We are located on the west end of U.S. Route 66. It’s also commonly referred to as Will Rogers Highway, is one of the earliest highways created in the US. There is a rich history behind this historic highway. It was established way back in 1926, back when road signs were non-existent! They were later added one year after its construction. It also became known as “the Mother Road”. It was also given an unofficial title of “The Will Rogers Highway”. It formerly stretched over 2,000 miles, crossing through the booming city of Chicago Illinois, along through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and ending finally in Los Angeles, California. Route 66 has been referenced in many films and literature. It was featured in the film The Grapes of Wrath, which was released in the 1940s. By the 1960s, the highway was still so much popular that a hit song was written about it in the 1960s, over forty years after the route was originally founded. At this point, the railway was also popular, but mostly for the practicality of travel. Today, one can tour the U.S. by rail in comfort. Be sure to check out all the special features of rail tours. Route 66 was established as the path that many Americans followed during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Any businesses operating along the highway received many travels and with them, great financial success. The man responsible for the formation of the highway was a businessman from Tulsa, Oklahoma named Cyrus Avery. He was determined to have the highway named from a number in the 60s range and finally decided on 66 because he deemed it to be catchy and charming to say. Sadly, as technology in engineering was perfected, Route 66 began to decline after almost 60 years of service. Other more direct routes were constructed with modern engineering techniques. Some remains of the highway can still be seen in Illinois. I-40 and Interstate 44 were some of many highways that replaced Route 66. Despite the popularity of highways, travel by road was not the only means of transportation. Travel by railroad was also popular in the early 1900s and is still used even today. In fact, one can experience a truly comfortable, delightful traveling experience through luxury train vacations. Check out the full range of trips available at http://www.americabyrail.com/ including tours of the Western U.S., Eastern U.S. and Canada.