History Comes to Life on Route 66

Learn about the people who made an impact on the nation’s most famous highway – Route 66 – during two speaker series events planned for Edwardsville’s iconic West End Service Station in February and March.

Black History on Route 66 and Women’s History on Route 66 will be explored with guest speakers at two separate events at the refurbished Route 66 gas station that now serves as a welcome center and Route 66 museum. The West End Service Station is located at 620 St. Louis Street in Edwardsville, IL. Both events are free and open to the public, although advance registration is requested due to limited seating. Registration is available by emailing HERE.

Both events are sponsored by the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau.

Join Dr. Gina Lathan from 6:30-8PM Thursday, February 27 as she takes attendees on Route 66 experience focused on Black History along the Mother Road. Dr. Lathan will showcase the Black-owned businesses, their communities and economic successes on Route 66 throughout the last 100 years. Dr. Lathan is president of Route History, a museum that highlights the experiences, tragedies, resilience and excellence of the Black community along Route 66. Highlights include the historic economic impact and tenacity visible throughout the Jim Crow era along the highway. The lecture will include the economic successes, civil rights, community development, and historic figures from Chicago and Joliet in the northern part of the highway in Illinois through Bloomington, Springfield and East St. Louis along the southern edge of the Mother Road in the state.

Mother Road Historian Cheryl Eichar Jett will explore the influence of women along Route 66 during a talk from 6:30-8PM Thursday, March 27 at the West End Service Station. The Legendary Women of Illinois Route 66 discussion will include stories on women’s work on the road in Illinois throughout the last 10 decades. Jett has published six books and hundreds of articles on travel, women’s history and Route 66. A book based on her research of the impact of women on the highway has a tentative 2026 publication date.

For more information on the speaker series and the West End Service Station, go to the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau website.