Turning Point 4 The Creation of Route 66

Turning Point #4: The Creation of Route 66

Background to Route 66 desire for a route to the west coast from the midwest connecting as many existing roads as possible; supplement overworked railroads after WWI with trucking early 1920 s a federally supervised state road system emerged with standardized sign shapes, traffic lights, and route numbers many re-routes and adjustment, some for grading and safety, others for political considerations original route 66 planned from Chicago to LA

Routes through New Mexico 1926 questions about routing from Santa Rosa to Laguna (Santa Fe? Albuquerque? ) and Grants to Little Colorado vs. along Rio Puerco of the west. Arthur Hannett rushed construction that bypassed Santa Fe and routed through Gallup 1938 Santa Fe loop eliminated Explosion of tourist traffic on top of freight traffic from 1945 through the 1960 s Interstate system paralleled Route 66 and replaced it by the late 1970 s

Turning Point Four Videos: “Route 66 Documentary – Iconography of the American Highway” http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=DPbr 6 CCIPEs “Route 66 Road Trip Stops in New Mexico” http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=YCUpa A-OYcg

Route 66 connected New Mexico to the nation beyond the railroad traffic -a freight conduit through trucking -a tourist and auto travel corridor; a section of mainstream US overlaying the state -created towns and developed cities along the way -brought culture and national familiarity to NM and the southwest to the rest of the nation -nostalgia from outsiders surrounding media: songs, films, advertisements = golden years for middleclass whites -issues of exclusion: bypassed most Native Americans and nuevomexicanos; blacks excluded – need for the “green book” for safe travel during Jim Crow