As Route 66 approaches its upcoming centenary following its initial commissioning on November 11, 1926, the legendary asphalt highway survives primarily through the relentless dedication of private preservationists rather than federal maintenance.
Sudouest.fr reported that Jim Ross, a septuagenarian based in Chandler, Oklahoma, has dedicated the majority of his life to mapping and protecting the historic route. Ross began exploring the highway early on to help travelers find their way on the asphalt corridor after the construction of modern interstates gradually caused original signage to disappear and the route to be officially erased from maps starting in 1985.
Ross has authored nearly ten reference books on the subject and received the John Steinbeck Award in 2001 for his preservation work on Historic Route 66, as sudouest.fr detailed. Today, he views the route as an open-air national monument where the character shifts continuously from one town and state to the next.
In 2018, Ross and his wife Shellee joined nine other enthusiasts to purchase the Painted Desert Trading Post, an abandoned trading post in the Arizona desert that had stood empty for six decades and was on the verge of collapse, according to sudouest.fr.
The group formed a non-profit organization, raised funds, and spent three years stabilizing the walls and replacing the roof in what Ross described as their most rewarding project.
Rich Dinkela, known online as Roamin’Rich, also joined the effort to save the Painted Desert Trading Post. Dinkela, who is president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, grew up listening to his father describe how the highway split the country toward Chicago on one side and California on the other during family drives to their farm near Springfield, Missouri, sudouest.fr reported.
Alongside his wife Christina, Dinkela has restored the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri, and the Shamrock Motor Court in Sullivan, Missouri. Explaining his motivation to sudouest.fr, Dinkela stated that he is not trying to save a piece of old pavement, but rather the places where ordinary lives intersected.
Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, grew up along the route in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before dedicating himself to photographing and promoting the highway. Martin told sudouest.fr that the road connects travelers to a multitude of stories spanning nearly 4,000 kilometers, offering everyone the chance to add their own chapter.
Josh Waldmire runs the Cozy Dog Drive In Springfield, Illinois, a restaurant founded in 1946 by his family where the original corn dog on a stick was popularized. Waldmire told sudouest.fr that the highway is fundamentally a human story of memory and tradition that proves small family businesses can outlive generations.
