Start Your Engines: Missouri Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Route 66
The iconic Route 66 is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and Missouri was instrumental to its beginning.
An official telegram sent from the Colonial Hotel in Springfield on April 30, 1926, accepted the number “66” for the soon-to-be famous highway. Cyrus Avery, Oklahoma’s highway commissioner, and John Woodruff, a Springfield attorney, advocated for a new federal highway that would stretch 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif.
To mark the centennial, the State Historical Society of Missouri is looking back on this national icon to understand the places and people who traveled from afar or lived or ran businesses along the Mother Road. A new exhibition, “Through the Windshield: Missouri’s Route 66,” offers a view of 20th century history and culture in Missouri. This 90-foot-wide display at the society’s headquarters in Columbia is open to the public during regular visiting hours.
A smaller mobile exhibit will travel to communities across the state, sharing the story of Route 66 across Missouri. The society also is offering in-person and virtual Route 66 programs throughout 2026.
“For the past 100 years, Route 66 has been such a major part of not only the nation’s story but Missouri’s as well,” said Katie Seale, coordinator of the society’s Rolla and Springfield research centers. “It is a privilege to showcase the stories of Missourians who lived and worked along the road and to shine a light on our state’s Route 66 legacy. Through exhibitions and programs, we bring unique stories to people across the nation and the world during this centennial year. It’s an exciting time to be part of this commemoration.”
A monthly webinar series, “Asphalt to Archives: Telling the Missouri Route 66 Story,” will be held on Zoom from April through November. On the second Thursday of each month, staff members will discuss a wide variety of stories that occurred on Missouri’s portion of the Mother Road. The series is free, but registration is required
The Route 66 Centennial National Kick-Off event is scheduled for April 30 in Springfield. The city was named by the U.S. National Route 66 Centennial Commission and the Road Ahead Partnership as the host city to begin the national celebration with stops long the famous highway. Learn more about the festivities at www.Route66centennial.org.
For more information about upcoming events and projects in the state, visit 100 Years of Route 66 | The State Historical Society of Missouri.
–Alan Goforth
