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US 66's Historic Sites & Places

Full information on the historic sites along Route-66

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A State by State detail of the Historic Sites located along Route 66: Complete information on each of the Historic Places or points of historic interest that are located along the alignment of Route 66. A State by State, Town by Town detail.

The Monuments, places significant to U.S. History: battlefields, forts, churches and cemeteries, old trails and bridges as well as places or buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Select a State below and see each historic place and plan your Route 66 Road Trip.

Look up the Historic Sites in any of the states that the Mother Road crosses:

< Head West
California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas

Head East >
Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Historic Places

gigantic colorful totem pole
World's Largest Totem Pole, Foyil. Abe Ezekowitz

The Historic Sites on Route66

States are listed from East to West, starting in Illinois and ending in California.

The towns within each state are also listed from East to West.

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Illinois

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Illinois' Route 66 Historic Sites

vintage Soulsby’s Service Station in Mt. Olive Route 66

Soulsby’s Service Station, Mt. Olive. Pechristener

Historic Motels Hotels

Historic The Eagle Hotel (Wilmington)
Historic Lazy A Motel (Springfield)
Belvedere Café, Motel, and Gas Station (Litchfield)

Historic Service Stations

Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station looks like a cabin

Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station in Dwight, Illinois. Jimmy Emerson, DVM

Historical Standard Oil Gas Station (Plainfield)
Historic Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station (Dwight)
Historic Standard Oil Gasoline Station (Dwight)
Sprague’s Super Service (Normal)
Soulsby’s Shell Service Station (Mt. Olive)

Historic Diners, Cafes and Restaurants

Historic Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant (Chicago)
Historic Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket (Willowbrook)
Historic Streetcar Diner (Gardner)
Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop (Springfield)
Ariston Café (Litchfield)

Historic Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois

Historic Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant in Chicago Route 66
Historic Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. Click to enlarge image

Buildings, Theaters, Cemeteries and the Route 66 itself

Chicago Portage (Lyons)
Plainfield’s Downtown Historic District (Plainfield)
Historic Water Street Shopping District (Wilmington)
Historic two-cell Jail (Gardner)
Historic Frank L. Smith Bank (Dwight)
Historic Pioneer Gothic Church (Dwight)
Historic Railway Depot (Dwight)
Historic Windmill in Dwight (Dwight)

Historic Standard Oil Gasoline Station in Odell Route 66
Historic Standard Oil Gasoline Station in Odell, Illinois. Max Pixel FreeGreatPicture.com

Historical Illinois buildings... continued

Hand-laid brick road in Auburn Route 66

Hand-laid brick road, Auburn Route 66 (1926-30). National Park Service.

Historic Livingston County Courthouse (Pontiac)
Historic Illinois State Police District 6 Headquarters (Pontiac)
Historic Raymond Schulz Round Barn (Pontiac)
Cayuga to Chenoa Historic section of US 66 (Chenoa)
J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator (Atlanta)
Palms Grill Café (Atlanta)
Historic Route 66 by Carpenter Park (Sherman)
Dana-Thomas House (Springfield)
Historic sites related to Abraham Lincoln (Springfield)
Historic Brick Road (Auburn)
Route 66 Girard to Nilwood (Nilwood)
"Mother" Jones Monument and Union Miners Cemetery (Mt. Olive)
Monk’s Mounds (Collinsville)
Historical Chain of Rocks Bridge (Madison)
Historic Majestic Theater (East St. Louis)

What is the National Register of Historic Places?

It is "the" official list of America's historic places that have been considered notable and should be protected and preserved.

An act of Congress from 1966 authorized the National Park Service to manage a nationwide program that pools public and private resources to identify, record and evaluate worthy places and protect them. Tax cuts and benefits ensure private participation in this effort.

Missouri

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Misouri US 66 Historic Spots

Dales Ole 66 Barber shop on US 66 in Joplin

View of Dales Ole 66 Barber on Route 66, Joplin MO

Route 66 classic Spots

U.S. Route 66 in Missouri, is a State Historic Scenic Byway
Bonnie and Clyde Garage Apartment (Joplin)
U.S. Filling Station (Webb City)
66 drive-in theater (Carthage)
Wagon Wheel Motel, Cafe and Gas Station (Cuba)
Red Cedar Inn (Pacific)
Chain of Rocks Bridge (St. Louis)

Historic Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba Missouri

Wagon Wheel Motel, Cafe and Gas Station, Cuba, Missouri. Credits

Historic Buildings and Districts

The Joplin Union Depot (Joplin)
Fox Theatre (Joplin)
Fifth and Main Historic District (Joplin)
Murphysburg Residential Historic District (Joplin)
Downtown Historic District (Webb City)
Middle West Hotel (Webb City)
Jasper County Courthouse (Carthage)
Woodruff Building (Springfield)

Drive In Theatre, Carthage Missouri

66 Drive-In Theatre, Route 66, Carthage, Missouri. Highsmith, Carol M.

Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque (Springfield)
Gillioz Theatre (Springfield)
Old Jail: Calaboose (Springfield)
Pythian Castle (Springfield)
Historic Rock Fountain Tourist Court (Springfield)
County Jail (Lebanon)
Site of Waynesville Fort (Waynesville)
Historic Stagecoach Stop (Waynesville)
Historic County Courthouse (Waynesville)
Fort Leonard Wood (St. Robert)

Cuba Jail, MO, by Marylin Stewart

Cuba Jail built in 1908, Credits

George M. Reed Roadside Park (St. Robert)
Edwin Long Hotel (Rolla)
Dillon House (1857) (Rolla)
Historic County Jail (1860) (Rolla)
Hotel Cuba (Cuba)
Cuba City Jail (Calaboose) (Cuba)
Harney House (Sullivan)
International Shoe Company Building (St. Clair)
Sappington House (1808) (Crestwood)
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (Crestwood)
Chief Hotel (Wildwood)

Check out RV and Motorhome Parks & Campgrounds in Missouri.

>> Book your    Hotel in Missouri

The Chain of Rocks Bridge

US 66 vintage signs on Chain of Rocks bridge
Chain of Rocks Bridge and Route 66 Madison Il.

Kansas

Historic Places on Route 66 in Kansas

us flag made with licence plates on a wall in Galena Historic District

Tag Flag in the Downtown District, Galena, Kansas,
WolfPack Photography

Historic Service Station

1930 Phillips 66 Gas Station in Baxter Springs, Kansas. Kevin

The Williams' Store (Riverton). The oldest continuously operating store on Route 66: Open since 1925
Bush Creek Bridge, (Riverton)
Fort Blair site (Baxter Springs)
Independent Oil & Gas Service Station (Baxter Springs)

Only remaining marsh arch bridge on Route 66

Bush Creek Bridge. Marcin Wichary

old shop, Williams’ Store

Nelson's Old Riverton Store. Credits

What qualifies a building as historic?

To be listed in the National Register, the site must meet at least one of the following criteria:

(A) Event: it must contribute to local, state or national history.
(B) Person: a significant person of the American history was associated with the property.
(C) Construction and design: that give it some outstanding feature or even an artistic appearance.
(D) Information Potential: it has or can yield useful information on America's history or prehistory.

Oklahoma

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

A list of Historic Sites in Oklahoma along Route 66

Below we list some of the main historic places located on Route 66 in Oklahoma from east to west.

Motels and Hotels

Riviera Courts Motel (Miami)
Hotel Vinita (Vinita)
the Chelsea Motel (Chelsea)
Historic Will Rogers Hotel (Claremore)
Casa Loma Hotel (Tulsa). Pictured
Hotel Lincoln (Stroud)
St. Cloud Hotel (Chandler)
Hotel El Reno (El Reno)
Casa Grande Hotel (Elk City)
West Winds Motel (Erick)

classic 50s neon sign of Campbell Hotel in Tulsa

Built in 1927, the recently remodelled Campbell Hotel in Tulsa -pictured above- used to be the US 66 "Casa Loma Hotel".
This lavish boutique hotel's building is a typical example of the Mission - Spanish Colonial Revival style.

Historic Theaters

narrow strip 9 feet wide of paved 1920s Ribbon Road

The 9 foot wide 1920s Route 66 "Ribbon Road", Miami, Narcissa, Afton, Jimmy Emerson, DVM

Coleman Theatre (Miami)
Historic Circle Theater (Tulsa)

General Stores, Trading Posts and Cafes

Rock Café (Stroud)
Engel's Dry Goods Store (Luther)
Mulvey Mercantile (Yukon)
1903 Gillespie Building (Geary)

brick building of Seaba's gas station

An original 1921 Service Station that predates Route 66. Warwick, Oklahoma, Credits

Historic Districts - Rte. 66 Okla.

Sayre Downtown Historic District (Sayre)

Route 66 Bridges

Horse Creek Bridge (Afton)
Little Cabin Creek Bridge (Vinita)
Pryor Creek Bridge (Chelsea)
11th Street Arkansas River Bridge (Tulsa)
Bridge #18 at Rock Creek (Sapulpa)
Captain Creek Bridge (Wellston)
Lake Overholser Bridge (Oklahoma City)
Canadian River Bridge (Geary)

cottage style gabled service station

Vickery Phillips 66 Service Station, Tulsa, Oklahoma W. R. Oswald

Other Historic Sites...

Places listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Commercial buildings

Randall Tire Company (Vinita)
Beard Motor Company (Bristow)
Bristow Tire Shop (Bristow)
Bristow Motor Company Building (Bristow)
Crane Motor Co. (Chandler)
Historic Tuton's Drugstore (Arcadia)
Citizen's Bank (Edmond)
Hedlund Motor Company Building (Elk City)
First National Bank (Erick)

Red Neon Sign of Rock Cafe

Historic Rock Cafe, Stroud, OK. Chuck Coker

Homes and Houses

Hogue Home (Chelsea)
Belvidere Mansion (Claremore)
1895 Farmhouse (Edmond)
Storm House (Elk City)

Miscellaneous historic places....

The World's Largest Totem Pole (Foyil)
Brick Paved Broadway Street (Davenport)
The Chandler Armory (Chandler)
Round Barn (Arcadia)
Armory (Edmond)
First School in Oklahoma (Edmond)

Art Deco styled buildings Tulsa, Oklahoma

Examples of Art Deco buildings in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Czech Hall (the largest dance hall in the state) (Yukon)
Carnegie Library (El Reno)
Municipal Swimming Pool (El Reno)
Historic Public Water Trough (Geary)
Historic Weatherford Armory (Weatherford)
McLain Rogers Park (Clinton)
Historic Armory (Clinton)
Whited Grist Mill (Elk City)
Rock Island Depot (Sayre)
Beckham County Courthouse (Sayre)
Historic Park (Sayre)

round cylindric wooden barn

Round Barn at Arcadia OK, Carol Highsmith

Route 66 Service Stations

Marathon Oil Service Station (Miami)
McDougal Filling Station (Vinita)
Sinclair Service Station (Tulsa)
Phillips 66 Station (Tulsa)
Cities Service Station #8 (Tulsa)
Vickery Phillips 66 Station (Tulsa)
Bristow Firestone Service Station (Bristow)
Texaco Service Station (Bristow)

cottage style gabled roof Phillips 66 gas station

Phillips 66 Station, Chandler. A. Whittall

Phillips 66 Station (Chandler)
Historic Seaba's filling staton (Warwick)
Threatt Filling Station (Luther)
Avant Service Station (El Reno)
Jackson Conoco Service Station (El Reno)
Bridgeport Hill Service Station (Geary)
Provine Service Station - Lucille's Place (Hydro)
Y Service Station (Clinton)
Canute Service Station (Canute)
Champin Service Station (Sayre)
Magnolia Service Station (Texola)

Archaeological and Native American Sites

Claremore Mound (Claremore) Historic OK Marker
Fort Reno (El Reno)

Historic Segments of Route 66

Some segmentsof US 66 in Oklahoma are Listed in the National Register of Historic Places (see below):
Ribbon Road - Nine-foot section (Miami to Afton)
Original roadbed of 1926 (Sapulpa)
Historic 1926 roadbed and Original Ozark Trail (Stroud)
original 1928 Route 66 roadbed (Arcadia)
Bridgeport to Hydro (Bridgeport)

Texas

Historic Sites in Texas

Art Deco style CONOCO Tower service station

Art-Deco Conoco service station & diner, Shamrock TX

Credits

brick walled cottage style Phillips 66 Service Station with gabled roof

Phillips 66 service station at McLean, TX
Credits

Conway road sign on US66 and grain elevators in the field

Historic segment of Route 66, Conway, TX. Credits

CONOCO Tower Station (Shamrock)
Route 66 Bridge over the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railroad (Shamrock)
Lela Elementary School (Lela)
McLean Commercial Historic District (McLean)
WWII POW camp (McLean)
The Oldest Cemetery in Texas (Alanreed)
First Baptist Church (Alanreed)
Jericho Cemetery (Jericho)
Historic segment of US Highway 66 (Conway)
U.S. Route 66-Sixth Street Historic District (Amarillo)
Amarillo Helium Plant (Amarillo)
Ranchotel Motel (Amarillo)
Triangle Motel (Amarillo)
Glenrio Historic District, Glenrio, Texas & New Mexico (Glenrio)

New Mexico

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

A list of New Mexico's US 66 Historic sites and places

Below we list the main historic places located along Route 66 in New Mexico. They are listed from east to west along the main alignment, followed by the "Santa Fe Loop" (1926-37 alignment).

Austere adobe facade of the San Miguel Mission Oldest Church in the US

Historic Place: Oldest Church in the US, San Miguel Mission, Santa Fe. A. Whittall

Churches

San Felipe de Neri Church (Albuquerque)
Saint Joseph Church (Laguna Pueblo)
San Esteban del Rey Mission Church (Acoma)
Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (Old Zuni) Mission (Zuni Pueblo)
Mission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Porciúncula de los Pecos (Pecos)
Nuestra Señora de Luz Church (Canoncito)
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi (Santa Fe)
San Miguel Mission oldest church in the U.S. (Santa Fe)
Our Lady of Sorrows Church (San Lorenzo Sanctuary) (Bernalillo)

vintage neon sign of the Blue Swallow with a 1960s car parked next to office
Book your room in the classic Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico

Historic Motels

Indian Chief face on shop sign

Indian Chief decoration, Maisel's Indian Trading Post, A. Whittall

Blue Swallow Motel (Tucumcari)
Cactus Motor Lodge (Tucumcari)
El Vado Auto Court Motel (Albuquerque)
De Anza Motor Lodge (Albuquerque)
Tewa Lodge (Albuquerque)
Luna Lodge (Albuquerque)
El Rancho Hotel (Gallup)
Plaza Hotel (Las Vegas)

Other Historic Sites and Places to See

Theaters

Odeon Theater (Tucumcari)
Kimo Theater (Albuquerque)

Adobe Ruins at Pecos Pueblo

Ruins at Pecos Pueblo

General Stores and Trading Posts

Richardson Store (Montoya) General Store
Maisel's Indian Trading Post (Albuquerque)
Skinner Grocery (Albuquerque)
Acoma Curio Shop (San Fidel)
Bowlin's Old Crater Trading Post (Bluewater)
Santo Domingo Trading Post (Santo Domingo)

Historic Districts

Park Lake Historic District (Santa Rosa)
Nob Hill District (Albuquerque)
Old Town of Albuquerque (Albuquerque)
Barelas-South Fourth Street Historic District
Barrio De Analco (Santa Fe)

"Palace of the Governors", a photo we took in 2016:

Adobe building, theSpanish Colonial Palace of the Governors Santa Fe New Mexico
The Historic Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe New Mexico.

Bridges

Rio Puerco Bridge (Suwanee)

Spanish colonial mission white adobe walledChurch

Saint Joseph Church, Laguna Pueblo. A. Whittall

Other Historic spots...

County Courthouse (Santa Rosa)
Greene Evans Garage (Moriarty)
Nob Hill Business Center (Albuquerque)
Fort Wingate (Wingate)
Glorieta Pass Battlefield (Glorieta)
Oldest House in the U.S (Santa Fe)
Palace of the Governors (Santa Fe)

Service Stations

Roy T. Herman's Garage and Service Station (Thoreau)

Historic Segments of Route 66

Historic Route 66 sign in Santa Fe NM

"Historic Route 66" sign. Austin Whittall

Each segment is Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Glenrio to Tucumcari
Tucumcari to Santa Rosa
Albuquerque to Rio Puerco
Laguna to McCartys
McCartys to Grants
Grants to Continental Divide
Iyanbito to Rehoboth
Manuelito to Arizona State Line

Archaeological and Native American Sites

Tijeras Pueblo (Tijeras)
Sandia Cave (Tijeras)
Laguna Pueblo
Pecos National Historical Park (Pecos)
Taos Pueblo (Taos)
Kewa Pueblo (Santo Domingo)
Coronado Historic Site and Kuaua Ruins, (Bernalillo)

Arizona

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Arizona: Historic places along Route 66

Motel 66 today, Flagstaff Route 66,Arizona

Motel 66, Flagstaff, Arizona. A. Whittall

Hotels, bridges, trading posts

Historic Querino Canyon Bridge
1923 bridges on old Route 66 (Houck)
Little Lithodendron Wash Bridge (Sanders)
Historic Painted Desert Inn (Holbrook)
South Central Av. Commercial Historic District (Holbrook)
Bucket of Blood Saloon (Holbrook)
Historic Navajo County Courthouse & Museum (Holbrook)
Historic Painted Desert Inn (Holbrook)
Historic Wigwam Motel (Holbrook) pictured below
La Posada Hotel (Winslow)

Historic Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, AZ

wigwam shaped motel rooms
Historic Wigwam Motel with its teepee shaped rooms in Holbrook, AZ.

Hubbell Trading Post (Winslow)
Route 66 Canyon Diablo Bridge
Historic Route 66 bridge (Winona)
La Posada Hotel (Winslow)
Historic Valentine School
The historic Durlin (Oatman) Hotel in Oatman.
Trails Arch Bridge 1916 - 1947 US 66 Bridge (Topock). See image.

White slender arches of bridge across Colorado River

The Topock Bridge, Arizona & California. Thad Roan

Painted Desert Trading Posts (Holbrook)
Little Lithodendron Wash Bridge (Holbrook)
Bucket of Blood Saloon (Holbrook)
Hubbell Trading Post (Winslow)

Historic Districts

Holbrook - South Central Av. Commercial Historic District
Winslow's Historic Commercial District
Flagstaff Historic Downtown District
Williams Historic Downtown District
Seligman Historic Downtown District
The Kingman Comercial Historic District

California

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Historic sites on U.S.66 in California

boulders arranged in patterns and steps

The Native American stone patterns at Mystic Maze. TripAdvisor

Historic Hotels

El Garces Hotel (Needles)
Stone Hotel (Daggett)
Casa del Desierto Harvey House (Barstow)
Wigwam Motel #7 (San Bernardino)
Historic San Dimas Hotel (San Dimas)
Aztec Hotel (Monrovia)
the Art Deco Sunset Tower Hotel (West Hollywood)
The Beverly Hills Hotel (Beverly Hills)

The "End of the Trail" sign on Santa Monica Pier

The end of the trail sign of Route 66 on the pier in Santa Monica
"End of the Trail" sign in Santa Monica, CA

Other sites

large railway depot building

San Bernardino, historic railway station. Oakshade

Historic Goffs Schoolhouse (Goffs)
Mystic Maze archaeological site (Needles)
Trails Arch Bridge 1916 - 1947 US 66 Bridge (Needles)
Desert Market (Daggett)
Fout's Garage (Daggett)
Calico Ghost Town (near Daggett)
Santa Fe and Salt Lake Trail Monument (Cajon Pass)
Blue Cut Marker (Cajon Pass)
Santa Fe Railway Station and Depot (San Bernardino)
Bono's Restaurant and Deli with its Giant Orange (Fontana)
Oldest Winery in Califorina (1839) (Rancho Cucamonga)

giant orange-shaped fruit stand at Bono’s, Fontana

The Giant Orange fruit stand at Bono's, Fontana CA

Historic Rains House (1860) (Rancho Cucamonga)
Madonna of the Trail (Upland)
Euclid Avenue (Upland)
Ygancio Palomares Adobe (Pomona)
Primera Casa Adobe (Pomona)
Historic Pomona Fox Theater (Pomona)
Charles Straight House (La Verne)
Historic Azusa Civic Center (Azusa)
Harding Court Apartments (Monrovia)
Foothill Boulevard Milestone (Mile 11) (Pasadena)
Colorado Street Bridge (Pasadena)
Howard Motor Company Building (Pasadena)
Gamble House (Pasadena)
Bekins Storage Co. Roof Sign (Pasadena)

the Aztec Motel with its native bas-relief carvings

Facade of the Aztec Motel, Monrovia.
Fe2Cruz

Arroyo Seco Parkway (Pasadena)
Rialto Theatre (South Pasadena)
Flores Adobe (1839) (SouthPasadena)
Historic Broadway Theater and Commercial District (Los Angeles)
Hollywood's Chinese Theatre (Los Angeles)
Griffith Observatory (Los Angeles)
City Hall (Beverly Hills)
Santa Monica Pier (Santa Monica)

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Credits

Banner image: Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, Arizona by Perla Eichenblat.

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