It offered hope to those yearning to escape the Dust Bowl. It was heavily traversed by GI’s heading for training bases and embarkation points during World War II. At its peak in the postwar years, Route 66 or “America’s Mother Road,” was the primary conduit for vacationing families and autotourists in the Midwest and West. But the Interstate Highway Act of 1956 spelled the end of this symbol of popular culture. Travelers chose cement over sentiment, opting for the new, sleek, faster superhighways instead of the “highway of hope” as it was dubbed by the millions who used the route to launch a fresh start from the depression.

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