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Landmarks on Route 66

All Route 66's monuments, memorials, classic places & landmarks

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Full information on each of the landmarks located along the U.S. Route 66 in Illinois, Missouri and Kansas.
In our next page (Page 2) we cover the landmarks in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Check our State-by-State, landmark-by-landmark lists below and click on the links for full details.

Select a State and access the landmarks in that state:

< Head West
California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas

Head East >
Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Route 66 has an amazing variety of landmarks of all types: natural scenery, classic vintage motels, gas stations and historic sites, this page lists many of them so that you can plan the Road Trip of your Life.

Landmarks & Sights along U.S. Route 66

States are listed East to West from Illinois to Kansas (this page) and Oklahoma to California (next page). Towns listed from East to West within each state.

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Illinois

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

Illinois Route 66 Landmarks

Route 66 begins in Illinois for those heading west (and ends for those going east). There are plenty of Rte 66 landmarks on the plains of Illinois.

Route 66 "Begin" sign, in Chicago Route 66
Route 66 "Begin" sign, in Chicago, Illinois. Click to enlarge image

Cafes, Diners and Restaurants

Berghoff Restaurant (Chicago)
Historic Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant (Chicago)
Henry’s Drive-In (Cicero)
The first White Castle (Berwyn)

Sponsored

gigantic muffler man, the Gemini Man

Gemini Giant, Wilmington, Illinois

Historic Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket (Willowbrook)
Site of World's First Dairy Queen (Joliet)
Polk-A-Dot Drive-In (Braidwood)
Weitz Cafe (Braidwood)
Former Coffeehouse (Dwight)
Big Al’s Hot Dogs (Dwight) - (Gone)
Cozy Inn Restaurant (Pontiac)
Old Log Cabin Restaurant (Pontiac)
First Steak ’n Shake (Normal)
Historic Palms Grill Café (Atlanta)
The Mill Museum on 66 (Lincoln)
Pig Hip Marker & Sign (Broadwell)
Double H Bar (Sherman)
Historic Ariston Café (Litchfield)
Decamp Junction Roadhouse (Staunton)
Hamel Haven (Hamel)

The Bluesmobile, a replica in Joliet, Illinois

The Bluesmobile, a replica in Joliet Route 66
The Bluesmobile, a replica in Joliet, Illinois. www.foodnfuel.com

Gas Stations

Castle Car Wash (Chicago)
Former Mercury Oil gas station (Chicago)
Former Amoco Gas Station (Chicago)
Former Phillips gas station (Berwyn)

Soulsby’s Service Station in Mt. Olive Route 66

Soulsby’s Service Station, Mt. Olive Pechristener

Historical Standard Oil Gas Station (Plainfield)
Rossi’s Service Station (Braidwood)
Historic Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station (Dwight)
Historic Standard Oil Gasoline Station (Odell)
Abandoned Old Mobil Station (Odell)
Archie’s Standard Service (Pontiac)
Anderson’s Corner old gas station (Lexington)
Vintage Gas Station (Normal)
Historic Sprague’s Super Service (Normal)

The Neon Sign of Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket in Willowbrook Route 66

The Neon Sign of the Historic Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket, Willowbrook. Marcin Wichary

Quinn service station (Bloomington)
Former Evans Gas Station (Bloomington)
Logan Service Station (Lincoln)
Former Dial’s Texaco (Lincoln)
Cottage Style gas station (Lincoln)
Sinclair station (Lincoln)
Vintage Service Station (Lincoln)
Werth Standard Gas Station (Lincoln)
Former Gas Station (Elkhart)
Casey’s Garden Shop (Bloomington)
Hilarious Route 66 Gas Station (Williamsville)

former Gas station that looks like a Castle

Castle Car Wash former gas station in Chicago

Fawn’s Standard Service Station (Williamsville)
Former Bill Shea’s Gas Station Museum (Springfield)
Mahan’s Filling Station (Springfield)
Historic Soulsby’s Shell Service Station (Mt. Olive)
Former Gas Station (Mt. Olive)
Abandoned gas station (Hamel)
Old gas cottage style station, Eck Auto (Collinsville)
Former Service Station (Collinsville)
Phillips Gull Wing station (East St. Louis)Former Gas Station (East St. Louis)
Another Gull Wing station (East St. Louis)
West End Service Station (Edwardsville)
Former Gas Station (Venice)
Old Gas Station (Granite City)

Vanishing Classic Gas stations

Gas stations appeared all across the US in the 1920s, they were located where demand was: along the US highways and in the downtown areas of the cities.

They usually included a garage to repair cars -prone to breaking down in those days.

Their styles varied across the year, from homely cottages in the beginning, to stylish and modern box shaped or Art Deco stations in the 1930s.

Oil companies promoted their brands, signage and station designs which can still be recognized today.

Shifting demographics, urban sprawl, zoning and the freeways moved them out of their old locations, and many of these historic buildings are now ruined shells.

Motels & Hotels on US 66 in Illinois

Palamar Motel (Pontiac)
Lexington Motel (Lexington)
Illinois Hotel (Bloomington)
Buckles Motel (Lincoln)
Lincoln Motel (Lincoln)
Redwood Motel (Lincoln)
Pioneer Rest Motel (Broadwell)
Historic Lazy A Motel (Springfield)
Leland Hotel (Springfield)
Caravan Motel (Springfield)
Northern Aire Motel (Springfield)
Ross Motel (Springfield)
Shamrock Motel (Springfield)
Pioneer Motel (Springfield)
Art’s Motel and Restaurant (Farmersville)
The Annex Motel and Cafe (Litchfield)
Belvedere Café, Motel, and Gas Station (Litchfield)
Former Rainbo Court Motel (Fairmont City)
East St. Louis Holiday Inn (East St. Louis)

Route 66 Shield Mural in Pontiac Route 66
Route 66 Shield Mural in Pontiac, Illinois. Ivo Shandor

Americana & Kitsch

The World’s Largest Laundromat (Berwyn)
Rich and Creamy Ice Cream Stand (Joliet)
Dick’s Towing (Joliet)
Bluesmobile (Joliet)
Gemini Giant (Wilmington)
Sinclair Dinosaur (Wilmington)

The Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower in Collinsville Route 66

The Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower, Collinsville. Tristan Denyer

Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup (Funks Grove)
Muffler Man Holding Hot Dog (Atlanta)
Lincoln Watermelon Slice Monument (Lincoln)
Phone Booth on Lincoln City Hall (Lincoln)
World’s Largest Covered Wagon (Lincoln)
Lauterbatch Muffler Man (Springfield)
Rail Splitter: Skinny Abe Lincoln Statue (Springfield)
Barn with 13-star flag painted on it (Nilwood)
Pink Elephant Antique Mall (Livingston)
Henry’s Rabbit Ranch (Staunton)
Historic Largest Catsup Bottle in the World (Collinsville)
Fiberglass Cow store sign (Edwardsville)

Neon Signs and Murals

Sonrise Donuts sign in Springfield

Sonrise Donuts neon sign, Springfield

Vintage Neon Signs

Neon signs awaken a feeling of nostalgia for bygone days. They were a key advertising tool for diners, motels and restaurants across the nation from the mid 1920s to the mid 1960s.

They were built with kitschy eyecatching colorful designs.

But by the early 1970s neon signs fell out of grace: they were hand made and therefore costly. The appearance of cheap mass made fluorescent-lamp, backlit, plastic box signs for shops and stores marked the end of the neon sign era.

Fabulous McCook neon sign (McCook)
Pontiac Murals (Pontiac)
Selz Royal Blue Shoes Mural (Chenoa)
Lexington Neon Arrow Sign (Lexington)

Turkey Tracks sign in Nilwood US66

Turkey Tracks sign, Nilwood, Il. Jim Grey

Tropics Neon Sign (Lincoln)
Sonrise Donuts (Springfield)
Vic Suhling Neon Sign (Litchfield)
Nite Spot Café neon sign (Fairmont City)
Kriege Hardware ⁄ Deweys Pizza neon sign (Edwardsville)
Dairy Master neon sign (Madison)

Route 66 stuff

Eastern Terminus of Route 66 (Chicago)
The Lincoln Highway Meets Route 66 (Plainfield)
Lincoln Highway and Route 66 in Joliet (Joliet)
Odell Subway Tunnel (Odell)
Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum (Pontiac)
Cayuga to Chenoa Historic section of US 66 (Chenoa)
Memory Lane (Lexington)
The Route 66 Parkway (Towanda)
Towanda Dead Man’s Curve (Towanda)
Historic Brick Road (Auburn)
Historic Route 66 Girard to Nilwood (Nilwood)
Turkey Tracks on 1926 US66 (Nilwood)

Chain of Rocks Bridge nowadays in Madison Route 66
Chain of Rocks Bridge nowadays in Madison, Illinois

Buildings, historic sites, architecture, theaters

And this ends our long list of Illinois landmarks, but there are plenty more, you can find a specific landmark in any of the state's towns:

Towns on US 66 in Illinois

Check out the Route 66 towns in Illinois learn all about their notable places, history, attractions, wheather, how to get there, where to stay and much more.

Missouri

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

Misouri US 66 Landmarks

Starting at St. Louis with its "Gateway Arch" Route 66 has quite a few landmarks along its Missouri alignment.
We list them categorized and within each category, detailed from Eeast to West. Enjoy your roadtrip!

Munger Moss Motel's classic neon sign on Route 66 in Lebanon MO

Munger Moss Motel's classic neon sign, Lebanon MO
Marcin Wichary

Landmark Categories

Route 66 classics & Kitsch

Giant Sign (St. Louis)
Gateway Arch (St. Louis)
Pink Elephant (Fenton)
Route 66 State Park (Times Beach)

Wilders Steakhouse neon signs in Joplin Mo

Wilders Steakhouse, Joplin Missouri

Meramec Caverns painted Barn sign (St. Clair)
Indian Harvest Trading Post Teepees (St. Clair)
Meramec State Park (Sullivan)
Route 66 Viva Cuba Murals (Cuba)
The World's (second) Largest Rocking Chair (Fanning)
Hillbilly Sign (Rolla)
Totem Pole Antiques (Rolla)
Larry Baggett's Trail of Tears Memorial (Jerome)
Uranus Missouri (St. Robert)
Frog Rock (Waynesville)
Giant Bowling Pin (Buckhorn)
Replica of the Hubble Space Telescope (Marshfield)
Birthplace of Route 66 Roadside Park (Springfield)
Mural on Route 66 (Springfield)
Birthplace of Route 66 (Springfield)

Cemeteries, Churches & Bridges

Chain of Rocks Bridge (St. Louis)
Meramec River US 66 Bridge (Times Beach)
Beaver Creek Bridge (Doolittle)
Route 66 Bridge at Devil's Elbow (Devil's Elbow)
1942 Big Piney River Bridge (Devil's Elbow)
Roubidoux Bridge (Waynesville)
1840 Cemetery (Hazelgreen)
Route 66 Gasconade Bridge (Hazelgreen)

Gigantic Rocking Chair
The world’s second largest rocking chair, Route 66 in Fanning, Missouri. Abe Ezekowitz

Neon Signs

Beacon Motel (Pacific)
Skylark Motel (St. Clair)
Cafe Sign (Lebanon)
Satellite Lanes (Lebanon)
Ghost Sign (Conway)
Meramec Caves Barn Sign (Conway)
Red’s Giant Hamburg sign (Springfield)

Rte 66 Museums

Route 66 Museum (Lebanon)
Route 66 Car Museum (Springfield)

Historic Sites

Old Gillioz theater

Old Gillioz theater on Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri, by Abe Ezekowitz

Chain of Rocks Bridge (St. Louis)
International Shoe Company Building (St. Clair)
Cuba City Jail (Calaboose) (Cuba)
Dillon House (1857) (Rolla)
Historic County Jail (1860) (Rolla)
Fort Leonard Wood (St. Robert)
George M. Reed Roadside Park (St. Robert)
Site of Waynesville Fort (Waynesville)
Historic Stagecoach Stop (Waynesville)
Historic County Courthouse (Waynesville)
Woodruff Building (Springfield)
Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque (Springfield)
Gillioz Theatre (Springfield)
Old Jail: Calaboose (Springfield)
Pythian Castle (Springfield)
Historic Rock Fountain Tourist Court (Springfield)

classic 1930s gas station

Gary's Gay Parita Sinclair Gas Station
Paris Springs MO, openroads.com

Post Office (Avilla)
Whee Bridge (Carthage)
66 drive-in theater (Carthage)
Red Oak II (Carthage)
Superman museum (Carterville)
Praying Hands statue (Webb City)
Dales Ole 66 Barber (Joplin)
The Route 66 Mural Park (Joplin)
Bonnie and Clyde Garage Apartment (Joplin)

Vintage Service Stations

Boots Court Motel box-shaped building
Boots Court Motel on Route 66 in Carthage, Missouri
Tony Hisgett

Classic Motels, Hotels and Tourist Camps

Missouri has many classic motels, some abandoned, others repurposed, and quite a few still alive and kicking lodging Route 66 travelers. Below we list some of them:

From East to West

Classic Motels from St. Louis to St. Robert

Duplex Tourist (Marlborough)
La Casa GrandeMotel (Marlborough)
Wayside Motel (Marlborough)
Chippewa Motel (Marlborough)
Steiny’s Inn (Times Beach)
Trail's End Motel (Gray Summit)
Gardenway Motel (Gray Summit)
Sunset Motel (Villa Ridge)
St. Clair Motel (St. Clair)
Scully's Sunset Inn (St. Clair)
Delta Motel (Stanton)
Cavern City Hideout Motel and Restaurant (Stanton)
Stanton Motel (Stanton)
Ozark Court Motel (Stanton)
Grande Courts (Sullivan)
Shamrock Motel (Sullivan)
Southern Hotel (Cuba)

rock facade of Historic Wagon Wheel Motel
Historic Wagon Wheel Motel, Cafe and Gas Station in Cuba, Missouri, by Klotz
Vintage Motels from St. Robert to Joplin
lit up colorful neon sign of Rest Haven Court Motel
Lit up neon sign at the Rest Haven Court Motel in Springfield MO. Gorup de Besanez

Theatres

Screen of the Drive In Theatre in Carthage Missouri

66 Drive-In Theatre, Route 66, Carthage, Missouri, by Carol Highsmith

19 Drive-In Theater (Cuba)
Holiday Drive-in Theater (Springfield)
66 drive-in theater (Carthage)
Route 66 Movie Theatre (Webb City)
Civic Theater (Webb City)
Fox Theatre (Joplin)

US 66 Diners, Cafés and Restaurants

Crown Candy Kitchen (St. Louis)
Eat-Rite Diner (St. Louis)
Bauer’s Ranch House (St. Louis)

Donuts Drive In (St. Louis)
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard (St. Louis)
Former Phil's Bar-B-Cue (Eureka)
Tri County Truck Stop (Villa Ridge)
Johnnie’s Bar (St. James)
Happy Hill Cafe (Jerome)
Old Munger-Moss Sandwich Shop (Devil's Elbow)
Site of Devil’s Elbow Café (Devil's Elbow)
Red Cedar Inn (Pacific)
Retro Route 66 Diner (St. Robert)
Skyline Cafe (Marshfield)
Former Route 66 Crawford Cafe (Strafford)
Steak ’n Shake (Springfield)
Alli’s Family Restaurant (Springfield)
Midway Service & Cafe (Avilla)
Whisler's Drive-Up (Carthage)
Carterville Dairy Creme (Carterville)
Wilder's Steakhouse (Joplin)
Fred and Red's diner (Joplin)
Mr. Swiss (Joplin)
The Colonel's Restaurant (Joplin)

Find landmarks in Missouri's US 66 Towns

Our list of Missouri's Route 66 Landmarks ends here but you can check each town individually to find more of them:

Learn all bout Missouri's Route 66 towns and their landmarks.

>> Book your    Hotels in Missouri

Kansas

U.S. 66 Landmarks in Kansas

This is the shortest segment of Route 66, and there are only three towns on its alginment (from east to west): Galena, Riverton and Baxter Springs.

Some of Route 66's landmarks in Kansas

View of Galena's Historic District

Historic Place: Downtown District Galena, KS
Abe Ezekowitz

Kansas Route 66 Historic District-East Galena

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Main Street, Galena, KS.

Classic buildings of an early 1900s Midwestern American city's Main Street which is the original 1926 alignment of Route 66.

Another landmark is the Kan-O-Tex Service Station & Diner built in 1934. It is now known as "Cars on the Route" (formerly "Little's Service Station, "4 Women on the Route).

Tow Mater, the boom truck in Pixar's movie "Cars" was inspired by a truck that can be seen at the service station.

Just ahead, in Riverton is a Historical landmark:

The oldest continuously operating store on Route 66: Open since 1925.

old Williams' Store front

Historic Place: Williams' Store, now Eisler Brothers Old Riverton Store, Riverton, KS

The Williams' Store

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

7109 SE Highway 66, Riverton, KS.

It is the oldest store still operating on US 66, this building dates back to 1925, one year before the creation of the Mother Road.

Leo Williams opened it in 1923 but a a tornado razed it, so he rebuilt it in 1925. Leo and his wife ran the store until 1970. It was acquired by Isabell and Joe Eisler in 1973 and is now managed and owned by their nephew.

It is now the "Eisler Bros Old Riverton Store".

Historic US 66 Rainbow Bridge built in 1923

Bush Creek Arch Bridge on US 66 in Kansas
Concrete Marsh Arch Bridge (Bush Creek Bridge), Riverton, Kansas

Bush Creek Bridge

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Old Route 66, Riverton, KS.

An original concrete arch bridge also known as the "Rainbow Bridge". Built in 1923.

It became part of US66 in 1926. It is a an elegant bridge, with two concrete arches 130 feet (40 m) long. It is the only surviving bridge of its kind in Kansas.

gabled roof, cottage style service station

Independent Oil & Gas Service Station, Kevin

Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

940 Military Avenue - Highway 66, Baxter Springs, KS.

This service station is an example of the 1930s "cotttage" styl typical of the major oil companies during the Great Depression.

The building was enlarged in 1940, but its style was preserved. Originally part of the Independent Oil and Gas Co., it was acquired in 1930 by Phillips Petroleum. The main features of the "cottage style" were a pitched and gabled roof, brick and stucco walls, neat windows and a chimney. Notice the bay window by the entrance.

End of Page 1

This concludes the list of landmarks in the states of Illinois, Missouri and Kansas. See those in the remaining states of Route 66

Go to More Landmarks on the Next Page

Visit the US 66 landmarks in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California:

Landmarks Page 2

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Credits

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

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