Illinois Route 66 - Lincoln

LINCOLN, ILLINOIS. The old Mill Restaurant, first opened in 1929 and looking wonderful today in the midst of its restoration. (Have the schnitzel if it ever reopens as a restaurant.) You can't miss that windmill as you head west out of town on Washington Street.

Illinois Route 66 - Lincoln

Memorial Day, Lincoln, Illinois, 2006

The boys from Post 263 on Memorial Day, 2006.

LINCOLN, ILLINOIS. During a prior Route 66 trip, in 2006, it was my good fortune to arrive in downtown Lincoln on Memorial Day. I arrived in time to witness a small ceremony in front of the Logan County Courthouse, and I knew the same sort of remembrance was being conducted in cities and towns all across the country that day. It was small town America at its best, with plenty of flags, veterans, fire engines, and lots of thankful and respectful people. I'm sure the food was great as well, but I did not have time to linger.

Illinois Route 66 - Lincoln

LINCOLN, ILLINOIS. Phone booth on the roof of the Lincoln, Illinois, city hall building, one of the more under-appreciated Route 66 attractions. Anyway, what's a phone booth?

Illinois Route 66 - Lincoln

LINCOLN, ILLINOIS. Another great example of Route 66 turn of the century architecture, the "modern" Logan County Courthouse was completed in 1905. Abraham Lincoln himself worked as a lawyer in earlier courthouses on the same site.

Illinois Route 66 - Atlanta

ATLANTA, ILLINOIS. Atlanta takes its role as a 66 town quite seriously, offering plenty of attractions in a relatively quick walkabout. Look for the murals, the giant Muffler Man, a handsome little public library and clock tower, and architecture from the turn of the last century.

Illinois Route 66 - Atlanta

ATLANTA, ILLINOIS. Street scene, Atlanta, circa 1926/2012.

Illinois Route 66 - Atlanta

ATLANTA, ILLINOIS. Neon for the Palms Grill Cafe, opened in 1934 and reopened in 2009. There used to be a light on the bottom of the Palms original sign that customers could switch on to alert a passing Greyhound Bus. If the driver was hungry, he just might stop and pick them up.

Illinois Route 66 - Atlanta

ATLANTA, ILLINOIS. The Muffler Man of Atlanta, now pressed into service as a hot dog vendor. Someone we can all look up to.

Illinois Route 66 - McLean

McLEAN, ILLINOIS. Established in 1928 in McLean, Illinois, on old Route 66, the Dixie Truckers Home has survived all these years because it was lucky enough not to be bypassed with the coming of the Interstate. Old 66 in that area was simply improved and expanded, magically turning into new Interstate 55; traffic never stopped flowing past the stop's pumps and restaurant. The establishment has endured some hardships over the years, including bankruptcy in 2001 and a switch to corporate ownership in 2003. It actually burned to the ground in 1965, but through it all this truck stop has remained open for business continuously since the day it was founded, except for a few hours that busy day of the fire.
      I first visited the Dixie in 2005, and yes, I did have their famous "broasted" chicken. The waitress warned me that the house specialty would take 20 minutes to prepare, but that was no problem for a traveler from the two-lane. She must have mistaken me for a frenzied I-55 traveler.

Illinois Route 66 - Funks Grove

FUNKS GROVE, ILLINOIS. Directions for a Route 66 traveler, looking for the sirup makers. Funks Grove was settled by the Funk family, of course, makers of maple sirup since 1891. That's their own famous misspelling on the sign, and their country store.

Illinois Route 66

Illinois Route 66, black & white.

Illinois Route 66 - Ocoya

OCOYA, ILLINOIS. Progress, as viewed from where I was standing on an abandoned portion of Route 66 in Illinois. It's likely that grain stored in these silos was first hauled away on the railroad tracks that still run directly in front of them, later on the portion of old 66 pictured here (that is wearing down but still drivable), while today the grain is transported by big noisy rigs on the interstate that was behind me as I stood here.

Illinois Route 66 - Ocoya

OCOYA, ILLINOIS. Farm stuff and Route 66. Is this the same grain elevator that Jack Rittenhouse mentions in his 66 guide book, back in 1946?

Illinois Route 66 - Pontiac

PONTIAC, ILLINOIS. The Mayor's ride. This 1929 Pontiac (what else?) was loaned to the city for a year by a gentleman from Australia. I found it parked out front of the auto museum, but Mayor Robert Russell admitted that he does get to drive it around on special occasions. It must be fun being mayor of a Route 66 town!

Illinois Route 66 - Pontiac

PONTIAC, ILLINOIS. The Pontiac Car Museum is a hoot. It is officially called the Pontiac-Oakland Automobile Museum, which includes the Oakland brand of automobile that enjoyed a few brief runs early in the 20th century. The Pontiac car collection is courtesy of Tim Dye, a car enthusiast from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, who is also the museum's director. That's Tim in the museum's resource center, a library filled with Pontiac related materials. I love it!

Illinois Route 66 - Pontiac

PONTIAC, ILLINOIS. Sort of like a coffee table book about coffee tables, the Pontiac Car Museum is a Pontiac museum in Pontiac. Only old Pontiac automobiles are on display here, in the city of Pontiac.

Illinois Route 66 - Pontiac

PONTIAC, ILLINOIS. The city of Pontiac is certainly worth a chunk of your precious 66 time. Start with the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, of course, which is housed in the old city hall building. (The Livingston County War Museum is also in the house, making it a convenient two for one stop.) The rest of your walkabout should uncover about 20 or so painted murals and the wonderfully small town Livingston County Courthouse.

Illinois Route 66 - Pontiac

PONTIAC, ILLINOIS. The Livingston County Courthouse, located in Pontiac. Doesn't every small town in America have a handsome old courthouse like this? Mine doesn't, but the nearby town of Hackensack does.

Illinois Route 66 - Pontiac

PONTIAC, ILLINOIS. One of the fabulous Pontiac Route 66 murals.

Illinois Route 66 - Pontiac

PONTIAC, ILLINOIS. Preserved sign from the Wishing Well Motel, a recently demolished Route 66 landmark. The old motel, located in the Chicago suburb of Countryside, Illinois (no kidding), was built in 1941 and razed in 2007. The sign and the well were saved and moved to the Route 66 Museum in Pontiac.

Illinois Route 66 - Pontiac

PONTIAC, ILLINOIS. Original highway marker for the old Route 4 Bridge in Pontiac, built in 1926 as a crossing of the North Creek for Illinois State Route 4. The original bridge, since replaced except for the end pieces that include this marker, became the original Route 66 alignment through town.

Illinois Route 66 - Pontiac

PONTIAC, ILLINOIS. This is the famous "rotated" Route 66 restaurant. Opened in 1926 to face the original 66 alignment, the Old Log Cabin was raised up on jacks and twisted around to face the new four lane 66 that was built to bypass the town.

Illinois Route 66 - Cayuga

CAYUGA, ILLINOIS. An old Meramec Caverns Barn on an Illinois farm shows how things were advertised before TV and the Internet. (The farm's main profit center is on the left.) The barn was restored in 1998 by the Illinois Preservation Committee.

Illinois Route 66 - Cayuga

CAYUGA, ILLINOIS. Another reminder that Route 66 is not officially there. But we know better!

Illinois Route 66 - Odell

Farm Stuff, a short and pleasant walk from the old Standard Oil Station

Route 66 and Elk Street, Odell, Illinois

Illinois Route 66 - Odell

John Weiss, chairman of the Illinois Route 66 Preservation Committee

John Weiss really packs them on his tour of the Odell Station

ODELL, ILLINOIS. I was fortunate to run into John Weiss, the most enthusiastic Route 66 supporter in all of Illinois, at the restored Standard Oil Station in Odell. I had met John 5 or 6 years ago and received a personal tour of the station, but this time, it was fun just watching him entertain an entire busload of 66 travelers. Later that day we crossed paths again in nearby Pontiac, where John took me around the corner and introduced me to the mayor. Just your typical day on Route 66!

       John is chairman of the Illinois Route 66 Preservation Committee, and he and his wife, Lenore, were instrumental in the "Save the Odell Station" project back in 1996. And of course, John's guide to Illinois Route 66 is always open on the seat next to me during 66 tours of that state.

Illinois Route 66 - Odell

 

ODELL, ILLINOIS. Another and more famous old filling station in Odell, the fully restored 1932 Standard Oil station. It was restored by the efforts of the Illinois Route 66 Preservation Committee, those good folks who knew enough to include a squeaky sign that sways in the wind. Have a seat and see who stops by.

Illinois Route 66 - Odell

ODELL, ILLINOIS. A mid-twentieth century archeological site on old Route 66 in Illinois, offering a close-up look at the few remaining artifacts from that lost era, including the classic Pegasus logo.

     The rusty old gas pump at this long abandoned Mobil station has one modern day attention grabber. Look closely at the 3 digit "Total Purchase" and go back to a time when a fill up could not cost more than $9.99, no matter what. And remember, back in the day, an attendant would actually come out through that faded door and pump your gas for you!

Illinois Route 66

ILLINOIS ROUTE 66: A view of America's Heartland - an Illinois cornfield and red barn as seen from old Route 66. Near Odell, Illinois.

Illinois Route 66

ILLINOIS ROUTE 66: An abandoned section of old Route 66 slowly returns to nature. Near Odell, Illinois.

Illinois Route 66

ILLINOIS ROUTE 66. Much of old Route 66 in Illinois was converted to a four-lane divided highway by 1940, bypassing the center of many small towns. When modern Interstate 55 was built in the 1970's, 66 for the most part returned to its roots as a two-lane, with the other two lanes abandoned and left to the elements. There are many of these old sections still to be found, like this one near Odell.

Illinois Route 66 - Dwight

DWIGHT, ILLINOIS. The Ambler-Becker filling station in Dwight, located on the once busy intersection of U.S. Route 66 and Illinois Route 17. You could park your lawn chair and get some sun on that intersection today. Built in 1933, the station actually sold gas until 1999, and was restored in the 2000's. The business operated as a Texaco under Mr. Ambler, and as a Marathon under Mr. Becker. It was probably always a good place to pick up some smokes.

      Locals Jean & Fred were attending the station for Route 66 visitors during my visit, and gave me a tour of the place. Fred grew up on a farm in the area, so I inquired about the local history. He explained that basically the same amount of land is being farmed in that part of Illinois as compared to his day, with a lot fewer owners. A small number of big companies have replaced a large number of family farms. You can't halt progress - the big companies are a lot more efficient, which offers all kinds of benefits - but you can mourn the loss of a way of life. I left these folks a little bit sadder.

Illinois Route 66 - Gardner

GARDNER, ILLINOIS. A little Route 66 town by the railroad, Gardner was founded way back in 1854. Population growth has been steady since WW II, almost doubling, according to the last census. There were 864 citizens in Gardner in 1946, while at least 1,400 crowded the city as of 2010. They're out there somewhere.

     Gardner is famous for its historic two cell jail, and it is worth a visit. I guess if you commit the third crime of the day in Gardner, they just let you go.