Route 66 talk phoenix 2016 01 19

The Birth of Route 66A Talk Given by Tom Peters at the

MO State Univ. MarooNation Alumni EventPhoenix, Tues., Jan. 19, 2016

Born 1926; Died 1985 (59 years)

Birth of Route 66: Fri. April 30, 1926

1880s: Bicyclists Need Good Roads

1900: William Hope (“Coin”) Harvey

1902-1908: Monte Ne, AR via Rail

1913-1924: Ozark Trails Assoc.

Lift Missouri Out of the Mud

• July 1915: A Good Roads meeting in Marshfield (pop. 1,200) is attended by 4,000.

• Nov. 1921: MO Voters Approve $60 million for a series of Paved Primary Roads ($850 M in 2016)

• 1922: Heated discussions and protests over the routes of Missouri’s paved primary roads

• 1925: U.S. Proposes a Series of Numbered National Routes

Thomas H. (“The Chief”) MacDonaldDirected Federal Road Policy 1919-53

Cyrus Avery of Tulsa

B.H. Piepmeier, Chief Engineer, Missouri Highway Dept.

William Shields, Governor of KY

Colonial Hotel: Birthplace of 66

Woodruff Building

Across the Street

The Real Street Scene in the 1920s

Not a Momentous Meeting at the Time

Avery to Piepmeier, (Sat.) April 17, 1926:

“Am hoping to make a trip over that section sometime in the near future and hope to have the pleasure of seeing you.”

Colonial Hotel & Woodruff Bldg. 1924

This Was a Postal Telegraph Telegram

Note the Western Union Office

Centennial of the Birth of Route 66!

Thurs. April 30, 2026 in Springfield

Thank You!

Questions Discussion