Route 66 on a Tank of Gas: The Mother Road in Illinois
Route 66 on a Tank of Gas: The Mother Road in Illinois
Many travelers believe that Route 66 in Illinois has more attractions per mile than any other state. With our high price of gasoline, people are deciding to remain closer to home on their vacations. Route 66 on a Tank of Gas shows in more depth than in our Historic Route 66 presentation the many Mother Road attractions within the Land of Lincoln, within 300 miles of Chicago. Most vehicles on the road today can travel that distance without refueling, and thus an Illinois Route 66 adventure remains an economical adventure.
The program begins with an overview of road building in Illinois, from our dependence upon the railroad to our early efforts to create good roads with county-wide programs and privately-marked Auto Trails. In 1918, the State legislature passes “An Act to Build Hard Surfaces upon the Public Highways in the State”, which gives the Illinois Division of Highways jurisdiction to improve and maintain a network of primary trunk roads. Financed by $160 million in road bonds backed by automobile license fees, the state builds roads at a record-breaking pace, pulling Illinois out of the mud on modern ribbons of concrete.
In the second half of the presentation, we take a virtual tour of Route 66 in Illinois from Chicago to the Mississippi River near St. Louis. Along the way, we stop at the restaurants, museums, and historic sites that give Illinois Route 66 its special personality and character. We stop at such iconic Route 66 treasures the Del Rhea Chicken Basket, Funk’s Grove Maple Sirup, the Cozy Dog Drive-In, and Henry’s Rabbit Ranch. For the trip back to the Chicago area, travelers can take advantage of the many different alignments of the highway, whose path changed many times over the years. Thus, the return drive reveals additional treasures.
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