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Route 66: The Mother Road
America's Main Street is celebration, Michael Wallis hit the road again, revisiting people and
places that made the Mother Road on American icon, and uncovering new treasures. A love
letter and a tribute, Route 66: The Mother Road takes us on an unforgettable journey through
the secret corners and hidden towns of America's most famous and beloved highway.
places that made the Mother Road on American icon, and uncovering new treasures. A love
letter and a tribute, Route 66: The Mother Road takes us on an unforgettable journey through
the secret corners and hidden towns of America's most famous and beloved highway.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1990
12 people are currently reading
534 people want to read
About the author
Michael Wallis
46 books77 followersMichael Wallis is the bestselling author of Route 66, Billy the Kid, Pretty Boy, and David Crockett. He hosts the PBS series American Roads. He voiced The Sheriff in the animated Pixar feature Cars. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 1, 2019
This book is a treasure for anyone with an interest in the old Route 66. Physically it’s larger than your average book, but not quite a large coffee table tome. There are lots of photos and plenty of text.
Printed in 1990, the book itself is a great piece of history. So even the new photos are 27yrs old (as of now, 2017). You get a 1990 perspective of the ‘old’ road, a real look back into time.
Several of the classic must visit places mentioned are no longer there, for example, The Club Cafe in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. He also has a good story on route icon Lillian Redman who ran the Blue Swallow Motel. Well the lovely lady is no longer with us. So items like this are wonderfully captured.
Fortunately the Blue Swallow has been revamped and has a room dedicated to her.
Chapter one covers the history of the making of the road. The following chapters are divided up state. They discuss the various places and characters that made the route. There are also side bars that have a story from popular people who had connections with the road, such as Martin Millner who starred in the TV show ‘Route 66.
I noticed the forward was by Tom Snyder. I just read his “Route 66:Traveler’s Guide”. So there is a connected crew of people with an interest writing about the Road. Also found the web site route66news.com. It has a a lot of good travel info as well as videos of all the peculiarities. One has a fellow who travels the road with this book every few years and has proprietors sign it.
Printed in 1990, the book itself is a great piece of history. So even the new photos are 27yrs old (as of now, 2017). You get a 1990 perspective of the ‘old’ road, a real look back into time.
Several of the classic must visit places mentioned are no longer there, for example, The Club Cafe in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. He also has a good story on route icon Lillian Redman who ran the Blue Swallow Motel. Well the lovely lady is no longer with us. So items like this are wonderfully captured.
Fortunately the Blue Swallow has been revamped and has a room dedicated to her.
Chapter one covers the history of the making of the road. The following chapters are divided up state. They discuss the various places and characters that made the route. There are also side bars that have a story from popular people who had connections with the road, such as Martin Millner who starred in the TV show ‘Route 66.
I noticed the forward was by Tom Snyder. I just read his “Route 66:Traveler’s Guide”. So there is a connected crew of people with an interest writing about the Road. Also found the web site route66news.com. It has a a lot of good travel info as well as videos of all the peculiarities. One has a fellow who travels the road with this book every few years and has proprietors sign it.
July 25, 2008
It's tough to realize that you love America even though you hate football, red meat, needless consumption and war. This book gets at the heart of what America is really about - free people doing unique things, having fun and meeting other free people before they die. It's about the journey...
August 6, 2012
I received this book as a birthday gift back in 1990. It's virtually a state by state journey of the historic Route 66 and the unusual people and places that paved the way for all its hype. The book opens with a general history of how the road was commissioned and built during its early days, complete with the unique events that celebrated its completion. Plenty of color photos here capture the many landmarks of Route 66, some of which thrived and others that ceased to exist. These include bridges, service stations, motor courts, drive-ins, roadside diners, and ghost towns. The books also contains personal interviews with Route 66 personalities such as songwriter Bobby Troup and travel editor James Rittenhouse.
Wallis also explains how the modern day interstate highway system eventually rendered Route 66 obsolete as a thoroughfare. However much of the old road is still around and worth the adventure for travelers who wish to explore. This book is clearly one of few resources dedicated to the legacy of Route 66. A 2002 edition was published to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the old highway. It is basically the same book with an extra chapter containing updates at the end. Recommended for travel enthusiasts and a perfect addition to history/geography collections.
Wallis also explains how the modern day interstate highway system eventually rendered Route 66 obsolete as a thoroughfare. However much of the old road is still around and worth the adventure for travelers who wish to explore. This book is clearly one of few resources dedicated to the legacy of Route 66. A 2002 edition was published to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the old highway. It is basically the same book with an extra chapter containing updates at the end. Recommended for travel enthusiasts and a perfect addition to history/geography collections.
February 21, 2023
This book made me wish that I had been alive when Route 66 was the main highway across the country. There were awesome pictures and stories, most from people who most probably are no longer alive. And that makes me sad to think that the vestiges of Route 66, that were kept alive by these people, are probably being torn down to build parking lots or shopping malls. Buildings with no history or personality. Replacing America’s history with boring architecture that no one would fight to save.
July 13, 2018
This book is one of the purest labors of love I've ever read.
The author's genuine love for the iconic Route 66 - its people, its services, and even its potholes 0 shows in all of his writing and photography. Mr. Wallis brilliantly preserves a slice of Americana that was struggling to survive when this book was published over 20 years ago. It's still hanging on but oh how heartbreaking it must be for the author to see what Route 66 looks like now.
He starts with the inception of Route 66 and how an automotive club saw a need to link together isolated sections of local roads into a proper highway. I had no idea there was an interstate marathon to celebrate the opening of the highway. Route 66 gave Americans a fun way to explore a section of the country and brought livelihood to remote regions. The road made its way into the cultural identity of the USA and spawned motor courts (aka "whoopie cabins", the most adorable euphemism I've ever heard of), blue plate specials, a TV show, and millions of fridge magnets.
Then some genius decided that it was better to travel across the country without seeing anything and introduced the concept of the interstate highway. Thus, Route 66 was put out to pasture. In some places, the interstate literally runs right next to the poor ole road. Thousands of businesses bellied up and the highway was decommissioned, but it lives on somehow.
The book is a bit dry at times and the author narrates his book through the rosiest of rose-colored glasses. He skips over some of the dangers of the road and many of the ripoffs and unscrupulous businesses that surely plagued travelers, but given his love for Route 66 I can forgive this.
I remember being a bored and annoying teenager who didn't understand why my parents were so excited to be driving on Route 66 when we drove out to the Grand Canyon in the mid 90s.
But I get it now. I specifically recall driving through Shamrock, TX, in 2008 and having a pleasant stay at the Irish Inn. I drove back through a couple of months later and it was closed. That struck me as very sad. In 2012, on a summer day so hot that even us desert dwellers starting to reconsider our decision to move someplace sunny, I intentionally drove through Oatman, AZ. It was the windiest, most ridiculous road I've ever drive on and I love every minute of it.
And there you have it. The road was decaying before I was born, but somehow it's wiggled itself into my heart. May Route 66 live on. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then read this book.
P.S. You could make a good drinking game by taking a shot every time he mentions a delicious, reasonably priced home-cooked meal at a Route 66 diner. You'll be drunk before you get to the Texas chapter.
April 21, 2021
My father was obsessed with Route 66 and memorabilia. My mother too. She bought this book June, 1992 for them to read. It is such a great book, and brings back memories of happier times. We all got to drive it (kinda) in 97 when Ben Franklin where mom worked for 20 years, went bankrupt (Carol Stream, IL)and they decided to cash in their 401K's and "Move out west" to Las Vegas from the western suburbs of Chicago.
Mom and dad drove the u-haul, and my husband and I took the Caprice and almost had a deja vu moment in Missouri when we took the wrong part of the Y. Just like the Griswold's trying to see the moose. But we weren't about to get wrong directions, or any info from someone visiting from Chicago lol.
It was a beautiful drive, and quite the experience, but I loved every minute of it. If you have the ability, read it over.
You won't regret it, and it might even provoke a road trip in your "family trickster".
(◠‿◕)
Cari
Mom and dad drove the u-haul, and my husband and I took the Caprice and almost had a deja vu moment in Missouri when we took the wrong part of the Y. Just like the Griswold's trying to see the moose. But we weren't about to get wrong directions, or any info from someone visiting from Chicago lol.
It was a beautiful drive, and quite the experience, but I loved every minute of it. If you have the ability, read it over.
You won't regret it, and it might even provoke a road trip in your "family trickster".
(◠‿◕)
Cari
March 1, 2022
Really loved this book. If you are looking for one that will give you the history of Route 66 and make you long for the days before the interstate and internet, this book will not disappoint. I love the various stories along the road, almost as if I was driving along it from Chicago to LA and interviewing the locals along the way. It also has a final chapter about how the road has been revived, though I am not sure if that has changed in the past 20 years. I hope one day I can make a journey down the road myself one day.
August 1, 2011
Fantastic history of Route 66. Not a guide book, but great for armchair travel. It's outdated due to its having been written in 1990, and a lot has changed on the road since then (both for better and for worse), but the history of all of the beloved landmarks doesn't change. Michael Wallis has called this book his love letter to the mother road. It is exactly that.
February 13, 2020
For the last three years, I’ve participated in Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma, a program sponsored by the Oklahoma Humanities. The meetings take place in the Museum Broken Arrow on Broken Arrow, OK’s Main Street, now also known as the Rose District. Oklahoma Humanities has created a large number of themes and the host of Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma—in my case, the executive director of the Museum BA-- chooses the theme for the fall or spring meetings.
Oklahoma Humanities describes Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma this way: “Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma fosters a love of reading and an appreciation for community conversation. It brings people of different walks of life together to explore new ideas, serving as a catalyst for self-reflection and inspiring open-mindedness.”
We have read a series of mysteries all set in or by OK authors. One series included biographies and memoirs of famous Oklahomans. Not all the books are by Oklahoma authors or set in OK, however. One series included Wonder, Tuesdays With Morrie, and Home is Where the Heart Is. The choices have all been worth reading and have moved me out of my comfort zone more than once.
This spring’s selections all feature Route 66, the Mother Road, in some form, either nonfiction or fiction. The first book in the series is Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis. Let me begin by saying, Route 66 is a lovely book. It is full of stories and pictures from all along the Mother Road.
Chapter One, “America’s Main Street, “introduces Route 66. Wallis tells his readers that “Route 66. Just the name is magic.” He further describes Route 66 as “an artery linking much of the nation.” Indeed, Route 66 has become an icon in literature, film, TV, and art. Visitors from all over the world come to the US to drive all or parts of Route 66.
Then by state, starting with Illinois, Wallis provides stories and pictures of people and places, many of them long-gone, that graced Route 66. I was particularly interested in the chapter on Missouri’s Route 66. My husband grew up in Springfield, MO, and he crossed Route 66 on his way to elementary and middle school every day. He has fond memories of Red’s Giant Hamburgers, a small hamburger joint on Route 66.
At the end of Route 66, Wallis provides “Route 66 Resources.” That list includes books, both fiction and nonfiction, featuring Route 66.
Wallis has done a tremendous amount of research in order to produce such a comprehensive book on Route 66. Still, I find it an odd choice for a book discussion since it is packed with material, both text and pictures. It is the kind of book to pick up and read off and on rather than sitting down to read from beginning to end---that’s my assessment. And that is not a negative assessment. Many other books fit into that category so that readers can dip into and out of the book without losing any continuity the way they would with a biography or a novel, for example. I do look forward to the Oklahoma Humanities’ scholar’s take on the discussion when we meet later in February to discuss Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis.
Michael Wallis has an impressive body of work. His Web site offers extensive material about Wallis’s work and readers can sign up to receive his newsletter: http://www.michaelwallis.com.
Oklahoma Humanities describes Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma this way: “Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma fosters a love of reading and an appreciation for community conversation. It brings people of different walks of life together to explore new ideas, serving as a catalyst for self-reflection and inspiring open-mindedness.”
We have read a series of mysteries all set in or by OK authors. One series included biographies and memoirs of famous Oklahomans. Not all the books are by Oklahoma authors or set in OK, however. One series included Wonder, Tuesdays With Morrie, and Home is Where the Heart Is. The choices have all been worth reading and have moved me out of my comfort zone more than once.
This spring’s selections all feature Route 66, the Mother Road, in some form, either nonfiction or fiction. The first book in the series is Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis. Let me begin by saying, Route 66 is a lovely book. It is full of stories and pictures from all along the Mother Road.
Chapter One, “America’s Main Street, “introduces Route 66. Wallis tells his readers that “Route 66. Just the name is magic.” He further describes Route 66 as “an artery linking much of the nation.” Indeed, Route 66 has become an icon in literature, film, TV, and art. Visitors from all over the world come to the US to drive all or parts of Route 66.
Then by state, starting with Illinois, Wallis provides stories and pictures of people and places, many of them long-gone, that graced Route 66. I was particularly interested in the chapter on Missouri’s Route 66. My husband grew up in Springfield, MO, and he crossed Route 66 on his way to elementary and middle school every day. He has fond memories of Red’s Giant Hamburgers, a small hamburger joint on Route 66.
At the end of Route 66, Wallis provides “Route 66 Resources.” That list includes books, both fiction and nonfiction, featuring Route 66.
Wallis has done a tremendous amount of research in order to produce such a comprehensive book on Route 66. Still, I find it an odd choice for a book discussion since it is packed with material, both text and pictures. It is the kind of book to pick up and read off and on rather than sitting down to read from beginning to end---that’s my assessment. And that is not a negative assessment. Many other books fit into that category so that readers can dip into and out of the book without losing any continuity the way they would with a biography or a novel, for example. I do look forward to the Oklahoma Humanities’ scholar’s take on the discussion when we meet later in February to discuss Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis.
Michael Wallis has an impressive body of work. His Web site offers extensive material about Wallis’s work and readers can sign up to receive his newsletter: http://www.michaelwallis.com.
October 9, 2024
I reread this in order to start planning a trip we are planning for 2026 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66, which we will celebrate by flying to Chicago and driving the 2,450 mile Mother Road to its ending at the Santa Monica Pier. The Pacific Coast Highway is the only other road in America that has the same romantic, iconic, Americana feeling as Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Memorial Highway. My parents drove us West on the first national highway in 1952. I still remember part of that trip and look forward to repeating it. In the intervening years, Mary and I have driven parts of Route 66 in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Illinois. It overflows with our national history and adventures. I've also got six maps that show the various twists and turns Route 66 takes across the eight states it passes through before ending at the California's coast and the top of my wish list is a new edition of a Route 66 adventure guide.
June 6, 2022
It contains a lot of fun facts and tidbits of this famous highway, but my problem with this book was the way it was formatted. It had no breaks in the huge bodies of text, so reading it became long and boring at times. The side route 66 protrait stories were broken down to a side panel that could span several pages, instead of filling a whole page to make it easy to continually read. The captions to the photos were so brief, it would have been nice to have more details provided with the photos. And for a book with such a rich history to it, it would have been nice if it had more photos.
June 30, 2017
As an avid traveler who avoids insterstate roads when possible, I enjoyed this state by state review of the famous Route 66. I appreciate the time it must have taken to do the research for this book. It's good to know that interest in the old road has been revived and many people are working to preserve its history.
April 9, 2019
What's the big deal about route 66? Other regions have themes, too. While some of the illustrations are fun, I love maps, and wish there were more in this book. The early parts of the book, regarding the history of Rte. 66, are more interesting than the rest. The sidebars, featuring characters that lived or worked along the road, are more interesting than the text.
April 21, 2020
If you like to travel the American roads this should be a must read. Route 66 Chicago to L.A. great nostalgia and a good book detailing this highway's history
December 14, 2020
A lovely history and travel guide to Route 66 and a love story to a forgotten era of small town America
May 11, 2024
If you know, you know. ✌🏼
December 30, 2020
Super cool... specially for a year when a road trip wasn't a possibility.
March 24, 2015
This book gives a great insight into the history of Route 66 and what you will encounter as you travel the road today - starting in Chicago, Illinois and ending in Santa Monica, California.
The book was published in 2001 so some things have changed. And, the last chapter of the book provides an update to some of the improvements in the road, and the demise of other points of interest.
As you read the book, the author has a habit of making the same point many times .... about taking the road less traveled, and avoiding the super-highways and chain fast food joints. This can get a bit tiresome, but of course he's right. Also sometimes his folksy way of phrasing a sentence became a little too cute.
But the book is definitely worthwhile, and makes me want to "take they highway that is the best".
The book was published in 2001 so some things have changed. And, the last chapter of the book provides an update to some of the improvements in the road, and the demise of other points of interest.
As you read the book, the author has a habit of making the same point many times .... about taking the road less traveled, and avoiding the super-highways and chain fast food joints. This can get a bit tiresome, but of course he's right. Also sometimes his folksy way of phrasing a sentence became a little too cute.
But the book is definitely worthwhile, and makes me want to "take they highway that is the best".
December 29, 2014
Travel Route 66 with the expert. The first part covers the history of the road from its founders to the effects of the interstate. The chapters that follow take readers on a journey through each of the eight state the road runs through. The writing captures the sights, sounds, etc of the famous road and is supported by numerous photos, postcards, memorabilia, and interviews with business owners, entertainers, and travelers detailing their personal experiences.
Travelers will like this book, fans of history will learn a lot about the people and the country, and readers who long to be experience the historic road will feel like they've taken it in all 2,400+ miles of it when finished with this excellent book.
Travelers will like this book, fans of history will learn a lot about the people and the country, and readers who long to be experience the historic road will feel like they've taken it in all 2,400+ miles of it when finished with this excellent book.
April 5, 2009
Another great Route 66 book. It gives a thorough look at the route through all 8 states, and the updated anniversary edition gives some updates on people and places mentioned in the book, as well as recent preservation efforts.
(I finished reading it on April 4, 2009. I started it on the day I went to visit the most exciting new destination in the state of Illinois: Joliet! Which also happens to be a Route 66 town.)
(I finished reading it on April 4, 2009. I started it on the day I went to visit the most exciting new destination in the state of Illinois: Joliet! Which also happens to be a Route 66 town.)
March 7, 2013
It's a bit dated to the 2013 eye, but still a decent enough read. Something like sitting down to a long Sunday newspaper feature. Notable as the book that launched Michael Wallis onto the national stage and gave us the movie Cars.
September 8, 2007
I did my research to find the right book to quench my thirst for details on America's Route 66. This was the book recommended and it does not disappoint. Great historical data and photos.
January 9, 2011
Parts of the route through Missouri and Illinois I remember. Even a picture of the grain elevators in my mothers home town. Good book - sad that most of the road is gone now.
March 28, 2012
Interesting blend of facts and stories about a part of american history I honestly didn't know much about.
December 8, 2012
Road trip in our future...someday!
June 13, 2014
One day I will get to ride a Harley-Davidson along Route 66.
January 4, 2015
This book brings the route 66 to life! Take it with you when you go...
October 16, 2014
Take a road trip without leaving your couch. Great photography and stories of a bygone era. Travelling by car just ain't what it used to be.
February 9, 2015
Entertaining. Famous or infamous sites along route 66.
June 14, 2016
This book made me take my own journey down old route 66 starting from glenrio to Tulsa.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews