first it sounded easy, but it wasn't easy as things never are. But what we ended up with really is a biography that explores the birth, life, demise, and legend of the route.”
According to Ross, Route 66 came about because road conditions were often poor and the federal government became involved in improving routes.
The paving process took 11 years, beginning in earnest in early 1927.
“It happened piecemeal as money became available and it was done in different types of materials,” he said.
“Unfortunately, a lot of them became substandard very quickly because road standards changed, traffic increased,” he said.
He said increased traffic on the highway brought economic vitality to cities along the route, but three years later came the stock market crash and the dust storms. Years later, the highway was populated with motels and roadside attractions.
Ross said the TV show “Route 66” added to the legend.
“Two guys roaming the country in a Corvette, beautiful women, having all these adventures and a whole generation of youngsters myself included really identified with that,” Ross said.
Today, the emphasis is on preserving Route 66’s history, including its bridges.
“The trick there is to get these transportation departments to find alternatives to demolition,” he said.
For more stories, see Wednesday's LCR.
