America's Lost Highway

This installment of the America’s Lost Highway series follows the Mother Road, U.S. Highway 66, across Missouri. Starting at the Mississippi River at St. Louis, the highway once traveled south and west, through Rolla and Springfield, to the edge of the central plains at Joplin. This was the main thoroughfare from the Northeast and Great Lakes to the thriving growth of the American Southwest and the glitter of Los Angeles prior to the development of the Interstates. Much of it is retraceable, and this guide will lead you through the history which Route 66 traveled through.



This second edition of our guide includes improved formatting, additional sites and maps from our Historic Cities-St. Louis guide, and excerpts from a 1930 road map of Missouri.