The Mother Road starts right here.
Right at Adams Street and Michigan Avenue, directly across from the Art Institute of Chicago. And this year, the road that starts here is 100 years old.
U.S. Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926, connecting Chicago with Los Angeles. The original highway stretched about 2,448 miles through eight states, from Illinois to California. The original 1926 starting point was actually Jackson Boulevard and Michigan Avenue. When Jackson was made one-way westbound in the 1950s, the recognized starting point moved a block north to Adams Street. That's the location we've come to know as the beginning of Route 66.
The road became known as the Mother Road, a name John Steinbeck helped make famous in The Grapes of Wrath. During the Dust Bowl, Route 66 became one of the principal routes west for families leaving the devastated farms of the Great Plains in search of work and a new life.
But Route 66 eventually became much more than a transportation route. It became an American idea: diners, gas stations, motels, neon signs, roadside attractions, big cars and open highways. The freedom to point the car west and see what happened.
And there's a great musical connection to Chicago that I couldn't leave out. In 1946, Nat King Cole recorded “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” the song written by Bobby Troup. Cole's recording became a hit and helped turn Route 66 into a cultural icon.Then, 45 years later, the story came full circle. Natalie Cole, Nat's daughter, recorded her own version of “Route 66” for her 1991 album Unforgettable...With Love, the album built around her father's musical legacy.
So there's a pretty terrific family connection here. Nat King Cole made the song famous in 1946. Natalie Cole recorded it 45 years later. And the song is about a highway that begins in Chicago.
The road itself didn't last forever. The Interstate Highway System gradually bypassed sections of Route 66, and the original U.S. Highway was officially decommissioned in 1985. But Route 66 never really went away. Much of the original road is still drivable, and towns all along the route have preserved the old motels, diners, gas stations, bridges and roadside attractions that made the Mother Road famous.
And now, in 2026, Route 66 is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Chicago remains the eastern anchor of the Mother Road, although the city has also designated Navy Pier as a new ceremonial starting point for the centennial. The historic starting point remains here at Adams and Michigan, the place generations of travelers have associated with the beginning of the journey.
Think about that the next time you're standing in front of the Art Institute. You're standing at the beginning of a road that carried millions of people across the country, inspired books, movies, television shows and songs, and became a symbol of American freedom and adventure.
Chicago to California. 2,448 miles. One legendary road.
The Mother Road starts here.
Get your kicks on Route 66.
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