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| Route
66 sign
A vintage photo taken on "The Mother Road"
Courtesy TxDoT
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Route
66 Before
Mr. McAdam invented macadam, and long before reflective signs, passing lanes and
exit signs; the railroad was the last word in transportation. The Panhandle got
its first look at trains with the arrival of the Fort Worth and Denver in the
1880s. Then from 1902 -1909, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad laid
tracks East to West across the prairie; placing the roadbed and rails almost exactly
atop nine county lines. (Armstrong, Wheeler, Gray, Donley, Carson, Randal, Potter,
Oldham and Deaf Smith)
In the 30s, Route 66 more or less followed the
rails. It became the evacuation route for displaced farmers during the Great Depression,
but otherwise it remained under-used until the 1950s when the post-war boom forced
it into full bloom. Then the U. S. Interstate system was built and soulless I-40
drained the lifeblood from the smaller towns and businesses on Route 66.
Twenty-some years after being officially deactivated, interest in the highway
continues to grow. It is, by far, the most celebrated highway in the world. Pilgrims
are magnetically drawn to the seemingly endless ribbon of road, sky and prairie
from all over the world. Peeling paint, weather-cracked driveways and chipped
Formica viewed through streaked glass give visitors the feeling they're visiting
a lost civilization and that's not too far from the truth in many cases. The road
today can be thought of as a sort of open-air museum. |
Route 66 Texas
Percentage-wise, Texas hosts a relatively short length
of the road. From the Oklahoma line to the New Mexico line is a mere 178 miles,
but surprisingly 90% of the original highway remains. Texas
can also claim the Route 66 halfway point. Depending on one's philosophy on travel,
entering the town of Adrian means your trip is
either happily half-completed, or sadly half-over.
Amarillo,
may be the only Texas city mentioned in the famous song, but the smaller towns
of Adrian, Alanreed,
Lela and McLean
are certainly doing their bit for preservation. |
Texas
Route 66
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
Delbert
Trew of
Alanreed is the man to talk to regarding Texas 66. His weekly column can be read
in the Amarillo Globe and selected
columns are available here in Texas Escapes He can often be found sharpening
the exhibits at the Barbwire Museum.
Texas
Route 66 ForumSubject:
Route 66 trip
A friend of mine and I are planning a picture taking trip across the Texas panhandle
on old Route 66. We are starting at Texola, OK and ending our trip in Genrio,
Tx. You website has been very helpful and I've saved all the information. I have
a question, however: are there any "don't do's" or "places to avoid" along the
way? - Jerry Harris, October 10, 2005
© John Troesser |
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