[ VOA - This is America ] Get Your Kicks on Route 66 This week , we go for a ride through the colorful history of Route 66 , a road that has been called " The Main Street of America . ” The idea for Route 66 started in Oklahoma . Citizens there wanted to link their state with states to the east and west . By the 1920 s , federal officials wanted to connect state roads to provide a shorter , faster way across the country . So a plan was developed to connect existing state roads into one long national highway . United States Highway 66 was established on November 11 , 1926 . It was one the first federal highways . It crossed eight states . It was 3 , 800 kilometers long . Route 66 became the most famous road in America . It passed through the center of many cities and towns . It crossed deserts , mountains , valleys and rivers . In the 1930 s , people suffered through the Great Depression . In Oklahoma , many poor families lost their farms because of dust storms . So they traveled west to California on Route 66 in search of a better life . In 1939 , John Steinbeck wrote about these families in " The Grapes of Wrath . " In his book , Steinbeck wrote : " 66 -- the long concrete path across the country , waving gently up and down on the map . .. over the red lands and the gray lands , twisting up into the mountains , crossing the Divide and down into the bright and terrible desert , and across the desert to the mountains again , and into the rich California valleys . ” Steinbeck wrote : " 66 is the path of a people in flight , refugees from dust and shrinking land … 66 is the mother road , the road of flight . " In 1946 , the songwriter Bobby Troup and his wife drove across the country to Los Angeles . He wrote a song about traveling on Route 66 . The song told people they could have fun , could get their kicks , on that drive . In Los Angeles , Bobby Troup took the song to Nat King Cole , who recorded it . It became a huge hit . In the 1950 s , holiday travel brought more and more families out West to explore . Route 66 represented the spirit of movement and excitement . In the 1960 s , Americans watched a popular television series called " Route 66 . " It was the story of two young men driving across the country . The show was filmed in cities and towns across America . Yet only a few shows were filmed on the real Route 66 . In real life , people were getting fewer and fewer kicks on Route 66 . By 1962 , parts of the road were closed because they were in poor condition . The federal government was building bigger highways . Cars and trucks could travel at higher speeds . People started driving on these new interstate highways instead of the old Route 66 . Finally , in 1985 , Route 66 was officially removed from the national highway system . People have formed groups to save parts of the old 66 and many of the interesting places to eat , stay and see along the way . Award - winning writer Michael Wallis is an expert on the historic highway . He is the author of " Route 66 : The Mother Road . " Michael Wallis was born in Saint Louis , Missouri , right off the highway . He has lived in seven of the eight states along its path . His website , michaelwallis . com , has information and stories about the history of the Mother Road . Now it is our turn to take a trip on Route 66 . We will have to search for it at times . Many parts of the road have new names or numbers . Some parts of it are included in other interstate highways . The Willis Tower , formerly known as the Sears Tower , in Chicago Illinois is 442 meters tall . xThe Willis Tower , formerly known as the Sears Tower , in Chicago Illinois is 442 meters tall . Our trip begins in the Midwest , in Chicago , Illinois . Almost three million people live there . Chicago is America ’ s third largest city . From Chicago , the road goes southwest through many small towns in Illinois . one of them is Springfield , the home of America ’ s 16 th president , Abraham Lincoln . Now we cross into Missouri . We drive through Saint Louis , the city known as " the Gateway to the West . " More than 300 , 000 people live there . There are many natural wonders to see in Missouri . one of the most famous along Route 66 is Meramec Caverns in Stanton . Inside the cave , visitors see beautifully colored stalagmites and stalactites . These are mineral formations . Stalagmites rise from the floor ; stalactites hang from the ceiling . Long ago , local Indian tribes used the Meramec Caverns for shelter . A French miner named Jacques Renault discovered saltpeter in the caverns in the 1700 s . The material was used to produce gunpowder . Later , the outlaw Jesse James is said to have used the caverns as a hiding place . A wall cloud forms near Purcell , Oklahoma . The state often has tornadoes and other extreme weather . xA wall cloud forms near Purcell , Oklahoma . The state often has tornadoes and other extreme weather . From Missouri , our drive takes us for a very short time through the state of Kansas . Then we enter Oklahoma . Oklahoma may well be the heart and soul of Route 66 . That is because there are more kilometers of the road in Oklahoma than in any other state . In Claremore , Oklahoma , a statue honors a famous American , Will Rogers . Will Rogers was born in Claremore . He became a popular actor , radio broadcaster and newspaper writer in the 1920 s and 30 s . We pass through many historic towns in Oklahoma . In Oklahoma City , we can visit the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center . And in Clinton , we can stop at the Route 66 Museum . This official museum tells the complete history of the road and its importance to America . Now we drive through the northern part of Texas . The area is called the Texas Panhandle . We stop near the city of Amarillo to look at some unusual art that celebrates Route 66 . Welcome to Cadillac Ranch . A Cadillac is a large , costly automobile . Cadillac Ranch has ten of them half buried in the ground . A wealthy farmer and art collector named Stanley Marsh created Cadillac Ranch to honor America ’ s roads . Continuing west , we travel through the states of New Mexico and Arizona . We pass through some of the most beautiful country in the Southwest . Petrified Forest National Park is one of the natural wonders of Arizona . Trees that are millions of years old have turned to stone in unusual shapes . North of Route 66 is a desert known for its red and yellow sand and rocks . Its name is the Painted Desert . We continue on our trip , driving on a winding road up and down the Black Mountains . We arrive at Oatman , Arizona . Long ago , Oatman was a rich gold - mining town . Everyone left the town when the mining ended . Today Oatman still looks like it did in the past . An ancient rock drawing in Nevada ' s Mojave DesertxAn ancient rock drawing in Nevada ' s Mojave DesertNow we enter California . We pass through the Mojave Desert , some mountains and several interesting towns . The old highway gets lost among the modern road systems of Los Angeles . Finally , we arrive at the Pacific Ocean in the city of Santa Monica . Our trip ends . We watch the tide come in , and thank Route 66 for the ride .