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The Mother Road

Talks with people living and working along the Mother Road

Route 66 Podcast

In 1903 a Horatio Nelson Jackson, an eccentric doctor from Vermont, makes a $50 bet that he can be the first person to drive an automobile coast to coast in under 90 days. Despite not even owning a car, having no driving experience, and no road maps to plan the route Jackson heads out within five days of making the wager. The story was first written in the book, Horatio's Drive: America's first road trip, by Dayton Duncan, who would later unite with documentary film maker Ken Burns to create a feature PBS documentary film.
 
Highlights from the show include:
 
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What makes a really good road trip?
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Road tripping basics
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Dayton earliest road trip memory
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Dayton's first impression of Ken Burns
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The Brooklyn Bridge film
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The most unusual $50 wager at a California social club
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Discovering Horatio Nelson Jackson
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Settling on the Winton touring car
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The start of the 1903 trip in San Francisco
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Documenting the trip
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Picking up a 4 legged passenger along the Route
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What happens when Jackson asked for directions
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Copy cats attempting to cross the continent by auto
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Packard Company attempt
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Oldsmobile attempt
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Winton Car Company asks Jackson to allow sponsorship
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Jackson turns down any financial help 
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Jackson arrives into NYC under his own terms
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Packard and Oldsmobile final results
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Life after the historic ride
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Working alongside Ken Burns
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Artifacts at The Smithsonian Museum
 • 
 
 
 

 
Thank you to Route 66 Podcast supporters, including:
 

 
 • Rob and Cheryl Cochran – Maryland
 • Jim Crabtree – California
 • Todd Farrell – Nebraska
 • John Garza - Texas
 • Rich Havlik – Minnesota
 • Mary Nicholson – Pennsylvania
 • Phil Norton - Pennsylvania
 • Mark Wilson – Texas
 

 
And from the United Kingdom
 

 
 • Charli Beeton
 

 
 
 
 THE MOTHER ROAD AT 100: The Voices of Route 66
 
 
 
 
 

 
A multimedia presentation featuring Route 66 before, during, and after its heyday
 

 
During the centennial year of Route 66 schedule a virtual or in person presentation by Route 66 Podcast host, Anthony Arno, highlighting episodes over the past 10 years. An optional trivia option is available, where all attendees can participate to win Route 66 related prizes- either virtually or in person!
 

 
Click HERE for more information

70. Horatio Nelson Jackson: The first person to drive an automobile across America

The Chain of Rocks Bridge was an active Route 66 passage over the Mississippi River between 1936 - 1966. Although no longer open to vehicular traffic, the Chain of Rocks Bridge allows visitors to walk a 1 mile authentic stretch of Route 66 across the Mississippi.
 
Join Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno as he talks tih Elizabeth Simmons, from the Great Rivers Greenway about the popularity and almost complete demise of the Chain of Rocks bridge.
 

 
Highlights from this episode include:
 
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The Great Rivers Greenway Mission
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Earliest bridges to cross the Mississippi River
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Physical location of Chain of Rocks Bridge
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1936 Route 66 alignment on Chain of Rocks Bridge
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Peak bridge years with amusement park 
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Commercial barge traffic on Mississippi River
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Namesake of Chain of Rocks 
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Chain of Rocks channel
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Chouteau Island
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Construction of 1953 canal on east side
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Castle like structures at Chain of Rock Bridge
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Physical dimensions and unusual bend on Chain of Rocks Bridge
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Gretchen (bridge keeper volunteer)
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Earliest memory of Chain of Rocks Bridge
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Involvement as an ambassador at Chain of Rocks Bridge
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Typical bridge keeper duties
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Personal connection to bridge
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Most memorable people on the bridge
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Wildlife sightings on Mississippi
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Most recent renovations on the bridge
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 1970 - 1999
 
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Bridge closed to the public and slated for demolition
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What ironically saved the Chain of Rocks Bridge from demolition
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Reopening as a pedestrian bridge in 1999 with Trialnet
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Great Rivers Greenway established in 2000
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Future options for Chain of Rocks Bridge 
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Activities and events at Chain of Rocks Bridge
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Other Green Rivers Greenway destinations
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69. Chain of Rocks Bridge

Remembering Connie Echols
 
The Route 66 Podcast pays a special tribute to Connie Echols, who passed away on May 2, 2026, at the age of 76 years old. The Wagon Wheel Motel is the longest, continuously operated motel along Route 66. 
 
The Route 66 Podcast pays a special tribute to Connie Echols, who passed away on May 2, 2026, at the age of 76 years old.
 
This episode was originally released in 2018 as Connie was nearing her 10th anniversary of owning and operating The Wagon Wheel Motel. 
 
 Join host Anthony Arno as he talks with Connie about:
 
Website: The Wagon Wheel Motel
 
Website: Wagon Wheel Facebook Page
 
Connie Echols, owner Wagon Wheel Motel
 
Show highlights:
 
 • Connie's other profession before purchasing The Wagon Wheel Motel
 • Early history of The Wagon Wheel Motel
 • Most popular items sold at The Wagon Wheel Gift Shop
 • Why the original motel garages were removed from adjoining rooms
 • The original Wagon Wheel Neon sign and why there's only one sign facing east, and no sign facing travelers as they travel west
 • Keeping in touch with other historic Route 66 Motels
 • Latest projects at The Wagon Wheel that Connie is working on
 • Local area attractions for Cuba, MO
 • Annual events in the area
 • Famous guests who stayed at The Wagon Wheel Motel

68. Remembering Connie Echols of The Wagon Wheel Motel (Encore)

The Cadillac Ranch is one of the most popular stops along Route 66, and on this very special episode, host Anthony Arno speaks with the only surviving who created the art installation. At 81 years old, Chip not only talks about establishing Ant Farm, the creative group behind the Cadillac Ranch, but two other "unimaginable" projects that honor the automobile.
 

 
Join Anthony as he talks with Chip about
 
 • Pivoting away from a traditional career as an architect
 • How Ant Farm was established and the origin behind the name
 • Finding and burying 10 classic Cadillacs in Texas
 • The intention was never to allow visitors defact the cars with grafitti
 • Working with Amarillo businessman Stanly Marsh, who financed the project
 • Bruch Springsteen sings about The Cadillac Ranch
 • Quietly relocating the ranch down the road 23 years later
 • Modifications to cars that were burried at the Cadillac Ranch
 • Preserving the Cadillac Ranch
 • Special anniversary celebrations
 • The secret behind the Cadillac Ranch
 

 
MEDIA BURN
 
 • Creating a "spectacle" was the goal
 • Evil Knieval meets a lunar launch with a JFK impersonator
 • Secretly renting the parking lot of the Cow Palace
 • Setting 100 TV's on fire- you only get one chance
 
 
 

 
GM TRAINING VIDEO
 
 • 
 • 1950'S GM training video for sales force
 • Widely accepted for something so basic from decades earlier
 • Public performance at Whitney Museum
 • Chip played the rold of customer
 • 
 • Age of Youtube culture
 • What would be done differently?
 • What happened to Ant Farm movement?
 • Ant Farm fire
 • Chip's public Persona and recognition today
 • EALI & Columbia University Ant Farm Archives

67. Cadillac Ranch

It's our 66th episode, and that's a major milestone in the world of podcasting! In fact, less than 7% of all podcasts ever launched ever make it to thier 66th episode.
 
Join Route 66 host Anthony Arno as he is joined by his wife sharing his thoughts on the podcast along with some other things that listeners never knew about.

66. The 66th Episode!

To celebrate the centennial of Route 66 in 2026, the very first episode of the year features the life of the Father of Route 66- Cyrus Stevens Avery.
 
Join Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno as he talks with Susan Croce Kelly, author of Father of Route 66: Cy Avery. More than establishing Route 66, Avery was a proponent of the Good Roads Movement and advocated for paved roads at the introduction of the automobile in America.
 
Highlights from the show include:
 
 • Teaming up with Quinta Scott in 1990 to write 
Route 66: The Highway and Its People • Searching for Route 66
 • Avery's childhood
 • Avery travels west in a covered wagon at age 13
 • Awareness of road conditions as a young pioneer
 • Populariity of bicycles in establishing paved roads
 

 
 • Avery pulls America out of the mud
 • What did Avery get right?
 • Replacing named roads with numbered roads
 • Road construction and technology
 • Need for proper signage with road travel
 • Rapid growth of automobiles with Model T introduction
 • Railroad perspective regarding paved roads
 • Avery reluctantly accepts the number "66" for his road 
 • Secretary of Agriculture in charge of road construction
 • What did Route 66 get right that the other highways of the day missed out on?
 • US Highway 66 Association established to promote the road 
 • Proposing a 3400 mile coast to coast footrace along Route 66
 • The Bunion Derby puts Route 66 on the world map
 • The Great Depression years
 • Running for governor of Oklahoma
 • Providing clean drinking water to Tulsa
 • Avery's biggest achievement (not Route 66)
 • Modernizing the Tulsa airport
 • Reflection 
 • Importance of trip west for Avery in a covered wagon
 • Replacing Route 66 with the Interstate Highway 
 • 1969 Highway Beautification Act removes local billboards
 • Route 66 as a tourist attraction today
 • 
 

 
 • Centennial Plaza in Tulsa honors Avery
 Newspaper Women of the Ozarks • book

65. Cyrus Stevens Avery: Father of Route 66

At the age of 81 years old, Gene Waylan is operating the lask known Ku Ku Burger from what was one of 200 locations. How does a Kansas boy pivot from wanting to be a farmer to successfully operating an iconic Route 66 burger joint fo over 50 years?
 
 
 
Join Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno as he talks wth Gene about his 51 year career of flipping burgers along historic Route 66. Highlights from the show include:
 
 • Transition from farmboy to flipping burgers
 • The Griff Hamburger Years
 • The Ku Ku Burger
 • The McDonalds competition
 Don't Just Ask for a Burger, Ask for Waylans • Settling down in Miami, OK
 • Physical expansion in Miami
 • Competing with McDonalds
 • It's more than just good food...
 
 
 
 • Does Gene run the business, or does the business run Gene?
 • Final wishes for the Ku Ku Burger
 • Promotional keyrings and car shows
 • Trademark attire through the years
 • A visit from Bob Dylan
 • Secret to cooking a good burger
 • Next item on the bucket list
 • Reason for limited hours and closed seating
 • Expected sale of Waylan's Ku Ku Burger?

64. Waylan's Ku Ku Burger, Miami, OK

Join Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno, as he talks with probably two of the most popular authors of Route 66: Jim Ross and Shellee Graham. Together, Ross and Graham have written over ten different books featuring The Mother Road. Their latest book, Route 66:The first 100 Years, covers the complete history of the road- before, during, and after the popularity of America's Main Street.
 
Highlights from the show include:
 

 
 • How did two Route 66 advocates ever meet and eventually become a married couple?
 • Earliest memories of Route 66
 • Living in one of the most remarkable homes on Route 66
 • What makes, 
Route 66 The first 100 Years, • different from every other Route 66 book?
 • Publishing a Route 66 book with complete artistic control
 • What came first: The words or pictures?
 • Sifting through hundreds of vintage Route 66 images to include in the book
 • The Legend of Route 66 
 • Route 66 Native American influence 
 • Trading Post or Tourist Trap?
 

 
 • Two Guns 
 • The story of The Apache Death Cave 
 • Route 66 Renaissance 
 • Painted Desert Trading Post
 • Naysayers of Route 66
 • Route 66 
Fact or Fiction? • Route 66 Crossings (Route 66 bridges)
 • Deep Tracks Project (Mapping hundreds of Route 66 alignments)
 • Traits of a Route 66 traveler
 
Website: Jim Ross
 
Website: Shellee Graham

63: Jim Ross & Shellee Graham: Route 66 The first 100 Years

Despite being just a few miles from the end of the route, the Fair Oaks Pharmacy in South Pasadena, CA, is like walking into a time capsule. This 1910 establishment is the only operational compounding pharmacy on Route 66,combining a working pharmacy with a soda fountain bar.
 
Join Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno as he talks with Brenden Shaniani, partner in the Fair Oaks Soda Fountain about life in a working pharmacy that tried to distant itself from the Walgreens and Rite-Aid type pharmacies.
 
 Highlights from the show include:
 
 • Fair Oaks Pharmacy as a time capsule
 • Original 1915 proprietor,Gertrude Ozmun
 

 
 • An unusual wedding proposal that Ozmun could not resist by a hopeful US Senator
 • Various iterations of Fair Oaks Pharmacy
 • Connection between a soda fountain and a pharmacy
 • Soda fountain lingo
 • Previous owner, Michael Miller, talks about his 1500 mile trek to Missourito relocate an authentic Route 66 soda fountain shop 
 • Parents purchase of Fair Oaks after immigrating from Iran
 • Running a pharmacy as a family business
 • A walk through the pharmacy gift shop and the most popular items
 • Fair Oaks Pharmacy in pop culture
 • Most popular visitors to Fair Oaks Pharmacy
 • Proudest moments at the pharmacy
 • Celebrating 110th anniversary of Fair Oaks Pharmacy
 • Other area attractions in South Pasadena
 
Thank you to Route 66 Podcast & Scholarship supporters, including
 
 • 
Rob and Cheryl Cochran - Maryland • 
 • 
Reed Coles - Nebraska • 
 • 
Jim Crabtree – California • 
 • 
Todd Farrell - Nebraska • 
 • 
Rich Havlik – Minnesota • 
 • 
Mary Nicholson – Pennsylvania • 
 • 
Mark Wilson - Texas • 
 
And from the United Kingdom
 
 • 
 
Charli Beeton
 
 
 • 
 

 
Route 66 Tours led by Route 66 Podcast host, Anthony Arno
 
Please consider supporting both The Route 66 Podcast and Scholarship Program through Patreon.

62. Fair Oaks Pharmacy, Pasadena, CA

There are many Route 66 museums, but probably one of the most comprehensive and largest museums is the Route 66 Oklahoma Museum. Route 66 Podcast talks with Pat Smith, curator of the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum. The displays are all professionally laid out and are part of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
 
Join host Anthony Arno as he talks with Pat Smith about the following:
 
 • Introducing the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum 
 • Where is Clinton, OK?
 • 
 • The Oklahoma Historical Society
 • Comparason to other Route 66 museums
 • Pat Smith - Curator 
 • Earliest memory of Route 66
 • 
 • The 1995 opening of the museum
 • Staff and Volunteers
 • Annual visitors
 

 
 • Origin of artifacts for Route 66 Museum 
 • Authentic Valentine Diner
 • Typical donation inquiries
 • 
 • Layout of Museum 
 • Classic car collection
 • The museum decade by decade
 • 
 • The Gift Shop
 • Past museum milestones
 • Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame
 • Centennial celebration planning
 • Pat's favorite gallery
 • Famous (and not so famous) museum visitors
 • Planning your visit to the museum
 
Thank you to Route 66 Podcast & Scholarship supporters, including
 
 • 
Rob and Cheryl Cochran - Maryland • 
 • 
Reed Coles - Nebraska • 
 • 
Jim Crabtree – California • 
 • 
Todd Farrell - Nebraska • 
 • 
Rich Havlik – Minnesota • 
 • 
Mary Nicholson – Pennsylvania • 
 • 
Mark Wilson - Texas • 
 
And from the United Kingdom
 
 • 
 
Charli Beeton
 
 
 • 
 

 
Route 66 Tours led by Route 66 Podcast host, Anthony Arno
 
Please consider supporting both The Route 66 Podcast and Scholarship Program through Patreon.

66. The 66th Episode!

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