 U.S. Highway 66 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Rogers Highway | ||||
.png) | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byTxDOT | ||||
| Length | 179 mi[1] (288 km) | |||
| Existed | November 11, 1926 (1926-11-11)–June 26, 1985 (1985-06-26)[2] | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 66 at theNew Mexico state line inGlenrio | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| East end | US 66 at theOklahoma state line nearTexola | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Texas | |||
| Counties | Deaf Smith,Oldham,Potter,Carson,Gray,Donley,Wheeler | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
U.S. Route 66 (US 66,Route 66) in the state ofTexas extended across theTexas Panhandle from its designation in 1926 to its decommissioning in 1985. From theNew Mexico state line inGlenrio toAmarillo inPotter County, US 66 was directly located along the historicOzark Trail, anauto trail that stretched fromSt. Louis, Missouri toLas Vegas, New Mexico.
The original US 66 followed an east–west line across theTexas Panhandle fromGlenrio toTexola, Oklahoma. WhenInterstate 40 (I-40) was constructed most of the highway was upgraded in place, reducing construction costs and keeping existing towns close to the new highway to minimize tourism losses. Bypassed towns included Glenrio, Adrian, Vega, Conway, Groom, Jericho, Alanreed, McLean, and Shamrock; US 66 in each is retained as abusiness loop or spur of I-40. Outside of the towns, US 66 is typically retained as afrontage road for I-40.
Route 66 originally crossed fromNew Mexico intoTexas atGlenrio, anunincorporated community founded in 1903 as aRock Island Railroad siding. During Route 66's heyday, Glenrio's cafés,filling stations and businesses such as the First/Last Motel in Texas served travellers on the highway; after the road was bypassed in 1973, Glenrio became aghost town.[3]
Adrian (pop. 149) bills itself as the geographic "Midpoint of Route 66".Flo of Flo's V-8 Diner inPixar'sCars is based on Fran Houser (who owned theMidpoint Café but has since semi-retired); the Mia and Tia characters are based on two sisters at the Midpoint Café.[4] InVega, Texas, the 1947 Vega Motel remains in operation as a historic motel.[5]
Amarillo is the only major city on the Texas portion of US 66; its6th Street Historic District[6] includes a dozen buildings incorporating elements of Spanish Revival, Art Deco, and Art Moderne design including homes, service stations, a historic fire hall and a church. TheCadillac Ranch inspired the Cadillac Range mountains inCars while theTex Dinoco character adopts the appearance of the stretched, longhorn Cadillac vehicles at Amarillo'sBig Texan Steak Ranch. The Ranchotel, atourist court built in 1940 and designed architecturally to resemble a Texas ranch, was one of sixty-eight Route 66 lodgings operating in Amarillo by 1953. The building still stands in good condition but is now used as apartments.[7] Eastbound alignments out of Amarillo include one that parallels I-40 (where one can find the Steak Ranch), while another is alongI-40 business, multiplexed with US Route 60 for several miles out of town. The original alignment was probably along 8th Avenue, but that alignment has been interrupted byAmarillo International Airport.
InConway a portion of Route 66 fromState Highway 207 (SH 207) to I-40 is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[8] Conway is home toThe Bug Farm (with five VW Beetles buried nose down) and a trading post; the Triangle Motel is as of 2012[update] being restored after years of resting closed, neglected and abandoned.
InGroom, Texas a leaning water tower stands empty, originally placed as an advertisement for a truck stop which burned years ago. A large crucifix serves as a local landmark. InMcLean theMcLean Commercial Historic District includes one of the first Phillips Petroleum stations in Texas (1929, now restored). Also in McLean is theDevils Rope Barbed Wire Museum, the Avalon Theatre and the Cactus Inn Motel.[9]
Shamrock has restored theTower Station and U-Drop Inn Café as a visitor centre; the Tower Station's distinctive architecture appears asRamone's body shop inCars.[10] APioneer West Museum on two floors of the former Reynolds Hotel highlights a diversity ofWest Texas exhibits and the Route 66 Bridge over theChicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railroad is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11]
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Before the U.S. Route system, this route was a system of interconnected highways from New Mexico to Oklahoma, considered a part of the Texas highway system from New Mexico to Amarillo and a portion of the Ozark Trails. In Amarillo, the Ozark route split off to a more southerly route, while general low-grade roads continued east. This entire route closely paralleled theChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. Most construction through the Panhandle was slow, and remained low-grade roads through most of the 1920s.
In 1926, theUnited States Numbered Highway system was introduced, and the route across the Texas Panhandle was given the number of 66. It was designated along already created roads in the Texas highway network. Large portions of the highway remained earthen roads until the entire route was completely paved in 1938. A few realignments were made to the original route. A new routing on the east side of Amarillo was completed in 1959 to make way for the expansion of the Amarillo Air Force Base, while the rest of the route through Amarillo was rebuilt on the north side of downtown.
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deaf Smith | Glenrio | 0.0 | 0.0 |   US 66 west –Albuquerque | New Mexico state line |
| Oldham | |   FM 2858 south | |||
| Adrian | 23 | 37 |  SH 214 south | ||
| Vega | 36 | 58 |  US 385 –Channing,Hereford | ||
| Wildorado | 50 | 80 |  FM 809 south | ||
| Potter | Bushland | 53 | 85 |   RM 2381 north | |
| Amarillo |  Loop 335 south | ||||
  Bus. US 66 east (9th Avenue) | |||||
 RM 1061 north | |||||
 FM 1719 (Western Street) | |||||
| 72 | 116 |    US 60 west /US 87 /US 287 /Bus. US 66 west (Fillmore Street) –Dumas,Pampa,Canyon,Lubbock,Fort Worth | Western end of US 60 overlap | ||
 SH 136 north –Fritch,Borger | |||||
| Loop 335 | |||||
| |  FM 1912 | ||||
| | US 60 east –Panhandle | Eastern end of US 60 overlap | |||
| Carson | |  FM 2575 west | |||
| |  FM 2161 north | ||||
| Conway |  SH 207 north –Panhandle | Western end of SH 207 overlap | |||
| | SH 207 south –Claude | Eastern end of SH 207 overlap | |||
| Lark |  FM 2880 north | ||||
| |  FM 294 | ||||
| Groom | 114 | 183 |  FM 295 north | ||
 FM 2300 north | |||||
| Gray | |  SH 70 north –Pampa | Western end of SH 70 overlap | ||
| Donley | | SH 70 south –Clarendon | Eastern end of SH 70 overlap | ||
| Gray | |  Loop 271 east | |||
| Alanreed |  FM 291 | ||||
| |  Loop 271 west toFM 291 south | ||||
| McLean | 144 | 232 |  SH 273 –Lefors,Pampa,Shamrock,Hedley | ||
 FM 3143 south | |||||
| Wheeler | |  FM 1443 north | |||
| |  FM 453 north | ||||
| Lela |  FM 1547 | ||||
| |  FM 2474 north | ||||
| Shamrock | 163 | 262 |  US 83 –Wheeler,Wellington | ||
| |  FM 2168 north | ||||
| |  FM 1802 south | ||||
| | 179 | 288 | US 66 east –Oklahoma City | Oklahoma state line | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
Glenrio, formerlyRock Island, is an unincorporated community in bothDeaf Smith County, Texas andQuay County, New Mexico. Theghost town sits on the Texas–New Mexico state line. It includes theGlenrio Historic District, which was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2007. Glenrio has one active business, a cannabis dispensary, located on the New Mexico side, where recreational cannabis sale and usage is legal.
The McLean Commercial District, consisting of most of the downtown area ofMcLean, was listed in the historical register on December 20, 2006.[12]
The Big Texan Steak Ranch & Brewery was established by R. J. "Bob" Lee and was opened on Route 66 in 1960. He commissioned a towering, illuminated sign that featured acowboy with hat pushed back on his head. The restaurant was designed to capture the romanticized feel of theOld West and provide unique ambiance for people enjoying a steak dinner.[13]
TheEnglish Field House is aMexican restaurant east ofAmarillo. It was opened in 1929 as alongside English Field (known today as theRick Husband Amarillo International Airport) by Harold English.
 U.S. Route 66 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous state: New Mexico | Texas | Next state: Oklahoma |
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