Route 66
U.S. Route 66 – US 66 – Route 66 – Will Rogers Highway – the Main Street of America – the Mother Road. All these names describe one entity: the path that thousands of farmers took in order to reach the idyllic state of California. Starting (originally) at Chicago, Illinois, the Route ran through the states of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma (origin of the Joads), Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, ending at Santa Monica, California, a total path length of 2,448 miles. The farmers that embarked on their journey west took this road to symbolize opportunity and hope, wanting to leave the devastating effects of the Great Depression (which left them in poverty) and the gigantic dust storms (during the Dust Bowl) that destroyed their farms behind. During its height in the 1930s, Route 66 was called the Main Street of America to show the numerous amount of people traveling along this road in search of a better life. It was also referred to as the Mother Road to express the affection farmers had for it – as it was their gateway to opportunity, to a new life.
Despite the glorified name that Route 66 has, there was much adversity to be faced on the route. For example, cars (junky ones, mostly, called jalopies) constantly broke down on the route, causing delays in farmer migration and extra expenditures on their part. In Chapter 12 of The Grapes of Wrath, this harsh reality can be seen as people are trying to get their cars fixed, such as with the transaction of the tire for money. The picture below captures the essence of this disaster that often struck migrators.
Route 66 was also a highly profitable road – not for farmers, though. Small and large business owners with shops on Route 66 saw an increase in sales and profits as the number of people migrating west increased. Gas stations, especially, "struck gold" on the Mother Road, as the highly inefficient cars needed constant refueling of gasoline in order to keep trucking down the route. Mechanics, such as the one depicted in Chapter 12 of The Grapes of Wrath, also experienced an intense amount of monetary gain from the Mother Road, as the jalopies broken down very frequently, and their owners required the assistance of a mechanic in order to get fixed and continue on their journey. However, man's inhumanity and immorality to man is periodically viewed on the route as mechanics/business owners are overcome by greed and attempt to dupe the travelers into getting much less than their money's worth. Additionally, drive-in theatres also sprung up along Route 66, giving travelers enjoyment in their long trek towards opportunity. Lastly, towns also began to grow on the historic path, consisting of small rural communities and containing service stations, restaurants, motor courts, and other small shops of the sort – all profiting from the growing traffic on Route 66.
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