Route 66 Overview
I've traced US-66 through towns in the Southwest, it is about time I do Joliet. One reason I haven't traced US-66 in this area is because I know the route kept changing, so it is complicated. Fortunately, I found
this reference that allows me to sort it out.
This is the post that motivated the research. I don't know if it was on Route 66. US-30 (Lincoln Highway) and US-6 also go through Joliet. I did find a "V" intersection below, but a detail of this photo (no
St. Joseph Church) doesn't agree with a street view. Four pumps on an island reminds me that, back then, a pump could handle just one grade of gasolene.
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Lisa Ruble updated
Sinclair at Joliet
Joyce Muraro: South Chicago st. |
I knew Joliet Road between I-55 and IL-53 was part of US-66.
This map shows that IL-53 was the route through Joliet that was used by all of the alignments between 1926 and 1940. In 1940, today's IL-126+IL-59 route was built, and US-66 was moved there. And after I-55 was finished in 1958, US-66 was moved there until the route number was retired in 1977. I'm going to focus on the historical IL-53 alignment through Joliet.
But when I "cruised" IL-53 south of
Ruby Street Bridge, I noticed the Heritage Road sign on the right side of this view.
Fortunately, the reference has a map that explains that diversion. Chicago Street was the original alignment through Joliet. In 1940 when this route became Alt-66 because US-66 was moved to IL-126+IL59, the route was soon realigned to use Chicago St. for westbound traffic and Scott St. for eastbound traffic. Truck traffic was particularly heavy during WWI because of the
Joliet Arsenal Munitions Plant. Then, in 1964, the westbound traffic was moved to Ottawa Street so that Chicago St could again be a two-way street.
On the west side of the intersection of Ottawa and Chicago is the first Dairy Queen location.
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TheRoute-66_dairy
"Sherb Noble owned three ice cream parlors in Kankakee Illinois and his ice cream suppliers, the McCullough's told him about a new soft frozen dairy product they had developed. He tried it at his stores and it was a success. The McCullough family went on to establish Dairy Queen and their friend, Novle opened the first store named "Dairy Queen" in Joliet. By 1941 they had opened 10 stores, growing to 100 by 1947 and 2,600 by 1955."
The building was built in 1895 and DQ started using it in 1940.
[GrubAmericana has a more complete history.] |
I don't think this intersection is the "V" that we see in Lisa's photo at the top of these notes because there is no church in the photo. (I can't figure out what is happening at the end of the street on the right in that photo.)
I continued south along Chicago because that is the more historic route.
Because of the garage door, was this a Chevy car dealership?
I choose the view with construction because the murals don't appear in the previous view of Oct 2022.
"This 'Vaudeville movie palace' was the brainchild of the Rubens brothers and opened on May 24, 1926, the same year Route 66 was born. It was designed in a style that combined Greek, Roman, and Byzantine styles. It has been restored and there are tours most weekends." [
TheRoute-66_rialto]
I knew that Joliet had a museum that recognizes Route 66. Since I did not find it on Chicago, I cruised south along Ottawa.
And around the corner on Cass Street is the Illinois rock & Roll Museum. Unfortunately, it is a little too rustic.
Fortunately, it is being worked on.
I wonder when it lost its guitar sign.
The museum did not exist and the Sep 2019 view and did have the guitar sign in 2023.
Other photos show that this sign was next to a Route 66-oriented gift shop.
A display with a jukebox and a payphone.
There would have been on of these at each table in the dining area. It allowed you to remotely play songs on the jukebox.
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| Digitally Zoomed |
In the southwest quadrant of the intersection of Chicago and Cass Streets is a marker indicating that this was the intersection of the
Lincoln Highway (US-30) and US-66.
"The Lincoln Highway was a private initiative to actively promote decent roads for cars (instead of muddy dirt tracks used by carts). The owner of the Prest-O-Lite Headlight Co., Carl Fisher got the support of his fellow automobile industry businessmen and founded the Lincoln Highway Association in 1913 to build a road from New York city to San Francisco. It was the first transcontinental highway across America, spanning 3,400 miles. In 1926 Route 66 crossed its course here in Joliet. The two longest highways in the world at that time met in Joliet." [
TheRoute-tt_lincoln-highway]
It is US-66 that moved. I think US-30 is still on its original alignment through here.
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| 1923/23 Joliet Quad @ 62,500 |
I then followed IL-53 North (eastbound) out of town. This was US-66 during 1928-40 and Alt-66 after 1940.
I must really keep my eyes on the road. I would have passed this on most of my field trips to Joliet for the blog, but I never noticed this while driving by.
Their real trucks are parked north of the Route 66 display.
When I did my field trips to Joliet, sometimes I would stop at this Rich & Creamy ice cream stand on my way back home. I can't believe I never noticed the Blues Brothers statutes.
I did know that the parking lot had a Route 66 theme.
And south of Joliet, a filling station has mounted a replica of the Bluesmobile rather high in the air.
