100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow
100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow
The Old Trails Museum has developed an exhibit, calendar, book, and speaker series as part of Winslow’s year-long celebration of the Centennial of Route 66. On November 11, 1926, the Bureau of Public Roads certified U.S. Highway 66, better known as Route 66. For the last century, Route 66 has influenced Winslow’s growth, heyday, decline, and renewal. OTM’s new exhibit, 100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow, and the 2026 historical calendar of the same name highlight the people, businesses, and sites along the city’s stretch of the iconic highway, both yesterday and today.
Exhibit: 100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow
The Old Trails Museum developed the 100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow exhibit as part of Winslow’s year-long celebration of the Centennial of Route 66. The exhibit—which highlights the people, businesses, and sites along the city’s stretch of the iconic highway, both yesterday and today—is on display at the Winslow Visitors Center. The exhibit was developed by OTM Director Ann-Mary Lutzick, with graphic contributions from Jim Buckley and Lori Bentley Law. Historical sources include the Winslow Mail, archival material from the OTM Collections, and various articles and books. Unless noted, photos are from the OTM Collections. The printing of the exhibit by Northern Arizona Signs was funded by a grant from the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, and the installations were funded by the Winslow Chamber of Commerce and the City of Winslow. 100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow will be on display throughout 2026 and beyond.
Calendar: 100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow
OTM’s 2026 historical calendar, 100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow, provides an overview of the museum’s new exhibit of the same name. The cover photo shows the 100 block of East Second Street looking west in the 1940s, when Route 66 was still a two-way street through Winslow (Courtesy of Frashers Fotos Collection). The printing of the 2026 calendar by Minuteman Press of Flagstaff was also funded by a grant from the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. Priced at $12, the calendar is available at the museum, Arizona 66 Trading Company, La Posada Hotel, On the Corner Gifts, and the Winslow Visitors Center. You can also order through the OTM Online Store ($3 for shipping).
Book: Past & Present: Winslow
Past & Present: Winslow, the Old Trails Museum’s second Arcadia Publishing title by OTM Director Ann-Mary J. Lutzick, presents Winslow’s history as reflected in its enduring sites and buildings. Historic images are presented alongside contemporary photos, the latter of which were shot by professional photographer Jim Buckley. Founded in 1880 as a railroad company town, Winslow has evolved into a small city with a historic character defined primarily by its location along US Route 66 since the highway’s designation in 1926. The featured properties in chapters one through four are presented as they would appear to motorists driving through town along what is now “Historic Route 66,” progressing east on Second Street, stopping for a chapter at La Posada Hotel, and continuing west on Third Street. The final chapter features sites and buildings elsewhere in Winslow and beyond the city limits. Past & Present: Winslow is available at the museum for $25 and through the OTM Online Store, with $5 added for shipping.
2026 Speaker Series: Celebrating the Centennial of Route 66
OTM’s speaker series, Celebrating the Centennial of Route 66, includes four presentation taking place on Saturdays at 5 pm at the Winslow Visitors Center throughout 2026.
2026 Spring Route 66 History Highlight: Footsteps from the Past: Retracing the Epic 1928 Route 66, 3,400-Mile Bunion Derby Footrace Across Northern Arizona by Neil Weintraub on Saturday, March 21
On March 4, 1928, 199 of the world’s greatest long-distance runners from 24 countries embarked on an 84-day foot race across the United States. Using newspaper accounts and photographs, retired archaeologist Neil Weintraub will focus on the days they passed through northern Arizona, including Winslow.
2026 Summer Route 66 History Highlight: (Mother) Road to the Stars: Rt 66 and its Space Heritage by Kevin Schindler on Saturday, June 6
Route 66 is one of the most storied roadways in North America, known for its roadside diners, historic hotels and kitschy attractions. But it also boasts an extraordinary space heritage; along its course lies the birthplaces of space pioneers, centers of space exploration and discovery, training grounds for Moon-bound astronauts, the best-preserved asteroid impact site in the world, site of a famous UFO sighting, and museums celebrating these cosmic connections. In honor of the upcoming centennial of Route 66, Lowell Observatory Historian Kevin Schindler will lead a virtual trip along the Mother Road and explore this space heritage. OTM’s 2026 Summer History Highlight is made possible by Arizona Humanities.
2026 Fall Route 66 History Highlight: The Rise and Fall of the Route 66 Meteorite Museum by Ken Zoll on Saturday, September 12
Ken Zoll, the Director Emeritus of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center and Museum in Camp Verde, will provide details and photos of the meteorite museum from its rise in 1936 to its fall in 1958. Harry William Locke opened Meteor Crater Observatory in 1936 as a museum and rock shop, but the enterprise closed in 1938. In 1946, Harvey H. Nininger, regarded as the “Father of American Meteoritics,” and his wife Addie, leased the former Observatory to establish the American Meteorite Museum. They were unable to sustain it after a rerouting of Route 66 in 1949 and moved to a new building in Sedona in 1953.
Route 66 Centennial Highlight: 100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow by Ann-Mary Lutzick on Saturday, November 7
On the Saturday before the actual anniversary of the designation of Route 66 on November 11, 1926, OTM Director Ann-Mary Lutzick will gave a companion talk to OTM’s 100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow exhibit, which highlights Winslow’s stretch of the iconic highway yesterday and today. The talk will focus on some of the businesses and their owners and families in more detail than was possible in the exhibit. The exhibit is on display at the Winslow Visitors Center and on the OTM Website throughout 2026 and beyond. Both the exhibit and 2026 historical calendar of the same name were funded by a Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona grant.
