Local author publishes second Route 66 book

Local author C.H. (Skip) Curtis published "The Missouri US 66 Tour Book," a pictorial driving history of Route 66 in Missouri, about five years ago.

This year, which marks the 75th anniversary of the highway that stretched from Chicago to Los Angeles, Curtis is finishing up his second book on the subject.

The second book, called Birthplace of Route 66-Springfield, Missouri," is due out this month. "Springfield is officially recognized as the birthplace of number 66," Curtis said. The new book, he said, features stories about people who lived and worked in Springfield when Route 66 was "the" national highway. Route 66 was commissioned Nov. 11, 1926, when the federal government assigned numbers to all highways in the country.

Curtis' second book centers on the fact that Route 66's name was chosen in Springfield, several months before it became official. Curtis said a meeting was held April 30, 1926, in Springfield, and it was attended by representatives from several states.

"They knew where the route was going to go. They were having problems with what number they were going to call the route. The prestigious routes, the big cross-country routes ... everyone felt that their numbers should end in zero," Curtis said. People pushed for the numbers 60 or 62, but those numbers also were wanted by others.

"They had this meeting in Springfield, and one of the guys at the meeting noticed that the number 66 had not been taken by anyone anywhere in the country. They all thought that was a catchy number, so they decided on that," Curtis said.

A telegram was sent from Spring-field's Colonial Hotel to highway officials to let them know that the number 66 was preferred.

"That is the first reference to anyone using the number 66. So the famous double-sixes are considered officially born here in Springfield," he added.

The number 60 was eventually taken for the route from Virginia through Kentucky to Missouri.

Curtis said old-timers remember what Route 66 used to mean to the local community, and to the state. However, younger people those younger than age 50 probably "don't even have a clue" as to what the highway was back in its heyday when businesses thrived along Route 66.

Numerous cabin motels, restaurants and gas stations dotted the highway. While some are still standing and a few are still open, when the new interstate was built many businesses didn't survive.

Also, unfortunately, a lot of little communities, such as Avilla, that boomed with Route 66, didn't fare well when the interstate came in and traffic along Route 66 decreased.

"The communities that survived had their own thing going (before Route 66) ... these smaller towns, it really made them. It made them all through the 50s up to when the interstates came by," he said.

Route 66 is filled with a lot of curves and twists, Curtis said, because the road, in its original form before the interstate came in, was basically the same trail as the Indians and the covered wagons had followed if there was a big hill, the road went around it, and so forth.

"Then in the 50s when the interstate highway system came into being, the technology was such that they could just blast their way through those hills and mountains. They didn't have to go around them, they went through them," Curtis said. "This made a straight beeline, practically, from St. Louis to Joplin."

He noted that the interstate cut through Route 66, and in his efforts to trace the highway, he's come across segments that dead-end as a result of the interstate.

Curtis said Route 66 enthusiasts have generated enough interest among travelers that the highway is going through a "rebirth," and businesses are once again sprouting up along the once-thriving thoroughfare.

"Last year, over 15,000 cars traveled Route 66 on purpose, on the two-lane road ... (people) all the way from Japan (and) Luxembourg," he said, noting that many of the travelers are members of a Route 66 association. Curtis said there are Route 66 associations in all the states that share the road. "People are starting to open up new businesses again or new generations are opening up businesses and they're just friendly and helpful and completely the opposite of what you find on the interstate," Curtis said.

Several commemorative events to mark the anniversary of "The Mother Road" the term for Route 66 that was coined in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" already have been held, and the History Museum for Springfield-Greene County will hold an anniversary celebration that will begin at 11 a.m. at the east Springfield city limits on Kearney Street on Sept. 22.

According to a news release from the museum, an antique-car cruise, coordinated by the Heart of the Ozarks Model T Club and the Southwest Missouri Model A Club, will retrace the historic course of Route 66 south on Glenstone from Kearney, west on St. Louis Street through Park Central Square to the 1100 block of College Street for the dedication of the College Street Gateway mosaic.

A retaining wall along College Street will sport a community mosaic project coordinated by local artist Christine Schilling. The mosaic was designed and assembled by participants from Bailey Alternative School, Boys and Girls Town, Boys and Girls Club and others. During the dedication, the final piece of the mosaic, a Route 66 shield, will be installed.

For more information about Route 66, or to join the Route 66 Association of Missouri, contact the association at PO Box 8117, St. Louis MO 63156, or on its Web site, www.missouri66.org.

Curtis' books will be available in local bookstores, or they can be ordered from Curtis by mail at 424 S. National, Springfield, MO 65802. His first book sells for $20 per copy, and the new book will be $25.