Arizona Route 66 – The Mother Road

A brief history for those of you who aren’t familiar from their literature:

“In the early 1900’s, the Federal government felt the need for a national highway system, and in 1927, the National Highway System was formed. People from eight states formed a Route 66 Highway Association to expedite the building of their highway. the theme name “Main Street of America” was adopted. By 1937 Route 66 was completely paved from Chicago to Santa Monica, California.”
“in 1939, John Steinbeck proclaimed Route 66 as “The Mother Road” in his classic novel, The Grapes of Wrath, which depicted life in the Great Depression. When the movie was made just a year later, it immortalized Route 66 in the American consciousness. Then on the heels of the Great Depression came the Dust Bowl of the Midwest, where 200,000 people traveled Route 66, the road to opportunity,migrating to California in search of a new life.

As World War II broke out, troops, equipment and products were Route 66 to California, and when the war ended in 1945, The Mother Road brought home thousands of servicemen. For these returning servicemen and their families, Route 66 became more than just a highway, it was a link to Americas wonders experienced through family road trips.”
The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona has a lot to be proud of! Originally organized in 1987 by 15 passionate folks, it was originally led by a barber named Angel Delgadillo who grew up on the route. Their mission is to “preserve, protect, and promote the Route” and one of their huge milestones was the designation of “Arizona Historic Road” and “All-American Road” from The National Scenic Byway Program.

We were visiting family in the Phoenix area (Mesa, to be specific, the subject of a number of other posts!!) and it would have been most expeditious to go straight north to Flagstaff to pick up 66, but I knew The Wigwam Motel was one of my top picks to see, located in Holbrook. So we took a path up the Beeline to Payson traversing through the stunning Superstition Mountains under a full moon before dawn. The silhouettes of giant saguaro cacti loomed in the surrounding desert as we continued to climb arriving in Payson for a green chile omelette for breakfast at a non-descript roadside diner. From Payson, we headed up Route 260 to Heber, and then veered off on Route 377 the rest of the way to Holbrook. This section was pretty desolate and uneventful save the blowing snow, which made the road icy and we were quite happy to reach the delightful Western town of Holbrook. Like many of the towns along Route 66, it’s full of touristy, kitschy shops and details from bygone years that made me smile! At the top of the list of course was The Wigwam Motel. That, my friends is a blog unto itself! Coming soon! Enjoy these photos from Holbrook, Arizona – our entry point onto the grand Mother Road, Route 66!