RICHARD ARTHUR KELO

RICHARD ARTHUR KELO – ROUTE 66

As Rick Kelo knows full well, Route 66 is one of the iconic highways of the United States. Route 66

received its number on April 30, 1926. Although it quickly gained popularity – given that it enabled

vehicle owners to drive directly from Chicago to Los Angeles – large stretches of the highway were

not paved until 1938. Until the paving was complete, certain sections were merely gravel, or even dirt.

Route 66 gained its first fame in 1927, when a footrace (titled the “Bunion Derby”) was held. This

race, from Los Angeles to New York City, followed Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago. Popular

comedian Will Rogers was on hand to greet the runners.

In the 1930s, the United States entered the Great Depression. Concurrent with thefinancial crash, which left many former millionaires bankrupt and destitute andcreated tent cities across the nation, a severe drought struck the Midwest – knownpopularly as “America’s Bread Basket” for its high yield of wheat and other grains.Crops failed, farmers lost their farms, and a great migration began. These formerfarmers and farmhands traveled Route 66 in search of work – either in states to thewest, or all the way to Los Angeles itself. California still offered work in agriculture,and these itinerant workers knew it. With this enormous increase in traffic, severalsmall and not-so-small businesses sprang up along Route 66. Those traveling to LosAngeles needed food, water, gasoline, and lodging, and these businesses supplied it.A few of these former businesses have been listed on the National Register of HistoricPlaces. One is the 1936 U-Drop Inn, in Shamrock, Texas.

When the United States entered World War II, migration started all over again. Now, it was due to

the war and the factories supplying the armed forces. Men who had been drafted, or who had

volunteered, traveled west to join their units. Women traveled west to work in the factories.

With the end of the war, Route 66 maintained its popularity. Now, more people than ever owned a

car, and they wanted to use them. Rather than using a car to get from one point to another, the car

was a form of entertainment, along with the highway. Roadside attractions appeared, offering souvenir

stores, unusual food, cave attractions, and that new trend, fast food. As transcontinental highways

improved, however, Route 66 was largely abandoned until groups of concerned citizens banded

together to save it.