As Route 66 enthusiasts celebrated the 90th anniversary of the iconic highway’s “birth” on April 30, they also had something new to cheer.
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program of the National Park Service is making available research conducted by Thomas Peters, dean of Library Services at Missouri State University. Relying heavily on an analysis of historical records from the Cyrus S. Avery Collection and others, the research reveals new insights and details about events that may have taken place that day and solidifies Springfield’s position as the “Birthplace of Route 66.” MSU participates in the Route 66 Archives and Research Collaboration, which strives to connect people with Route 66 history.
Peters’ research chronicles in detail activities that took place in Springfield April 30, 1926, leading up to a telegram announcing the highway number “66” being sent to Washington, D.C., from the Colonial Hotel. The telegram was the first recorded reference of the number “66” as the name of the highway.
Peters said the research is the result of years of work and the information being shared is an excerpt from a biography of John T. Woodruff he will publish soon. Woodruff played a major role in business development in Springfield as well as Route 66.
“I felt he was unfairly neglected and forgotten for all the things he did for Springfield,” Peters said. “One of many things he was involved in was the birth and development of route 66.”
The anniversary of the birth of the highway that became a major thoroughfare for tourists traveling between Chicago and Los Angeles occurs one day before National Travel & Tourism Week begins May 1-7. During the week, the Route 66 Springfield Visitor Center, 815 E. St. Louis St., will welcome guests with complimentary popcorn, beverages and balloons.
Thousands of people traveled to and through Springfield thanks to Route 66 and though the highway was decommissioned in 1984, it’s still an important tourism asset for the city. The Convention & Visitors Bureau operates a Route 66 Springfield Visitor Center visited by hundreds of tourists – many of them international travelers – each year, The History Museum on the Square will have a permanent Route 66 display by the end of the year, a Route 66 Roadside Park is being developed by the City of Springfield and thousands of people attend the annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival each August.
“Thousands of tourists from around the world are infatuated with the lore of Route 66 and travel the route from Chicago to California,” said Tracy Kimberlin, president/CEO of the CVB. “All one has to do to see the importance of Route 66 as a tourist attraction is to spend a few minutes in our Route 66 Information Center.”
For more information about Route 66 in Springfield, contact the Route 66 Springfield Visitor Center at 417-881-5300, 800-678-8767 or visit www.SpringfieldMO.org.
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