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Spawned by the
rapidly changing demands of America, entrepreneurs, Cyrus Avery of
Tulsa,
Oklahoma and John Woodruff of
Springfield,
Missouri conceived of the grand idea of linking
Chicago
to
Los Angeles
and began lobbying efforts to promote a new highway.
The
federal government finally pledged to link small town U.S.A. with
metropolitan capitals in the summer of 1926 and designated the road as
Highway 66.
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During the early 1930's, growth in
Tulsa,
like many places across the United States, came almost to a complete
halt. Few projects were built and construction stopped on
Route 66.
However, in 1933,
thousands of unemployed men were put back to work and road gangs paved
the final stretches of the
Mother Road. By the mid-1930's, construction picked up and small houses were being
built at the edge of the city limits. Soon the streetcar lines were
replaced by the automobile and bus lines.
By
1938 the 2,300 mile super-highway,
Route 66
was continuously paved from
Chicago
to
Los
Angeles
and
Tulsa
saw the beginnings of numerous cafes, service stations and motels
springing up along the road.
Today,
Tulsa
continues to celebrate its
Route 66 heritage and dozens of vintage buildings can still be
seen along the old
Mother Road.
©
Kathy Weiser/Legends
of America, updated May, 2011.
Continued
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Also See:
Oklahoma Route
66
More Route
66 Galleries
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Route
66 Signs 
