photo: The winding, treacherous 8 mile stretch of Route 66 in Oatman, AZ. (Arizona100)

When we think of Route 66 it conjures images of mid-20th century neon motel signs blazing in the darkness on an otherwise lonely road or rooftop cowboys looming large against clear blue skies stretching over the vast desert. But Route 66, celebrating its Centennial this year, was launched in 1926 in an America in transition. The Art Deco era project was the first all-weather road to connect the rural towns between Chicago and California and was ultimately, highly influential in shaping a modern United States as the automobile industry boomed.

While for many, independent travel represented freedom, not everyone “Got their Kicks” on the Mother Road. Racial prejudice gave rise to the Green Book guide for the safety of African American travelers. The road disrupted Native American communities and desperate victims of the Dust Bowl fled their devastated farms via Route 66 during the Great Depression.

Join us for a virtual presentation by Beth Murray, the President of the California Historic Route 66 Association to learn what it was like to travel the Mother Road in its early days before it was even fully paved by Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) Depression-era workers.

Beth Murray

Beth Murray calls herself a “Pursuer of the Unusual, Photographer of the Road..” Her passions lie with Route 66, the Old Cruise Ships, Muffler Men, Cats and Photography. After her husband died, Beth bought herself a camera and started traveling this old world of ours and documenting the ever changing environment in which we live. Here in America, we do not keep the old, so once it has been razed it is gone for good. She advocates for the preservation of Route 66.

Read more about the proposal to Congress to designate the route as a National Historic Trail here.

This program is virtual on Zoom. A recording will be provided for those who wish to view the program after the live broadcast, but you must order your ticket before the date of the program.