No country is complete without its own set of historic landmarks. Oftentimes, these landmarks have been established for a purpose that is far from being a landmark. But, over the years, the popularity and its contribution to the culture and history to that particular country could not be disregarded that it eventually is granted this noble distinction.
In the
United States, one particular historical landmark is the infamous Route 66. Stretching over 2,400 miles that begins in
Chicago,
Illinois and ends in
Los Angeles,
California, Route 66 cuts through the states of
Illinois,
Missouri,
Kansas,
Oklahoma,
Texas,
New Mexico,
Arizona and California. Hailed by John Steinbeck as the "Mother Road", Route 66 was one of the first major highways that were constructed in the country as a result of the growing demands of the rapidly changing need of the American people. It provided Americans a means to be able to travel across the country with ease, and has been one of the major factors that have led to the surge of migrants to the state of California.
Today, Route 66 is still lined with numerous motels, diners and filling stations which have been immortalized in the many vintage postcards that are sold within this area. Despite the fact that Route 66 has now been decommissioned and much of the route has been turned over to be developed as business districts, there are continuous efforts to keep this historical landmark alive in each of the states it had once been a vital part of in order to keep the memory of this route immortalized in literature and songs alive.
