Everyone knows Route 66 started in Illinois. But even before the
legendary highway was created in 1926, the Prairie State had already built a
paved road connecting Chicago and St. Louis. That road, established in 1918,
went by two names: the Pontiac Trail and State Route 4. The Pontiac Trail followed
Indian paths, and the lanes were only nine feet wide. Sections of State Route
4 were paved with brick. In 1939 the lanes were widened to 11 feet; stretches
of this road still exist near Joliet and Litchfield. The lanes were widened
to 12 feet the next year, and in 1946 Route 66 became a four-lane highway. In
Springfield, the path of Route 66 changed several times. At various points in
its history, it ran down Dirksen, South Grand, MacArthur, and Second and Ninth
streets.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2003.
