Rediscovering Route 66: Landscape, culture and heritage along the Mother Road

Route 66 is the most famous highway in the United States due to the significant role that it has played in the nation?s social, economic and cultural history. However in 1986 the highway was decommissioned from the National Highway System and replaced by a series of Interstate Highways. Many businesses and small towns which relied on the trade that Route 66 brought suffered heavily as commuters bypassed them on the modern Interstates. Over the last 15 years, a large number of small towns and businesses that fell into disrepair have been restored or preserved due to the recognition of the cultural significance of Route 66 in American history. From the early 1990?s a strong heritage tourist industry has developed that exploits this cultural history. In 'Rediscovering Route 66' Ben Jarman gives an honest account of the cultural history of Route 66. He questions the historical foundations of the contemporary tourist trade and concludes by suggesting that many of the experiences promised by a popular nostalgic image of Route 66 are unattainable.