Route 66

Resources are listed in alphabetical order. More information can always be found by using our website search bar, or contacting a member of our staff.

Articles

Pages from our Past articles written by Bill Kemp

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A large group of people, mostly dressed in coats and hats, are inside the mall. In the middle of the crowd is a light-skinned man wearing a suit speaking into a microphone. There is a small gazebo-like structure behind him. To the left is Woolworth's, with a sign in the window that says

Eastland Mall transformed Twin Cities

“A shopping trip takes on all of the glamour and excitement of the space age when you visit the...

Article

Biographies

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Belt, Augustus "Gus"

Augustus "Gus" Belt (1895-1954) and Edith Pressler Belt (1896 – 1973) successfully gr...

Biography

Belt, Edith Pressler

Edith Pressler Belt (1896 – 1973) and Augustus "Gus" Belt (1895-1954) successfully gr...

Biography

Blog

7 items

Death on the Mother Road Rural Logan County, September 1935

On Sunday, September 22, 1935, one person was killed just before 6:00 a.m. when a southbound Gr...

Blog Post

Introducing Our New Limited Edition Card Game: Cruisin' with Lincoln on 66

Blog Post

McHistory: Even before Route 66, motorists camped at a way stop in Bloomington

Blog Post

Museum Square Becomes First Site for International Artist EMEMEM's U.S. Debut

If you're walking along the east side of the Museum Square, you might see a glimmer of som...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 84: 'Bloody 66' claims 4 victims in early February 1939

On Friday, February 3, 1939, four area men were killed in a late evening automobile accident on...

Blog Post

Route 66 Hit-and-Run Towanda, May 1948

In the early morning hours of May 19, 1948, a hit-and-run truck driver knocked down two gasolin...

Blog Post

Veterans Parkway as the Route 66 ‘Beltline’ December 1960

This aerial, looking due north, shows the corner of Route 66 (“D”) and Route 9 / Empire Street ...

Blog Post

Finding Aids

Archival collection finding aids (full contents of collections available on site)

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Route 66

Originally called Highway 4, Route 66 was one of the first roads in the nation’s numbered highw...

Finding Aid

Videos

Livestreamed and recorded presentations by staff, experts, and community members.

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Gus and Edith Belt -- 2024 Evergreen Cemetery Walk

Video

Lunch & Learn -- Arcadia: America's Playable Arcade Museum

Video

Lunch & Learn: The Land of the Giants from Atlanta, Illinois with Bill Thomas

Video

Social Justice History Walking Tour

Video

Websites

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Route 66 Driving Tour

Welcome to McLean County’s Route 66! Get ready to discover classic roadside stops, local favori...

Website