Route 66 Marks 100 Years, Showcasing 2,448 Miles of Cosmic Stops
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 12
Route 66 Marks 100 Years, Showcasing 2,448 Miles of Cosmic Stops
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 12
Flagstaff is using Route 66’s 100th anniversary to spotlight astro-tourism, with Northern Arizona stops including Meteor Crater, Lowell Observatory and Apollo-era training grounds.
The 2,448-mile highway runs from Chicago to Santa Monica and, though decommissioned in the mid-1980s, has been preserved by towns and states that kept its landmarks and nostalgia alive.
Lowell Observatory ties the route to major astronomy history: Percival Lowell built it before Route 66 existed, and Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto there in 1930 using a telescope still shown to visitors.
North of Flagstaff, NASA turned the area into a moon analog in the 1960s, sending Apollo astronauts to train at Cinder Lake Crater Field and testing rovers and equipment nearby.
How will Route 66's 'Dark Sky' towns balance centennial tourism with preserving the starry nights that attract visitors?
Can the revival of Route 66 provide a blueprint for saving other forgotten American highways and their small towns?
Beyond nostalgia, how will the centennial address Route 66's complex history of segregation and Dust Bowl migration?