The United States Postal Service this week commemorated the centennial of Route 66 with the release of a set of eight stamps, each showing a site from the states through which the roadway runs.
The Beverly Hills City Hall is included in the series as a symbol of California, home to one of the more famous expanses of the iconic “Mother Road.” The David J. Schwartz photograph portrays the historic Art Deco-style building framed by palm trees. Other depicted scenes feature vintage neon signs, historic diners and desert roadways along the route.
Stretching some 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 combined a patchwork of mostly unpaved roads through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. It deliberately meandered across the country to connect smaller rural communities together. In the past century, it has served as a lifeline for those seeking new opportunities during the Great Depression; transformed the trucking industry and stood as a symbol of postwar optimism, freedom and the open road. It was immortalized with a recording by Nat King Cole, “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” in 1946 and a 1960s TV series of the same name.
Though the interstate highway system eventually bypassed the route, about 85% of it is still drivable. More than 250 buildings, bridges, road alignments and sites along the highway are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Countless private and public organizations have worked to preserve stretches of the road and the small towns along the way. State and federal programs, including the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program are working to ensure its legacy, as well.
The Route 66 stamps are issued in a pane of 16. As Forever stamps, they will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
