Shades of Route 66:

... my dad was working at the sawmill, up on top of Route 66, right there at the top. Building orange crates ... they were wooden orange crates for the oranges that were coming out of California. So, here comes these jalopies from Oklahoma, and they break down on Route 66. 'Well Dominguez, go home, this guy needs a job.' So the Okie would take his job for a week or two. Our family would be without for a week or two. The Okie would get a job to make enough money to continue on his trip to the to the Golden Shores ... then they would say, 'Dominguez come back to work.' (Jesse Dominguez, Flagstaff, AZ)

When we think of Route 66, muscle cars, motorcycles, old motels, and diners come to mind. The story of Route 66, however, is much richer than these popular cultural artifacts. It goes beyond the nation or region; in many ways, Route 66 is part of a greater story, of unity in diversity where people of different ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds can live together. Route 66 served as a route and a means to a better life for those traveling to America's Southwest. While not all inclusive, we share the lives and voices of people from diverse backgrounds who traveled, worked, and lived along Route 66, the “Mother Road.” Their stories were seldom told, we highlight some of the successes and adversities they faced in fulfilling their American dream and find new vistas.

Route 66 was once the artery that connected the upper Midwest to the Pacific Coast. The road stretched more than 2400 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, with key cities along the way that offered refuge to travelers: St. Louis, MO; Tulsa, OK; Oklahoma City, OK; Amarillo, TX; Albuquerque, NM; Winslow, and Flagstaff, AZ. These cities and towns became magnets for migrants escaping the Deep South and seeking jobs and new fortunes. As a result, the "Mother Road" became a pipeline of affordable labor. Travelers and settlers from a variety of ethnic backgrounds were employed as lumberjacks, laborers, railroad workers, etc. Eventually, many of these people settled along Route 66 and providing support to waves of other travelers through their work and their cultural contributions. The "Mother Road" created unique opportunities to see varieties of American culture that extended beyond home and hearth, while turning lonely spaces into welcoming places for sharing food, fun, history, artifacts and stories of belonging.

When reflecting on how Route 66 came to be, it is important to consider the development of the automobile and the subsequent paved roads that stretched across America during the early 1900s. There was great pressure to improve and construct more roads with the advent of the massed produced Ford Model T. Now families with modest incomes could afford to buy automobiles and were afforded new opportunities to travel more broadly. This demand led to the federal government passing the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 as well as the Federal Highway Act of 1921. The former act enabled states to seek federal funding to improve and construct more roads within states, while the latter was an effort to create highways linking one state to another. These acts were vital in that as late as 1920, most of America’s roads were unpaved and difficult to traverse by car. 

US Highway 66 was officially created in 1926, with most of the road in northern Arizona already in place as the National Old Trails Highway. Very little of the road was paved at the time, and full paving of Route 66 was not complete until 1937.

A marathon foot race, billed “C.C. Pyle’s International Trans-Continental Foot Race” was organized in an effort to gain publicity for Route 66 and sponsorship for a marathon in 1928. The foot race extended the entire length of 66 and beyond, starting in Los Angeles and ending in New York City; covering 3422 miles. An Indigenous (Cherokee) runner, Andy Payne of Foyil, Oklahoma and a member of the Cherokee Nation, won the race in 573 hours. Sponsorship from businesses were a flop, but Route 66 became a household name after the race.

A popular iconic theme about Route 66 is its association with the "Okies" of the 1930s, refugees from the disastrous dust storms and the Great Depression that destroyed their way of life. "Okies" were farmers from the Midwest and Southwest. They packed the highway in their migration to California in search for a better life. In effect, the road served as a lifeline and symbol of hope for a generation of families who otherwise lost everything.

The "Okies" were joined by lumber workers from Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi; by restaurant and farm workers from Texas and Northern Mexico; by railroad workers and immigrants from China and Europe; and by Indigenous peoples who shared their cultural heritages, craft work and foods with curious travelers. They all found a pathway to hope along Route 66 – not as tourists or travelers, but as workers who contributed to the distinct culture and heritage found in the Southwest.

During World War II, Route 66 continued to serve as a vital passage way, ferrying thousands of troops and war materiel from one military post to another. Servicemen were seen all along the road, at train stations, bus depots, and hitchhiking along the way. 

After the war, Route 66 perhaps reached its pinnacle years in travel with a surge in car production and affordability. Author Michael Wallis states Route 66 became one “big traffic jam” with more people migrating west than during the Dust Bowl period. Families would vacation in the West to explore and see Grand Canyon National Park, Native American culture, curio shops, makeshift zoos, and a new "theme" park called Disneyland.  

By the late 1950s, the utility of Route 66 was reaching its end with the enactment of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. This act proposed a new four-lane interstate highway system to be built across the United States. Slowly but inevitably, the interstate took over the role of Route 66, until the last remnant of Route 66 was officially decertified and bypassed in Williams, Arizona in 1985. As the new highways bypassed Route 66, businesses closed and entire towns were devastated. Much of Route 66 has been replaced by Interstate 40 (I-40) in Arizona.

Here are some of the personal stories of diversity along Route 66, derived from recent and past interviews. Their stories give great detail about what life was like during the heyday of the Route 66 era. Links to each full interview are at the end of each slide show.

 Beginning around the turn of the 20th century, many people from these tribes sought work and were involved with U.S. institutions such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for education and subsistence both on and off the reservations. Native Americans both worked independently, and were employed in border towns along the Route 66 corridor, such as Flagstaff, Holbrook, Winslow, and Peach Springs. Most worked as laborers; working in mines, as lumberjacks, as cowboys, as railroad men, domestic help, or in construction. Others worked selling their art and craft work either as independent artists or in trading posts. The Mother Road helped bring needed economic and social opportunities to these Native American communities. However, the lack of employment, healthcare, and education opportunities on the reservations, and the separation of native families has been difficult, and remains a problematic issue to this day.

After decades of enforced removal and assimilation, stereotypes of Native American culture were propagated by Euro-Americans and others as a major lure for tourists, beginning as early as the railroad era and extending into the Route 66 era. The Fred Harvey company was the first to establish a system of restaurants, hotels, and rail dining all along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) railway, serviced then by the famous "Harvey Girls." Towns that later became synonymous with old Route 66 such as Kingman, Winslow, Seligman, Williams, and Ash Fork, blossomed once Harvey's fine hotels were established in their respective train depots. Indeed later, these towns continued to thrive during the Route 66 era. The Mother Road paralleled these old hotel-depots, and worked cooperatively with the railroad, expanding travel destinations and connecting disparate worlds. Many businesses such as motels, auto-service stations, trading posts, grocery, and makeshift attractions sprouted along Route 66, which ultimately began with Fred Harvey's enterprise. Harvey and the ATSF were a major factor in making Route 66 into an industry.

Today Route 66 is an enduring legacy to a historical bygone era. How did this come to be? The few parts of Route 66 that remain active serve as frontage roads to the interstate, or exist within the city limits of northern Arizona towns. A noticeable exception to this, is the stretch of Route 66 that runs from just beyond Ash Fork, going west past Kingman, to the Colorado River at Topock. This stretch of Route 66 has been designated as historic by the state of Arizona, thanks to the efforts of a Seligman barber, Angel Delgadillo.

Seligman was bypassed in 1978, and that loss of traffic threatened the Delgadillo family businesses. Delgadillo tenaciously fought to keep his livelihood and Seligman alive, and he, along with groups of townspeople, formed the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona in 1987, the first such organization to be founded. Through their efforts they persuaded the Arizona Department of Transportation to make that part of Route 66 an officially historic route. This historic designation not only helped maintain this length of Route 66 but also gave Route 66 greater worldwide recognition, and elevated the road to an almost mythical status. Moreover, the formation of the Arizona Historic Route 66 Association sparked the creation of historical associations in each of the eight states through which Route 66 runs, and in many nations world-over. Today Angel's barbershop remains very much alive in Seligman, along with a souvenir shop and the famous Snow Cap restaurant. Thousands of visitors from countries all over the world have visited him through the years.

Despite these successes, many of the vintage motels, restaurants, gas stations and other businesses, have long disappeared, or remain abandoned and derelict. Much of Route 66 in Arizona remains in a precarious state of survival.

The preservation of Route 66 is vitally important for a few reasons. For one, it gives us a context to our present and helps us understand who we are collectively as a unique American culture. Exquisite Native American pottery, great Mexican food, and vast desert landscapes for example, lend to the unique character of Route 66 in the Southwest. Motels and gas stations that straddled Route 66, with their larger than life neon signs, also add to this milieu, they must have seemed like an oasis for the weary traveler.

Our past also informs our future. From the individual stories of those who have lived on Route 66 for instance, we gain insight into their lives and what challenges they faced and how they were able to persevere. Their stories of resiliency are both educational and inspiring.

Preservation of the past gives meaning to the lives of these individuals and cultivates a sense of community. Indeed, the changes that have occurred on the Mother Road over the years, have affected bordering communities over time, and continue to this day. Historic neighborhoods formerly populated by Blacks, Mexicans, and Indigenous workers in Flagstaff Arizona, for instance, face dismantlement and displacement through gentrification. Many former buildings and businesses along Route 66 have been lost, torn down, or replaced by new structures owned by developers who do not live in the neighborhoods. While there are perhaps benefits to building new houses or businesses in declining neighborhoods, it is critically important to promote local communities in the planning and development process, so that the people who helped build neighborhoods retain their ownership, history and legacies.

What lies ahead for Route 66? This is difficult to say, what is certain is that the Route 66 lore continues to fascinate people from all corners of the world. Many Americans continue to travel Route 66. This is particularly true for the generations that grew up with Route 66 and traveled it when they were children. Many travel from one end to the other today, going out of their way to find long abandoned segments of the road or to find a business they may have visited in the past. Likewise, many who did not grow up with Route 66, and foreign visitors, come to travel the road. All have there different reasons for the trek. It could be that the Mother Road evokes a sense of nostalgia, pilgrimage, adventure, or simply travel for fun. Another unquestionable fact is that Route 66 has a rich diverse narrative that is yet unfolding. Here we have explored just a small bit of it, while illuminating the diversity that remains in the "shades of 66."

In the spirit of inclusiveness, if you have a story you would like to share with the team, feel free to reach out to  Special.Collections@nau.edu .  

American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association. American Indians & Route 66. American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association, 2016.

Arizona. Department of Transportation. Historic Route 66 Corridor Management Plan. Arizona Department of Transportation, 2002.  

Arizona. Highway Department. Seventh Biennial Report of the State Engineer to the Governor of the State of Arizona for the Period July 1, 1924, to June 30, 1926.  Arizona Highway Department, 1926.

Bear, Carson. “From False Advertising to Cultural Exchange: Native Americans, New Mexico, and Route 66.” August 20, 2018. National Trust for Historic Preservation. savingplaces.org/stories/from-false-advertising-to-cultural-exchange-native-americans-new-mexico-and-route-66#.YMOuM_lKhhE. Accessed September 20, 2021

Blue, Victoria. "Chinese American Actress’s Story Illustrates ‘Othering’ of Immigrants." National Archives, 30 March 2021, www.archives.gov/news/articles/anna-may-wong-chinese-american-perpetual-foreigner?_ga=2.237695429.437541706.1658784260-792584092.1658784260.

Charest, Olivia.  Pilgrimage and Travel on Route 66: an Ethnographic Study of Travelers and Shrines. Northern Arizona University, 2015.

Cleeland, Terri.  Historic US Route 66 in Arizona. United States. National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places, 1994.

Cline, Kathy. “On the road: A visit to Canyon Diablo Bridge.” 3/29/2019. Arizona Department of Transportation. azdot.gov/adot-blog/road-visit-canyon-diablo-bridge. 

Cruzada, Laura; Dobrasko, Rebekah; Wolfenden, Leslie. “TxDOT Roadside Chat: The Green Book: How Black Americans Traveled During the Jim Crow Era.” March 5, 2021. Texas Department of Transportation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRWYPYdDJG8. Accessed March 5, 2021.

Dobyns, Henry F., Stoffle, Richard W., and Jones, Kristine “ Native American Urbanization and Socio-Economic Integration in the Southwestern United States“ Ethnohistory, vol. 22, No.2, Spring, 1975, pp.155-179. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/481643. Accessed 14 June 2022. 

Dominguez, Jesse. Personal interview. 4 February 2022.

Dunaway, David King. Across the tracks: a Route 66 story. Booklocker.Com Inc., 2001.

Dunaway, David King. Oral histories. New Mexico Route 66 Association, 2011.

Fong, Lawrence Michael. “Sojourners and Settlers: The Chinese Experience in Arizona.” Journal of Arizona History,  vol. 21, no. 3, 1980, pp. 227-256. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42678261. Accessed 15 July, 2022.

Gratton, Brian; Merchant, Emily K. “An Immigrant’s Tale: The Mexican American Southwest 1850-1950.” Social Science History, vol. 39, no. 4, 2015, pp. 521-550.

Gratton, Brian; Merchant, Emily. “Immigration, Repatriation, and Deportation: The Mexican Origin Population in the United States, 1920-1950.”, International Migration Review, vol. 47, no. 4, 2013, pp. 944-975.

Green, Victor H. The Negro Motorist Green Book Compendium: a Compilation of Four Volumes of the Classic Jim Crow-Era Travel Guide for African Americans Covering All Four Decades During Which the Series was Published from the 1930s to the 1960s. About Comics, 2019.  

"History of the BIA." Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.bia.gov/bia. Accessed 15 July 2022.

Hopkins, Richard C. “Kit Carson and the Navajo Expedition.” Montana: The Magazine of Western History, vol. 18, no. 2, 1968, pp. 52-61.

Kelly, Shawn. Route 66 & Native Americans in New Mexico. New Mexico. Dept. of Transportation, 2010.

Kelly, William H. Indians of the Southwest: a Survey of Indian Tribes and Indian Administration in Arizona. University of Arizona, 1953.

Krim, Arthur. Route 66: Iconography of the American Highway. Center for American Places. 2005.

Kupel, Douglas E. “Transportation and Town-Building in Northern Arizona.” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 39, no. 2, 1998, pp. 155-174.

Listokin, David. Stanet, David. Wei, Ningyuan. Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy (Rutgers University). Route 66 Economic Impact Study. World Monuments Fund, 2011.

Morgan, Thomas D.  “Native Americans in World War II.” Army History, Fall 1995, no. 35, pp. 22-27.

McLerran, Jennifer. “ Contemporary Traditional Native American Art “ (week12; slides 4-18), 20th Century and Contemporary Native Art, Spring 2021, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. PowerPoint presentation.

McNulty, Michelle J. The Mystique of Route 66 and the Image of Flagstaff, Arizona. Northern Arizona University, 2007.

Miller, Blue. Abandoned Route 66 Arizona: Where the Road Came to an End.  America Through Time, 2021.

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Neal, Grady, and Hazel Neal. Interview by Susan L. Rogers, "Oral history interview with Grady and Hazel Neal," Northern Arizona University, 16 January 1976, www.cdm16748.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/cpa/id/64416/rec/1. Accessed 15 July 2022.

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Norris, Frank. Route 66 Properties Listed in Black Traveler Guidebooks. National Park Service. National Trails Intermountain Region, 2014.

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Pesses, Michael W. “Road less traveled: race and American automobility.” Mobilities, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 677-691.

Reid, Jack. “The “Great Migration” In Northern Arizona: Southern Blacks Move to Flagstaff 1940-1960.” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 55, no. 4, 2014. pp. 469-498.

Repp, Thomas. Route 66: the romance of the West. Mock Turtle Press,  2002.

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Simonich, Milan. “‘Green Book' died 55 years ago, but its listings live on in New Mexico.” Oct. 7, 2021. Santa Fe New Mexican. www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/green-book-died-55-years-ago-but-its-listings-live-on-in-new-mexico/article_5ddbd000-23d0-11ec-84af-33fb162e38ce.html. Accessed September 18, 2021

Southard, John Larsen. “Riches, Ruin, and Recovery: The Impact of Route 66 on Flagstaff, 1926 to 1938.” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 54, no. 2, 2013, pp. 153–174.

Takeuchi, Akio. The tropic of Route 66. Yoshiyuki Matsuzaki of Singpoosha , 2005.

Taylor, Candacy A. Overground Railroad: the Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America. Abrams Press, 2020.

Taylor, Candacy. “The Roots of Route 66: America’s favorite highway usually evokes kitschy nostalgia. But for black Americans, the Mother Road’s lonely expanses were rife with danger.” The Atlantic, November 3, 2016, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/the-roots-of-route-66/506255/. Accessed September 15, 2021

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Tohe, Laura, “Hwe’eldi Be’e’ha’niih: Remembering the Long Walk.”  Wicazo Sa Review, vol. 22, no. 1, 2007, pp. 77-82.

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Waddell, Caroline.  Documenting the American Indian experience of Route 66. National Park Serivce. Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. New Mexico. Dept. of Cultural Affairs. Historic Preservation Division, 2005.   

Wallis, Michael. Route 66: the Mother Road. St. Martin’s Press, 1990. 

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"Wilson C. Riles." Southside Community Association, www.southsideflagstaff.com/wilsonc-riles. Accessed 15 July 2022

Wong, Bill. Interview by Kristine Prennace, "Oral history interview with Bill Wong," Northern Arizona University, 18 August 1976, www.cdm16748.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/cpa/id/24684/rec/1. Accessed 15 July 2022.

Wong, James June. Interview by Delia Ceballos, " Oral history interview with James June Wong," Northern Arizona University, 2 November 2015, www.cdm16748.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/cpa/id/121485/rec/3. Accessed 16 July 2022.

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 African American Pioneers in Flagstaff Oral History Collection 

 Los Recuerdos del Barrio en Flagstaff Oral History Collection 

 Route 66 Oral History Collection 

•  Jesse Dominguez 

•  Blue Miller 

•  Katrina Parks 

 An Atlas of Route 66 in Arizona: a Study 

 Route 66: Sharing Our History. Hispanic Legacies of Route 66 in New Mexico 

 Joe Sonderman's Online Route 66 Archive 

 Courageous Motorists: African American Pioneers on Route 66 

 Researching Route 66: A Bibliographic Guide 

Story File:  Angel Delgadillo