Historic Route 66

From Chicago to L.A. Route 66runs more than two thousand miles and were part of the lyrics of the famous song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66." Kingman Arizona is at the heart of the longest stretch of this famed highway still in existence and intact.  That stretch begins just east of Seligman and passes through such towns as Peach Springs, Hackberry, and Oatman en route to the California Border. 

The foundation for both the community of Kingman and the 'highway' was laid hundreds of years ago. Native Americans who lived in the surrounding deserts and mountains, originally forged the path that was to become Route 66 as a trade route to the Pacific. In the mid 1800's, the path became a trail (under the guidance of a military surveyor) that would eventually carry a nation westward. The 'National Old Trails Highway was the result and with continued improvement, it was renamed 'Route 66' in 1926.With the unprecedented prosperity of the postwar years, Route 66 became one long neon avenue from Chicago to L.A. Through the years, the highway has had many names 'The Main Street of America,' 'The Wire Road,' 'The Will Rogers Highway and the 'Mother Road' to name a few. Songs and television shows immortalized it and Kingman was at the heart of it all. By the 1950's, with the increase in traffic came the National Interstate Highway System. One of the new interstates was to be I-40,which would parallel Route66 in many places cover it in others. As many towns were diminished so ended a way of life for many of the communities along Route 66 but route 66 is still alive and well in Kingman.