Ever heard of the Mother Road? The Main Street of America? Those are just two nicknames for U.S. Highway 66—or Route 66—the first highway to stretch all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles. And the idea to create a transcontinental highway was born right here in Springfield, Missouri.

You probably best recognize it as the famous highway running through Radiator Springs in the Disney/Pixar movie, Cars. The highway breathed life into the western United States, just as the railroads had done nearly a hundred years earlier. The highway has played a role in quite a few movies, but, in my opinion, Cars, is one of the best, as the movie really centers around the American dream.

The highway was originally named Route 60, and some signs and highway maps were even made using that name. However, before the road was commissioned, it was discovered that 60 had already been taken. The number 66 was available, and creators liked the sound of it.

The famous highway came to life in the 1920s, but the early glory did not last long. In 1929, the stock market crashed, bringing on the Great Depression. In The Grapes of Wrath, a book written by author John Steinbeck, an Oklahoma family takes to Route 66 headed to California, searching for a way to survive the Great Depression. It was Steinbeck who first called the Route 66 "The Mother Road, the road of flight."

Just as the country started to prosper again, World War II hit, and Route 66 became a highway of soldiers and military convoys. The real heyday of Route 66, though, was the post-war era of the late 1940s and '50s, when the road also became known as the Will Rogers Highway. Families were growing quickly, more people had the money to buy cars and take vacations, and the road had certainly improved.

There was even a song written about Route 66—Bobby Troup's 1946 classic. The idea for the song came as Troup was headed from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles to pursue a songwriting career. As they headed out of St. Louis, his wife came up with the phrase, "get your kicks on Route 66." Troup immediately started working on the song and finished it a few days after arriving in L.A. Obviously, Route 60 would not have had the same ring to it.

The entire Summer 2001 issue of Show-Me Missouri was dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the famous highway. Writer Kris Lokemoen drove the entire length of the highway as it runs through Missouri from St. Louis to Joplin. In the Summer 2009 issue of Show-Me Missouri, writer Jim Winnerman discovers why Europeans consider Route 66 to be the best example of American history.