SPRINGFIELD, IL (Chambana Today) – The Illinois State Museum is on the hunt for individuals to share their personal experiences with the legendary Route 66 in Illinois. Whether you’re a traveler, a business owner who operated along the route, a worker who helped build the highway, or anyone else with a connection, your story matters.
Route 66 is gearing up to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026. To mark this milestone, historians from the Illinois State Museum are recording and sharing oral histories from people who have a connection to this iconic roadway, which ran from 1926 until it was decommissioned in 1985.
“These interviews will help illustrate the significance of this important transportation achievement,” said Erika Holst, the museum’s curator of history, in a press release.
Specifically, museum historians are eager to interview:
  • Individuals who have memories of driving on Route 66 or traveling the highway with family or for business.
  • Those who were involved, or whose families were involved, in operating restaurants, hotels, or auto service businesses along the route.
  • Anyone who participated in the building, maintenance, or rerouting of the Mother Road.
  • First responders who worked along Route 66.
  • Anyone with firsthand experiences of Route 66 to share.

“This project also gives us an opportunity to preserve memories of Illinois citizens for posterity,” Amanda Bryden, registrar for the history collections of the Illinois State Museum and Illinois historic sites, also mentioned in a press release.

If you have experienced Route 66 in any of these ways and want to be part of this historic project, reach out to Route 66 project coordinator Judy Wagenblast at jwagenblastp@gmail.com. This oral history project is partially funded by the National Park Service.
Participants will be asked to sign a permission form granting legal rights to conduct and preserve the interview. While monetary compensation is not offered, video recordings of the interviews and transcriptions will be made available to the public in an online database as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of Historic Route 66 in 2026.
About the Illinois State Museum: Established in 1877, the Illinois State Museum is a dynamic institution that inspires the exploration of Illinois’ past and present to inform and enrich everyday life and promote stewardship of cultural and natural resources. Headquartered in Springfield with branch facilities in Lewistown and Lockport, ISM is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and a proud member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.