H O UG H T O N MIF F L IN by Dan Greenberg ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Scott MacNeill PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover © Richard Cummins/Corbis Martyn Goddard/Alamy (tl) © Michael Ochs Archives/ Corbis (br) © Myopia/Corbis © April 2003 Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project Photo by Patty Kuhn Franck Fotos/ Alamy © Tom Brakefield/CORBIS Danita Delimont/Alamy © Richard Cummins/Corbis © Robert Estall/CORBIS 10 Martyn Goddard/Alamy Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company All rights reserved No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law With the exception of nonprofit transcription into Braille, Houghton Mifflin is not authorized to grant permission for further uses of this work Permission must be obtained from the individual copyright owner as identified herein Address requests for permission to make copies of Houghton Mifflin material to School Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116 Printed in China ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02185-0 ISBN-10: 0-547-02185-2 RRD 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 Introduction Who is your favorite singer? Can you name your favorite football player? Well, long ago, one highway was as famous as a music or sports star! The highway was Route 66 Everyone knew that road Thousands drove on it Singers sang about it It seemed like everyone was having conversations about Route 66 But what made this highway so cool? Nat King Cole made the song “Route 66” a hit ROUTE Chicago MONTANA 66 NEBRASKA ILLINOIS UTAH COLORADO KANSAS MISSOURI CALIFORNIA Santa Monica OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS ARIZONA NEW MEXICO ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI MEXICO TEXAS LOUSIANA The map shows Route 66 It passed through eight states and was about 2,450 miles long Starting Over Life was hard in the 1930s Many people lost their jobs Some lost their homes and farms Many wanted to move to California Life seemed better there But how would they get there? California was far away The idea of driving there filled people with terror How could they get gas and food? Where would they sleep? ROUTE MONTANA 66 IOWA NEBRASKA ILLINOIS UTAH COLORADO KANSAS CALIFORNIA Mount Olive OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS ARIZONA NEW MEXICO ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI MEXICO TEXAS LOUSIANA Many people stopped at the Mt Olive, Illinois, gas station Route 66 changed everything Suddenly, the long trip didn’t seem so hard Driving down the smooth road was a pleasure There were plenty of gas stations If you got hungry, there were diners and cafes If you got tired, there were places to sleep The road inspired people to drive In the 1930s, more than 200,000 people loaded their cars and drove to California on Route 66 In the 1940s, even more managed to make the trip Soon there were songs and movies about this famous road Everyone knew about Route 66! This statue greeted people in Tulsa, Oklahoma ROUTE MONTANA 66 IOWA NEBRASKA ILLINOIS UTAH COLORADO CALIFORNIA Tulsa OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS ARIZONA NEW MEXICO ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI MEXICO TEXAS LOUSIANA In its day, Route 66 was America’s “super” highway Compared to the roads we currently have, Route 66 was small and scruffy In some spots, Route 66 was like a two-lane country road But to travelers in the 1930s and 1940s, Route 66 was the loveliest highway in America Today, Route 66 is still very popular At Amarillo’s Big Texan Steak Ranch on Route 66, big eaters ordered the 4½-pound steak ROUTE MONTANA 66 IOWA NEBRASKA ILLINOIS UTAH COLORADO KANSAS MISSOURI CALIFORNIA ARIZONA NEW MEXICO OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS Amarillo ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI MEXICO TEXAS LOUSIANA ROUTE MONTANA 66 IOWA NEBRASKA KANSAS CALIFORNIA ILLINOIS COLORADO UTAH MISSOURI Joseph City OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS ARIZONA NEW MEXICO ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI MEXICO TEXAS LOUSIANA One of the highway’s most famous sites was the Jackrabbit Trading Post in Joseph City, Arizona By the 1950s, you could get everything on Route 66, 24 hours a day Ice cream? Cowboy hats? Advice on how to fix your car? Route 66 had it all Fast food was invented on Route 66 In 1948, two brothers opened a little hamburger shop in San Bernadino, California Perhaps you’ve heard of it It was called McDonalds™ Cadillac Ranch, near Amarillo, Texas, has cars buried in the ground Storeowners made a big effort to catch people’s eye with flashy signs and buildings Did you want to visit a reptile farm? Or maybe a mysterious hideout for bandits to hold their reunions? A motel shaped like a tepee? You could all of that and more on Route 66 The Beginning of the End In 1956 a new highway law was passed Highways were to be four lanes So people started building fourlane highways Drivers loved these new highways They used the old, smaller highways, like Route 66, much less In 1985, Route 66 was put out of service It disappeared from road maps People forgot about Route 66 Freeways made long-distance driving faster but not more fun Freeways went around local towns and businesses Then a funny thing happened People missed the famous road They started clubs and groups to drive on the old road They started websites that told about it They wrote books and magazine articles Now “Historic Route 66” is back on maps Maybe you’ll visit it someday! Route 66 is still a popular highway 10 Responding Word Builder Make a chart about advice on places to visit Tell where to visit and why it’s a good place to see Copy the chart and add more words TARGET VOCABULARY Where to Visit Why It’s a Good Place Cape Cod See the ocean Write About It Text to Self Write about places you have visited Give advice on what to and see there Use words from the chart in your writing 11 TARGET VOCABULARY advice conversations currently inspired loaded loveliest managed pleasure reunion terror Analyze/Evaluate Think about what you read Then form an opinion about it TARGET STRATEGY The highway made me feel I drove and drove till I was tired! 12 Level: O DRA: 38 Social Studies Strategy: Analyze/Evaluate Word Count: 696 3.5.23 Build Vocabulary HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02185-0 ISBN-10: 0-547-02185-2 1032077 ... Level: O DRA: 38 Social Studies Strategy: Analyze/Evaluate Word Count: 696 3. 5. 23 Build Vocabulary HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books ISBN- 13: 978-0 -54 7-021 85- 0 ISBN-10: 0 -54 7-021 85- 2 1 032 077 ... 1 930 s and 1940s, Route 66 was the loveliest highway in America Today, Route 66 is still very popular At Amarillo’s Big Texan Steak Ranch on Route 66, big eaters ordered the 4½-pound steak ROUTE. .. Arizona By the 1 950 s, you could get everything on Route 66, 24 hours a day Ice cream? Cowboy hats? Advice on how to fix your car? Route 66 had it all Fast food was invented on Route 66 In 1948, two