Aug 28 2008
Route 66 After the War and Into the 1950s
After the war, America was ready to get back on the road and do some traveling. Detroit, which had produced only military vehicles during the war, was manufacturing personal vehicles again, and consumers were buying the sleek new designs.
The baby boom created a need for the “family vacation”. Disneyland, which opened in Los Angeles in 1955, became a popular destination for families, and what better way to get there than by Route 66?
While Disneyland may have been the destination, Route 66 also passed through or near other attractions such as Meramec Caverns near St. Louis, Missouri; and the Painted Desert & the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Also during this time, more motels, gift shops and tourist attractions sprung up all along Route 66. Some of these are still operating today; some are no longer operating but the buildings and signage still exist; sadly, many have been torn down and are only memories.
It was during this post-war era, in 1946, that Bobby Troup, a musician and former member of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, wrote Get Your Kicks on Route 66, forever immortalizing the famed highway in song.
It was a good thing too, because the 1950s marked the beginning of the end for Route 66.
Next up: The Interstate System and the Demise of Route 66
