Where Did The Mother Road Actually Begin in Chicago?

In Chicago, The Begin Historic US 66 sign is located at Adams St at Michigan Ave for westbound travelers. But the road actually never started there. The sign on the south side of the street is often used for travelers to place stickers signifying the beginning, or end of their journey along the former Route 66.

Image: Rex McManamy via RoadsideThoughs

Of course, Route 66 has a long and complicated history through its 2400 mile trek from Chicago to Los Angeles, and in most places cannot be considered one linear road, especially in major cities. 

Jackson Blvd at Michigan Ave was the original starting point of the route, however it was extended east as Jackson was extended to Lake Shore Dr. Unfortunately, my favorite map of the Mother Road's many alignments has since gone offline. This Map of 66 will have to do. Anything is better than Route 66 Navigation app, however.

Now the question you're all here for, where did Route 66 begin in Chicago? It's actually a pretty easy answer, and the reason the "Begin Route 66" Sign is located on Adams St is simply because it is now a one-way westbound street.

Interestingly, only IL-64 and US-41 exist within downtown Chicago today among these routes. Chicago Tribune Map, 1934. Via (Chicago History)

Jackson Blvd became a one-way for eastbound traffic in 1955 west of Michigan Ave, making Adams St westbound US 66, but 66 still started on Jackson Dr east of Michigan, requiring drivers to drive a block north on Michigan to continue the westward trip. 


Adams Street could not be extended east, unless Chicago city planners and the Art Institute of Chicago wished to have automobile traffic running through the museum to those viewing A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. If nothing else, that scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off would have been a lot different.

Looking eastbound toward Lake Shore Drive and the former ends of US-34/66. It's a real shame this sign wasn't much nicer, and actually featured US Shields...

So in short, the actual end of Route 66 was at Lake Shore Drive, but westbound commuters couldn't start there without doing some really reckless driving today.

Thanks as always for reading!

Location: Michigan Ave & E Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60604, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Abandoned Route 66 in McCook, IL

Image
Route 66, the iconic "Main Street of America," weaves through the heart of the United States, connecting communities and embodying the spirit of adventure. However, not all sections of this historic highway have stood the test of time. While much of the former US 66 is drivable in one way or another, especially in Illinois, there are some parts are not.  One of the first such roadblocks for would-be travelers heading from Chicago to Los Angeles via the Mother Road, now known as Joliet Road, comes just outside of Chicago in McCook, IL, where the former highway is closed between 55th St and East Ave, and has been for over two decades. (Link to the location on our Ghost Towns Map ) Image: Google Maps at 55th and Joliet Rd in McCook, IL The land that the quarry would eventually take over was part of Stinson Airport in the early days of Route 66, dating back to before 1930. ( Abandoned Airports map ). 1938 USGS Aerial Imagery The quarrying on the south side of the road would...
Read more

The Underwater Water Slide: Fly Over at Durinrell TikiBad

Image
Have you ever wished to experience being transferred from one pool of liquid to another via a pipe? Had you visited the Dutch water park known as Durinrell , also known as Tikibad before 2010, you would have had the chance. Half water slide, half war crime, this was a unique water slide that was filled to the brim with water, leaving riders completely submerged throughout the journey. Image:  XtremeRidesNL Known as the Fly Over was an underwater water slide, which is exactly how it sounds, and transported riders from one pool to another using the water as propulsion. Built in 1994, riders dove underwater to access the slide, using gravity to transport them upwards via the Communicating Vessels Principle . Riders would be completely underwater for about 15-20 seconds. This is how I imagine those 15-20 seconds felt like while riding the slide. The slide was built to drain water in five seconds or less in case a rider got stuck in the slide or had a medical emergency, but the threat...
Read more

Railroad Vocabulary: A List of Words and Phrases Used in the Industry - Updated February 2024

Image
As somebody who enjoyed watching trains, but was not an employee of the railroad industry ( at least growing up ), when I would interact with railfans and historians, there was often a lot of technical jargon that applied only to the railroad industry thrown back and forth that made it difficult for a newcomer to understand what they were talking about. For example, what is a dinky? It's actually a passenger train. This non-inclusive language seems to keep the loop closed to members of the community, and to uncouple (no pun intended) that technical jargon and help make it easier for people to communicate with people in the industry, I am creating a list of railroad vocabulary that I'm hoping will make the industry more transparent.  BNSF 2361 . Image: Matt Flores While I ultimately believe that such technical jargon has no place outside of perhaps technical communications between employees, I know quite well that I alone am not going to stop people from communicating in a non-i...
Read more