100 years of Route 66
From The Kitchen Sisters Present by The Kitchen Sisters & Radiotopia
June 2, 2026 · 59 min · Episode 287
About this episode
The episode explores the history and cultural significance of Route 66 as it turns 100, featuring archival audio and personal stories.
John Steinbeck called it “The Mother Road.” Songwriter Bobby Troup said it was where to go to get your kicks. Mickey Mantle swore, “If it hadn’t been for Highway 66 I never would have been a Yankee.” The Kitchen Sisters spent the summer of 1984 traveling every inch of this storied highway — “The Main Street of America” — as it was closing, recording just about everything that moved between Chicago and LA and made a series of epic radio documentaries to commemorate the legendary road and what it meant to the nation. If I remember right we paid about $1.20 a gallon as we motored east to west. In the summer of 1985 the road was officially removed from the United States Highway system and NPR’s All Things Considered aired our series of stories about the life and history of Route 66 filled with interviews with dozens and dozens of Americans whose lives intersected with The Mother Road, along with field recordings, archival audio, music and sound. As Route 66 turns 100 we dipped into our archive to share these poignant and lively time capsules for your next road trip and your summer listening pleasure. Our narrator is actor David Selby.
People in this episode
Host: David Selby
Topics covered
- Route 66
- American history
- travel
- nostalgia
- cultural significance
- audio documentary
Keywords
- Route 66
- John Steinbeck
- Bobby Troup
- Mickey Mantle
- NPR
- American history
- travel stories
- audio documentary
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NPR
Places: Route 66, Chicago, LA
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