We are so excited to celebrate 100 years of Route 66!
For those of you that don’t know, Route 66 is an inter-state freeway that was approved November 11, 1926. It was built going from Chicago to Los Angeles. It pieced together roads and highways that already existed in some places and built new road in other places. It wasn’t entirely paved until 1938.
It used to be called “The Main Street of America”. We are so proud and happy that Golden Valley is on that main street. To share our pride in being part of Route 66, we are offering a Mesquite Weekend Route 66 postcard done in the same style as the old, original promotional style. You can buy one individually or you’ll get one included in your tote bag if you buy a BRILLIANT Ticket.
How did Route 66 effect Mohave County?
I’ve heard Route 66 called “The Mother Road” but I didn’t know why. This site says it was dubbed that in Steinbeck’s book The Grapes of Wrath. Here’s a bit of general information about Route 66, but here in Mohave County, Arizona Route 66 cut through the ancestral lands of the Hualapai Tribe. In fact, it was the trade routes from the Pai Nation that the emigrants and soldiers followed that led to the route The Main Street of America used. After time Kingman became a town tourists used to get gas, food, and sleep. Not much changed for the small populations that chose to live in Golden Valley.
Come visit Golden Valley during March 2oth through March 22nd and you’ll get that old town feel. Our tight-knit community still has small businesses run by local families, a couple of gas stations, and a few places to eat. This year, Mesquite Weekend will facilitate a Star Party Friday night, a desert foods lunch Saturday afternoon, and a fair Sunday at Veterans Park with speakers and vendors.
See you at the 4th Annual Mesquite Weekend!