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