The Mother Road · An AAGTO travelogue

Photographs & editorial sources

Real places, dated images and clear provenance.

Historical images and contemporary-era photographs serve different purposes. Captions identify the place and date; none is presented as a live view or proof that a business currently operates.

Display crops and resized derivatives may be used. Creator names, source records and licence links are preserved below. The James Dean portrait is cultural context, not an endorsement or a documented Route 66 journey. Public-domain status for that publicity image is recorded by Wikimedia Commons for the United States.

Old Route 66 looking west toward Seligman, Arizona

Old Route 66 looking west toward Seligman, Arizona · 2012. Chris English · CC BY-SA 3.0. Display crop where shown.

Route 66 End of the Trail sign at Santa Monica Pier

Route 66 End of the Trail sign at Santa Monica Pier · 2026. Luis Ochea · CC BY-SA 4.0. Display crop where shown.

Roy's Motel sign, Route 66, Amboy, California

Roy's Motel sign, Route 66, Amboy, California · 1991. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Route 66 Motel sign near Seligman, Arizona

Route 66 Motel sign near Seligman, Arizona · 2018. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Western Route 66 gateway in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Western Route 66 gateway in Albuquerque, New Mexico · 2020. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Historical postcard of the Painted Desert and Route 66; date unknown

Historical postcard of the Painted Desert and Route 66; date unknown · date unknown. Unknown author · Public domain. Display crop where shown.

Route 66 Motel sign, Barstow, California

Route 66 Motel sign, Barstow, California · 2012. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Wigwam Motel in Rialto, California

Wigwam Motel in Rialto, California · 2009. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Mr. D’z diner, Kingman, Arizona

Mr. D’z diner, Kingman, Arizona · 2018. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Motoring collection at Hackberry General Store, Arizona

Motoring collection at Hackberry General Store, Arizona · 2006. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, Arizona

Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, Arizona · 2006. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Historic Route 66 Motel in Seligman, Arizona

Historic Route 66 Motel in Seligman, Arizona · 2026. G. Edward Johnson · CC BY 4.0. Display crop where shown.

Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico

Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico · 2006. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Route 66 mural in Tucumcari, New Mexico

Route 66 mural in Tucumcari, New Mexico · 2006. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Tower Station and U-Drop Inn, Shamrock, Texas

Tower Station and U-Drop Inn, Shamrock, Texas · 2010. ExqBoredinNac · CC BY-SA 4.0. Display crop where shown.

Flags at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, Clinton

Flags at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, Clinton · 2020. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Round Barn, Arcadia, Oklahoma

Round Barn, Arcadia, Oklahoma · 1980. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma

Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma · 2006. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

POPS, Arcadia, Oklahoma

POPS, Arcadia, Oklahoma · 2009. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Rainbow Bridge, Kansas

Rainbow Bridge, Kansas · 2017. Gorup de Besanez · CC BY-SA 4.0. Display crop where shown.

66 Drive-In Theatre, Carthage, Missouri

66 Drive-In Theatre, Carthage, Missouri · 2009. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Roadside mural display in Cuba, Missouri

Roadside mural display in Cuba, Missouri · 2009. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Route 66 road marking in Springfield, Missouri

Route 66 road marking in Springfield, Missouri · 2020. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Reassembled café counter at Motorheads near Springfield, Illinois

Reassembled café counter at Motorheads near Springfield, Illinois · 2019. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Downtown Chenoa, Illinois

Downtown Chenoa, Illinois · 2023. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Route 66 mural in Wilmington, Illinois

Route 66 mural in Wilmington, Illinois · 2023. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Bakersfield Hooverville, California; regional migration context away from Route 66

Bakersfield Hooverville, California; regional migration context away from Route 66 · 1936. Dorothea Lange / Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI collection · Public domain. Display crop where shown.

Kern migrant camp, California; regional migration context away from Route 66

Kern migrant camp, California; regional migration context away from Route 66 · 1936. Dorothea Lange / Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI collection · Public domain. Display crop where shown.

James Dean publicity portrait; cultural context, not a photograph of a Route 66 journey

James Dean publicity portrait; cultural context, not a photograph of a Route 66 journey · c. 1953. movie studio · Public domain. Display crop where shown.

Barn near Staunton, Illinois

Barn near Staunton, Illinois · 2004. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

Route 66 road marking in Kingman, Arizona

Route 66 road marking in Kingman, Arizona · 2018. Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress · Highsmith Archive: rights dedicated to the public. Display crop where shown.

How this guide was prepared

The American Tour Association assembled this guide from primary visitor information, historic-place records and credited image collections. Practical advice and the 18-day schedule are editorial recommendations, not claims of a personally completed inspection or a measured navigation route. Consult the linked operators and road agencies for current access. Please contact us with corrections.