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Route 66 and the Formation of a National Cultural Icon
Mother Road to Mythic American Byway
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2023
Summary
During the twentieth century, Route 66 became a national icon and was commonly associated with classic American cuisine, road trips, and the golden age of postwar American prosperity. This conception, however, is mythic. The reality of Route 66 travel was congestion, danger, and racism. Route 66 and the Formation of a National Cultural Icon: Mother Road to Mythic American Byway by Daniel Milowski explores the divergence between Route 66 myth and reality and provides a critical examination of the cultural origins of the Route 66 myth and the road’s historical role in community development in the American West. Milowski discusses how Route 66 became so clogged with traffic in the 1960s that it garnered the dark nickname “Bloody 66” due to the high volume of serious traffic accidents. He examines rampant racism at travel businesses and racialized policing in many towns along the highway. Finally, he contrasts this with the myth of Route 66 which incorporates aspects of cultural nostalgia for supposedly simpler times while representing Route 66 as emblematic of a past “more authentic America.” Milowski demonstrates that the history of Route 66 and its towns is deeper and more nuanced than the Route 66 myth allows.
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Bibliographic data
Copyright year
2023
ISBN-Print
978-1-6669-2219-6
ISBN-Online
978-1-6669-2220-2
Publisher
Lexington, Lanham
Language
English
Pages
270
Product type
Book Titles
Table of contents
ChapterPages
Contents No access
List of Figures No access
Acknowledgments No access
Introduction No access Pages 1 - 18
Chapter 1: Before Route 66 No access Pages 19 - 70
Chapter 2: Dirt Track to Asphalt Ribbon: Early Route 66 No access Pages 71 - 120
Chapter 3: America’s Main Street to Byway: Route 66 Postwar No access Pages 121 - 166
