Text by Tammie

The village of Gardner, Illinois, has several Route 66 attractions – Two-Cell Jail, World War II hero and former streetcar/diner. The attractions are easy to get to: The Two-Cell Jail is at 400 E. Mazon St. A historical marker is next to the jail, celebrating the Rev. Christian Christiansen who helped sabotage Nazi atomic bomb efforts during World War II. The 1932 streetcar-turned-diner is near the Two-Cell Jail. The Two-Cell Jail, historic 1932 streetcar/diner and the Riviera Roadhouse are key sites that were along Route 66 that passed through the center of Gardner. More information is available here .

    A German shepherd guard dog helped the West End Service Station in Edwardsville, Illinois, serve Route 66 travelers for nearly 40 years. The dog’s legacy is part of what makes the West End Service Station one of the few remaining Route 66 landmarks and “one of the last original Route 66 service stations in nearly 60 miles,” a sign outside the station says. West End Service Station is at the corner of St. Louis and West streets in Edwardsville. It was at that corner in 1952 that the business suffered a break-in. But the subsequent adoption of a German shepherd put a stop to that. More on that here .

  Phil Becker lived a few houses from what’s now a historic stop on Old Route 66 in Dwight, Illinois. What was known as “Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station” from 1938 to 1966 became something of a second home to Becker. As a boy, Becker lived six houses “down the street” from the station. He visited the station so much that the owner gave him odd jobs to do when he was 13 or 14. Becker eventually bought the station, which is now known as the “Ambler-Becker Texaco Station.” More about the station’s legacy is available here .  

  Travel hounds are taking up space on Old Route 66 in Hamel, Illinois. “Harry – The Historic Highway Hound” sits at Route 66 along what’s now Route 157. Harry’s a 10-foot-tall blue sculpture dog. Harry’s next to Hamel 66 Dog Park. Harry and the dog park are the newest Route 66 attractions in Hamel. There’s more here .

  The Standard Oil Gasoline Station on the original Route 66 in Odell, Illinois, has winter months from November through March when it’s not open. But you always can examine it from the outside. The outside of the building has a blue button for you to press for a recorded message. In that message, it tells you the station was once very, very busy. Route 66 in Odell, Illinois, once was so busy that a pedestrian tunnel was constructed so people could get across the road. That tunnel now is quiet, too. More information is available here .

  Recognition of Route 66, by necessity, will need to go beyond celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026, Casey Claypool is trying to get across. As executive director of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, Claypool has seen that travelers of Route 66 are older. There is a need for younger people to get excited about traveling the route. “We need to educate these kids on what Route 66 is,” Claypool said during the Mid-Illinois Communications Association’s “Lunch & Learn” event on Jan. 28, 2026, at The Horace Mann Companies, downtown Springfield, Illinois. “We need to show these kids the Gemini Giant (in Wilmington),” Claypool said. “We need to show them the big catsup bottle (in Collinsville) so they can go home and tell their parents, ‘Hey, we want to go see that.’ ” What will help with that? Simon the Sputnik will be launched in schools along Route 66 later in 2026. More on that here .