Route 66 is more than just a road to Americans of a certain age. Not only was Route 66 one of the original highways in the U.S. Highway System, but it also served as the main route of travel for anyone heading from the east part of the country west, or vice versa. Running from Chicago all the way to the pier in Santa Monica, CA. Route 66 was an inspiration for the countless people who traveled and lived alongside the road.
Route 66 no longer officially exists, but monuments to it are spread across the path of the old road in Arizona. There are 26 different stops on Arizona’s Historic Route, and the Museum in Kingman, AZ, celebrates the rich history of the road in numerous ways.
Getting Your Kicks on Route 66
Route 66 was created in 1926 as a 2,448 mile road that would function as the first cross-continental highway. It served as the main route of travel for people headed out west for work as well as for dreamers whose travel plans were much less defined. It was forever immortalized in songs like “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” and novels like “The Grapes of Wrath”, and helped support the economies of the communities of the eight states and numerous cities through which it passed.
Sections of US 66 underwent major realignments over the next several decades, but the Interstate Highway Act, which began the construction of roadways that would circumvent towns completely, signaled the beginning of the end. By 1984, Interstate 40 was complete, bypassing many of the small communities that had sprung up along Route 66. It was officially removed from the United States Highway System in 1985, and sections of the road were disposed of in numerous ways.
Soon after, organizations like the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona were formed to preserve, protect and promote the route. These efforts have seen Arizona’s segment of Route 66 become designated as an Arizona Historic Road, a National Scenic Byway, and attain All-American Road status, the highest National designation possible. These efforts are on full display across the 26 stops on the Arizona’s Historic Route, and at the Powerhouse & Arizona Route 66 Museum in the Kingman stop.
The main building of the museum was built between 1907 and 1909, and it supplied power to Kingman and area mines until the Hoover Dam began producing power in the late 1930’s. Decades later, the building was restored as a historic asset and utilized to house various pieces of Route 66 history and culture that have defined the community.
Interacting with the History and Legacy of Route 66
The building that houses the Route 66 Museum also houses the Visitor Center for Kingman as well as a Historic Electric Vehicle Exhibit. The Powerhouse is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, but the way in which it allows visitors to interact with the history and legacy of Route 66 across the entire building is especially unique.
The Route 66 Museum features a variety of dioramas, memorabilia and pictures associated with Route 66 from different decades. That’s everything from license plates to signs to billboards, along with a history that literally takes visitors through the various eras of the road. Videos also provide viewers with another way to see and experience this history.
While Kingman itself is at the heart of the longest remaining stretch of Route 66, it’s merely the 4th stop along this 159 mile stretch of Route 66 that runs across the northern part of Arizona. Numerous attractions and sights are located at each stop, and they range from natural limestone caverns to Two Gun’s Tourist Attraction Ruins to daily gunfights in Oatman. These attractions provide viewers with a sense of how these different communities worked to attract the travelers who traversed Route 66, but still have plenty of appeal in and of themselves.
This ability to learn and understand the history of Route 66 and then literally walking outside to experience the real thing is completely unique to Arizona’s Historic Route 66, and nowhere is this combination more pronounced than in Kingman. Being able to learn about the history of the road and then walk outside to see and walk or drive on the road itself, visitors can engage with the past and present of the monument like no other place. It’s a difference that has driven the economy and culture for the whole area.
The Influence of Route 66 in Kingman and Beyond
Memorabilia and items of all types are available for purchase at the gift shop in the building, and they range from signs to puzzles to magnets and much more. These items along with a Route 66 passport provide visitors with a structured way to support and experience many of the sites along Route 66.
Also, because the building doubles as a Visitor Center for Kingman, various other products are also for sale, many of which have been created by local artists. These items can be anything from original artwork to clothes, and many of them are only sold in this location. The economic impact that’s been enabled here also extends to the businesses along the road, which directly and indirectly utilize Route 66 as part of their brand.
The influence on the culture can be seen in more than the businesses that have been built up on or utilize Route 66 though. Events of all types take place throughout the year at various places along Route 66, including a stretch of The Great Race that went through Kingman. Various festivals, fairs and parades also take place throughout the year. The influence of the road can also been seen with the countless books that are available in numerous languages, further demonstrating the influence of Route 66 across the world.
The Powerhouse & Arizona Route 66 Museum has proven to be able to attract audiences, but once there they’re able to see how much more there is to do in the area and even in Kingman itself. The Museum is just one of many sites to see in Kingman, which like other nearby cities, has a Historic Walking Tour that contains 60 individual National Register historic properties. A variety of other attractions are also nearby, all of which have benefitted from an audience that is in Kingman to see and experience Route 66.
As a testament to how the road continues to evolve and influence the area itself, the corridor is also being redeveloped into U.S. Bicycle Route 66, which could redefine how contemporary audiences see and interact with the road. This ability to both change and influence the present is significant, but it’s just part of the legacy the Powerhouse Visitor Center & Route 66 Museum highlights.
More Than a Road
It’s difficult to capture the history, essence and impact of something as nebulous as a road, but the Powerhouse & Arizona Route 66 Museum manages to do so with items and experiences that are unique to the location. While there are numerous other places in Arizona and even across what is now Historic Route 66, what’s in Kingman showcases how all of these things can blend together in an especially powerful way.
It’s a coalescence that signifies what’s possible when a community embraces and celebrates the history and culture that literally runs through it.
