Route 66 Then and Now®: A fascinating guide to the history and architecture of Route 66

by Joe Sonderman

Route 66 Then and Now  travels the Mother Road with a bunch of classic old photos, revealing what is still there, what's been beautifully preserved and what has disappeared forever. The ‘Mother Road’ or the ‘Will Rogers Highway’ has been open since 1926. Its heyday was the WWII and post-war era and many roadside structures sprang up to cater for the “tin-can tourists” making the journey from East to West. Gas stations, motels, and diners all had to compete for business and what better way to attract attention than with a wacky feature such as a wigwam motel, an iceberg cafe, or a whale-themed diner. Route 66 Then and Now  revisits some of these bizarre (and not-so-bizarre) structures to see what’s left before time takes its toll. Some, such as the Magnolia Service Station in Kansas, have been preserved on the National Historic Register; others, such as the Aztec Motel in Albuquerque, are still doing a thriving business; while others have simpy vanished from the landscape. Starting in Chicago,  Route 66 Then and Now  takes in the motels, cafes, gas stations, roadside attractions and key towns and sites along the route. From the Blue Whale in Catoosa, past Angel Delgadillo’s store in Seligman, Arizona, to the end point in Santa Monica, Route 66 historian Joe Sonderman takes readers on the 2,500-mile trip, illustrated by his fabulous postcard collection.  Chicago, Joliet, Dwight, Pontiac, Logan County.   St. Louis, Lebanon, Springfield, Joplin.   Galena, Baxter Springs.   Catoosa, Tulsa, Sayre.  Shamrock, Amarillo, Glenrio.  New  Santo Domingo, Gravel Hill, Albuquerque.   Holbrook, Winslow, Two Guns, Flagstaff, Seligman, Kingman.   Needles, Amboy, Barstow, Cajon Pass, San Bernadino, Pasadena, Santa Monica.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography

144 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2018

Reviews

[librarian4Him02 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband and I hope to drive Route 66 someday, so my dad got us this book for Christmas.

Sonderman takes the reader from east to west along this historic route. He included photos from past and present which were nicely presented. The amount of informative narration was just right it's a little outdated as to the current state of the sites he discusses. Also, it would have been nice if he included a "how to" guide for driving the route.

Even so, I came away even more inspired to make this trip one day.

[Joe Zralka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A work of art from start to finish. I read this during the pandemic and it brought to the infamous Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles through its colored and black and white photos with captions that described the route then and now.

[Joe Keefhaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice book of photographs of interesting sites along the famous highway.