“If You Ever Plan to Motor West” – Route 66 in the National Register of Historic Places

Today’s post is by John LeGloahec, Archivist in the Electronic Records Division at the National Archives in College Park, MD.

Maybe you are thinking of a mid-summer vacation and you might have the desire to drive the “Mother Road,” as Route 66 is known.  Route 66, one of the original highways in the US highway system was established in 1926 and stretches of the road are on the National Register of Historic Places (National Archives Identifier 20812721) as are several properties that sit on the “Mother Road.”  The original highway began in Chicago, Illinois and ended in Santa Monica, California [Illinois MPS US Highway 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica (National Archives Identifier 28891060)].

In Springfield, Missouri, you can grab a bite to eat at the Route 66 Steak ‘n Shake (National Archives Identifier 63817420) “located at 1158 E. St. Louis Street. The primary resource on the site is a one-story drive-in restaurant constructed in 1962, at which time St. Louis Street served as U.S. Highway (Route) 66. The lot, in addition to the restaurant and its roof-topped neon sign, supports two free-standing signs (erected c. 1962) and a small outbuilding (c. 1962) . . . It is an excellent example of Missouri’s roadside diners/drive-ins constructed along Route 66, and a representative example of the “Eating Establishment” property type identified in the MPDF. The restaurant is a standard plan Steak ‘n Shake diner, associated with the restaurant chain established by Gus Belt 1934. The restaurant continues to operate in this capacity today . . . The property is both an increasingly rare example of historic corporate architecture constructed along Route 66 at the peak of its popularity in the 1960s, and closely associated with an iconic transportation route that significantly impacted transportation and commerce in Springfield and Missouri.”

“Route 66 is the common name for the former U.S. Highway 66, designated as such by the Bureau of Public Roads in 1926. Originating in Chicago (IL), the highway passed through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and California before reaching its terminus near Santa Monica (CA). Route 66 was created in piecemeal fashion by linking existing roads – many originally used as settlement trails and farm-to-market routes. The route’s standardization and final alignment took more than ten years to complete.’ Many sections of the road had to be widened, straightened and/or paved to meet federal regulations, and new construction was necessary to provide alignment connections. Route 66 was the first road of its length to be entirely paved; and it was the first (and only) national highway that traversed the country diagonally. Today, Route 66 is the nation’s most iconic roadway – long associated with the automobile’s popularity in American culture. The road was decommissioned in Missouri in 1981 and nationally in 1985. In Missouri, segments of the highway remain intact and in use today, including the improved stretch that extends adjacent to the Route 66 Steak ‘n Shake on E. St. Louis Street.”

Outside of Holbrook, Arizona, you can spend the night in the Wigwam Village (National Archives Identifier 75608842), “a motel consisting of individual non-connected, sleeping units built in the style of the teepees of the Plains Indians. The name, consequently, is perhaps a misnomer since ‘wigwams’ were hogan-like shelters with roofs of timbers, furs, and/or mud which did not culminate in a conical point typical of the teepees. The architect, Frank Redford, however, selected “Wigwam Village” for the title of his designed motel rather than “Teepee Village”. The former was more pleasing to him. The novel design and public display of Wigwam Village #6 has made it one of the most prominent man-made landmarks in the town of Holbrook and in all of Northern Arizona along old U.S. Route 66.”

“The 15 large wigwams (units) are laid out in an open rectangle as described (see photographs) in order to resemble an Indian village. The office, with its flanking, smaller wigwams, represents the dwelling for the chief and his family. The office contains appropriate administrative facilities and a gift shop. The office also houses a museum that contains biographical data on Chester E. Lewis I, some of his collectables, a nice assortment of polished petrified wood slabs, a few 19th and 20th century firearms, and sundry items.”

“Wigwam Village #6 was located on busy Route 66 and offered a unique place to overnight as well as to refuel the family automobile. The national prosperity and the Baby Boomers of the 1950s and 1960s often choked Route 66 with traffic during the summer vacation months including eager youngsters who cried if they didn’t get to sleep in a wigwam. Many of those youngsters, now aging, return in the 21st century to experience once again one of their childhood delights or fulfill a dream if they were denied it as a child.”

Maybe if you find yourself “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona” (are you hearing the song in your head, now?) you could have wandered into the Lorenzo Hubbell Trading Post and Warehouse (National Archives Identifier 75610332) which served as the “commerce link between cultures, in that it provided space for contact between Navajos and Anglos for the exchange and transportation of essential goods. From its original construction in 1918 until its sale in 1952, this trading post was an integral part of one of the largest commercial trading and warehouse operations in the southwest. Goods brought by wagon to Winslow from the reservation were shipped by rail from the Hubbell Trading Post and Warehouse. Although most important as a shipping center, the post played an integral role in the daily lives of the Navajo people who turned to the Hubbells for assistance in all aspects of facing a new and modem world. There were two trading posts in the Hubbell Trading Company that had large warehouses, one in Winslow, and the other in Gallup, New Mexico. These trading facilities were fundamental in re-establishing the economics of the Navajo tribe that had been destroyed by earlier conflict and subsequent formation of reservations in the 1860s.”

“The Hubbell Trading Post and Warehouse represents the culmination of the work of two families of traders with the Native Americans – the Richardsons and the Hubbells. The Hubbell family had been traders to the Native Americans for many years. In 1857, James Boyd Hubbell, a relative of Lorenzo Hubbell Sr., moved from Connecticut to Minnesota where he was appointed Indian trader. In 1881, James Boyd Hubbell was operating a mercantile in Montana (McNitt). In the book Hubbell Trading Post: National Historic Site by David Brugge, James was actually named as the father of John Lorenzo Hubbell, Sr. John Lorenzo Hubbell, Sr. came to the Navajo Reservation in 1870 where he began what was to become a trading empire in Arizona and New Mexico. The Richardsons arrived in the area later, around 1900. They, too, established themselves as traders. Their posts were predominately in the northern and eastern sections of the Navajo Reservation. However, they needed a shipping point on the railroad for their goods; they shipped mainly sheep and wool. In 1918, contractor Von Rose constructed the post in Winslow for Hubert Richardson. The ground was leased from the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad for 99 years. By 1920, Winslow had become a major shipping center for the Santa Fe Railway. The Richardsons needed to divide their holdings. Meanwhile, the Hubbell Trading Company was still growing and needed a shipping point for the good that were gathered at their trading post in Ganado, Arizona. The sale of the post in 1920 to the Hubbells began a long and important association between the Navajo Reservation, the Hubbells, and Winslow.”

Near the heart of Riverton, Kansas sits the Williams’ Store (National Archives Identifier 123862535), which “occupies a prominent position on old Route 66 near the heart of Riverton. The store itself sits close to the road with a grassy lawn surrounding it on the south (front), west, and north. Mature trees dot the yard behind and alongside the building. Originally, a pair of gasoline pumps was directly in front of the store. During the early years of the store, the eastern half of the lot was a croquet course. Once traffic increased the owners removed the croquet field and provided off-street parking for patrons. It was paved with asphalt in 1974. A chain-link fence marks the west property line and encloses the yard behind the building. Slightly northeast of the fence and south of the barbed wire fence that marks the lot line is the outhouse, which is oriented toward the southeast. To the east of the outhouse and at the rear of the parking lot is the greenhouse. The remnants of a gravel drive circle behind the greenhouse.”

“The short, thirteen-mile stretch of Route 66 through Kansas retains a very limited number of historic commercial resources associated with this early interstate highway. The paucity of resources increases the significance of the Williams’ Store as a rare surviving example of 1920s vernacular commercial architecture that is virtually unaltered from its historic appearance. Built in 1925, the year prior to the designation of Route 66, the Williams’ Store housed a multi-function business that included a gas station, a restaurant, and a grocery and general merchandise store. Already a popular local gathering place for the Riverton community, the business grew following the designation of Route 66 as long-distance travelers stopped for food, gas and sundries.”

“The Williams’ Store carried everything from groceries to general merchandise. Patrons could buy shoes and clothes, as well as food staples such as ice, milk, eggs, bread, fresh meat, canned goods, and penny candy. There were also sold bulk foods such as lard, peanut butter, and vinegar. Lora continued to serve chili, and Leo barbecued beef and venison in a pit behind the store. Leo was also known for selling high-quality produce at the store. According to his daughter, Jane Williams Ball, Leo purchased produce every evening at the Joplin Market Square.”

In Amarillo, Texas, the Sixth Street Historic District (National Archives Identifier 40973220), “encompasses 13 blocks of commercial development in the San Jacinto Heights Addition west of Amarillo’s central business district. Explosive growth in the 1920s fostered construction of one-part commercial blocks along the street. These modestly scaled commercial establishments often directly abutted neighboring buildings and sidewalks, establishing a dense urban fabric that survives relatively intact. Scattered institutional and residential buildings enliven the streetscape.”

“Paved with brick in 1927, the street currently features asphalt paving dating to 1942. Narrow sidewalks and uneven setbacks are testimony to rapid growth, a lack of zoning ordinances, and efforts to cope with increasing traffic loads on Route 66. The street widening project in 1942 resulted in replacement of some store fronts. At times this married 1940s details to 1920s buildings.”

“Texas’ 177-mile section [of Route 66] cut across seven Panhandle counties, with Amarillo the only major urban community it traversed. The U.S. Route 66 – Sixth Street Historic District encompasses Amarillo’s most intact collection of commercial buildings possessing significant associations with the highway. Platted in 1909 as part of a residential suburb, the street experienced little development until the 1920s. Gravel paving installed in 1921 as part of improvements to the Ozark Trail highway system established the street as a major conduit of traffic. Subsequent construction of commercial buildings in the district set a pattern of transportation related development for the next three decades. Following its designation as part of Route 66 in 1926, the street experienced explosive growth that resulted in construction of commercial enterprises catering to both neighborhood residents and travelers along the highway.”

Route 66 starts in Illinois [Illinois MPS Route 66 through Illinois MPS – National Archives Identifier 28891476], “the Land of Lincoln” and you can pass by this statue of the 16^th President in his hometown of Springfield.  A few thousand miles later, you can get off the Mother Road in California [California MPS U.S. Highway 66 in California MPS – National Archives Identifier 123857867].  Happy Trails!

This post is part of an ongoing series featuring records from the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 – 2017 (National Archives ID 20812721), a series within Record Group 79: Records of the National Park Service.