 | Nancy Hubble
is the owner and President of Inland Paving, the only paving contractor in Kansas owned by a woman. Inland Paving handles commercial, private and governmental paving and street repair throughout Kansas. You can contact Nancy at her office, (620)478-2450, FAX (620)478-2459, or on mobile at (316)644-3497. |
Did you know?
2003-09-01 15:42:00
Route 66
: Why was Route 66 so important to America?
ANSWER: Route 66 was particularly important to America during the Depression and World War II. It crosses 8 states and 3 time zones. In Kansas, the road was only 13 miles long and cut across the southeast corner of Kansas. Route 66 is no longer included on current maps. In last month’s issue, I reviewed the beginning and formative years of Route 66 starting in the 1920's. This month, we’ll talk about the growth of tourist-targeted facilites.Roadside Architecture: The evolution of tourist-targeted facilities is well represented in the roadside architecture along U. S. Highway 66. For example, most Americans who drove the route did not stay in hotels. They preferred the accommodations that emerged from automobile travel - motels. Motels evolved from earlier features of the American roadside such as the auto camp and the tourist home. The auto camp developed as townspeople along Route 66 roped off spaces in which travelers could camp for the night. Camp supervisors - some of whom were employed by the various states - provided water, fuel wood, privies or flush toilets, showers, and laundry facilities free of charge. The national outgrowth of the auto camp and tourist home was the cabin camp (sometimes called cottages) that offered minimal comfort at affordable prices. Many of these cottages are still in operation. Eventually, auto camps and cabin camps gave way to motor courts in which all of the rooms were under a single roof. Motor courts offered additional amenities, such as adjoining restaurants, souvenir shops, and swimming pools. Among the more famous still associated with Route 66 are the El Vado and Zia Motor Lodge in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the early years of Route 66, service station prototypes were developed regionally through experimentation, and then were adopted universally across the country. Buildings were distinctive as gas stations, yet clearly associated with a particular petroleum company. Most evolved from the simplest "filling station" concept - a house with one or two service pumps in front - and then became more elaborate, with service bays and tire outlets. Among the most outstanding examples of the evolution of gas stations along Route 66 are Soulsby's Shell station in Mount Olive, Illinois; Bob Audettes' gas station complex in Barton, New Mexico,and the Tower Fina Station in Shamrock, Texas. Route 66 and many points of interest along the way were familiar landmarks by the time a new generation of postwar motorists hit the road in the 1960's. It was during this period that the television series, "Route 66", starring Martin Milner and George Maharis drove into the living rooms of America every Thursday. By today's standards, the show is rather unbelievable but in the 1960's, it brought Americans back to the route looking for new adventure.Excessive truck use during World War II and the comeback of the automobile industry immediately following the war brought great pressure to bear on America's highways. The national highway system had deteriorated to an appalling condition. Virtually all roads were functionally obsolete and dangerous because of narrow pavements and antiquated structural features that reduced carrying capacity.
