Stories from the Mother Road

Santa Monica 2,448 miles · 8 states Chicago

A century of stories and roadside stops, from the first telegram in 1926 to the neon still glowing tonight.

Route 66 turns 100 on November 11, 2026

WestTap a stateEast

The whole road

The Road

A number settled by telegram

Planners first wanted the Chicago to Los Angeles road to be Route 60. Kentucky objected. On April 30, 1926, Oklahoma's Cyrus Avery and Missouri's B. H. Piepmeier sent a telegram from Springfield, Missouri, proposing 66 instead.

Roadside stops

Pick a state to see every stop

1926Commissioned

1,139Miles to midpoint

1985Decommissioned

Keep driving

Plan a tripThe National Park Service's guide to sites along the road The full historyFrom 1926 to the centennial, state by state The Green BookHow Black travelers found safe stops on the road The Grapes of WrathThe 1939 novel that named the Mother Road