BLOOMINGTON – It’s been nearly 100 years since Route 66 was built as the main thoroughfare between Chicago and California. Although the original causeway is no longer in use, traveling along the historic route is the quintessential American road trip. Here are some things you might not know on the road trip through central Illinois:
19
Height, in feet, of the Paul “Bunyon” Hotdog statue in Atlanta.
In this September 2016 file photo, volunteers with the Illinois Route 66 Preservation Committee helped repaint the 19-foot-tall fiberglass giant Paul Bunyon in Atlanta. The sculpture is a tourist stop along Old US Route 66.
STEVE SMEDLEY, THE TROUSER
1926
Year Route 66 construction completed. By 1985, most of it had been replaced by new highways, and Route 66 was removed from the United States highway system.
The Railsplitter boxcar, pictured here in July 2015, is the largest boxcar in the world. A tribute to Abraham Lincoln, the wagon has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records.
KEVIN BARLOW, THE TROUSER
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Height, in feet, of the Railsplitter covered wagon at Lincoln. It was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest covered wagon in the world. The site also houses a large statue of Abraham Lincoln.
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Miles from Route 66 in Illinois. In total, the route stretches 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, California.
The Route 66 logo fills the wall behind the Hall of Fame and Route 66 Museum in Pontiac.
AP FILE PICTURE
1966
The year of Bob Waldmire’s renovated school bus — the “Road Yacht” — on display at the Route 66 Museum in Pontiac. Waldmire was known as a Route 66 artist and curator, and visitors can tour his bus from May through October. The museum complex also houses some of Waldmire’s artwork and his iconic VW van.
Karen Stailey-Lander, center, former president of the Mid-Illinois Realtors Association, speaks to fellow realtors and Bloomington city officials as they dedicate a future parklet on Main Street in downtown Bloomington November 18. The parklet will honor the 100th anniversary of historic Route 66 and will feature a unique, steel-shaped park bench inspired by a pickup truck. A new sidewalk extension will allow the parklet to be located just north of the Route 66 marker at Jefferson and Main streets. The project is funded by a $4,000 Placemaking Grant program from the National Association of Realtors.
DAVID PROEBER, THE TROUSER
2026
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Route 66 in 2026, a “parklet” will be installed at Main and Jefferson streets in downtown Bloomington. Scheduled for completion in 2022, the site will feature benches sculpted from recycled truck parts, as well as a bike rack and planters emblazoned with the Route 66 symbol.
3600
HR 3600 was introduced in the US House in November. If passed, it would create the Route 66 National Historic Trail and give the National Park Service authority to help communities preserve the causeway.
Burma Shave style signs line Dead Man’s Curve in Towanda along old US Route 66.
LENORE SOBOTA, THE TROUSER
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Width, in feet, of the Dead Man’s Curve at Towanda. The sharp bend and narrow roadway here has resulted in many traffic accidents for Route 66 travelers. Also in Towanda is the Geographical Journey Parkway, a walking tour with educational kiosks for each state along the Route 66. There is also a collection of Burma Shave panels here too.
A reproduction neon sign is on display at the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, Pontiac.
STEVE SMEDLEY, TROUSER FILE
2005
Year Illinois Historic Route 66 has been designated a National Scenic Byway by the US Department of Transportation.
1939
Year John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath” dubbed Route 66 as “The Mother Road”. Springfield now hosts a Route 66 Mother Road Festival each September.
1824
The year Isaac Funk chose the location of a well, setting in motion what would become Funks Grove Pure Maple Syrup.
1980
Year Carl Garbe established Carl’s Ice Cream, which grew to include locations in Bloomington and Normal.
100
Interior height, in feet, of the rotunda at the center of the McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington. The former courthouse now houses Cruise with Lincoln at 66 Visitors Center.
See photos: US Route 66 in Towanda
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The village of Towanda in McLean County is northeast of Bloomington-Normal.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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U.S. Route 66 passes through the village of Towanda in McLean County.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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The US Route 66 bike path in Towanda features Burma-Shave signs, preceded by humorous rhyming poems. Brushless shaving cream was famous for its advertising gimmick on small sequential highways.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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It’s the “end of the journey” when you arrive in California via US Route 66. The murals on the Route 66 bike path near Towanda were created in the 1990s by students from Normal Community High School in Fred Walk’s classes.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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Pantagraph Higher Education Reporter Lenore Sobota cycles past a sign depicting Arizona, one of the states through which U.S. Route 66 passes. The murals on the Route 66 bike path in Towanda were created in the late 1990 by Normal Community High School students in Fred Walk’s classrooms.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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Pantagraph Higher Education Reporter Lenore Sobota cycles past a sign depicting New Mexico, one of the states through which US Route 66 passes. The murals on the Route 66 bike path in Towanda were created in the late 1900s. 1990s by students from Normal Community High School in the classrooms of Fred Walk.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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Hi, y’all from Texas on US Route 66. The murals on the Route 66 bike path near Towanda were created in the 1990’s by Normal Community High School students in Fred Walk’s classrooms.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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Oklahoma says everything is “OK” on US Route 66. The murals on the Route 66 bike path near Towanda were created in the 1990s by Normal Community High School students in Fred’s classrooms. Walk.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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Only 11 miles on US Route 66 runs through Kansas. The murals on the Route 66 bike path near Towanda were created in the 1990s by Normal Community High School students in Fred Walk’s classrooms.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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US Route 66 in Missouri runs from St. Louis to Joplin and points west. The murals on the Route 66 bike path near Towanda were created in the 1990s by Normal Community High School students in Fred Walk’s classrooms.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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Fred Walk students at Normal Community High School created murals in the 1990s along the U.S. Route 66 bike path in Towanda to mention the eight states (including Illinois) traversed by the historic highway.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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In Towanda, a map of the United States, which Fred Walk says may be the only one on the sidewalk that was once part of US Route 66, has the route painted on it allowing visitors to “walk” from the ‘Illinois to California.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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Fred Walk poses in front of the US Route 66 sign in the village of Towanda, McLean County.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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Towanda’s Fred Walk was praised for his commitment to preserving US Route 66 in the village of McLean County.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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Fred Walk runs through a US Route 66 guest log in Towanda. Walk said the historic highway has recently seen fewer international visitors due to COVID-19.
LEWIS MARIEN, THE TROUSER
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Burma Shave style signs line Dead Man’s Curve in Towanda along old US Route 66.
LENORE SOBOTA, THE TROUSER
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Fred Walk drives his truck around what was known as Dead Man’s Curve due to the accidents that happened there while it was part of U.S. Route 66.
LENORE SOBOTA, THE TROUSER
Contact Robyn Skaggs at (309) 820-3244.