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When U.S.
Highway 66 was established to serve the ever increasing highway
traffic, Main Street America was soon populated with all manner of
tourist related businesses from diners, to curio shops, to automobile
services and hundreds of motels. The
Mother Road
was a pulsing artery of commerce and culture, both of which flowed
freely over its more than 2,400 miles. Gas stations, diners,
motor courts, tourist traps and dancehalls sprang up all along the
road from the foot of
Chicago's
stately Art Institute to the neon glow of the Santa Monica Pier.
When the road was decommissioned, it left in its wake an appalling
number of abandoned businesses and sometimes, entirely deserted towns. No longer does the music play at such places as
Glenrio,
Texas
and Two Guns,
Arizona. The most one will hear is perhaps the occasional bark of a stray dog
or the desert wind as it whistles through the the lonely trees.
However, many of these old business icons do still exist
along the
Mother Road. You can still visit the Blue Whale and the
Coleman Theatre in
Oklahoma,
the Wigwam Motel in
California,
Meramac Caverns in
Missouri,
and Cline's Corners in
New Mexico.
Stop and "smell the roses," or "burgers" would be more apt, at the
many vintage diners, buy a few trinkets at a tourist trap or two, and
as always, enjoy the ride!
Check these
postcards
out and see them all on our
Route 66 Business Postcard Gallery!!
See
the Entire Route 66 Business Postcard Gallery!!
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