Chicago signpost shows point-zero of Route 66

Chicagoans bustled by street crews, putting the finishing touches on the new road sign designating ground zero for Route 66. Perched above the sidewalk at Michigan Ave and Adams Street, across from The Art Institute of Chicago, on November 11, 1926, the crew watched men in fedoras and ladies in long, wool overcoats cruise down the concrete, likely unaware of the historical moment. Perhaps some thought about the music headed their way that night.

The music scene was robust in their city. It was the middle of the Prohibition Era. But this was Chicago, and there was plenty of mafia booze to lubricate the backbones of patrons twirling or listening in the northside (downtown) ballrooms near the Mother Road intersection, at venues like the Aragon Theater (established in 1926), the Rainbo Gardens, or the Drake Hotel.

Published in the April 2026 issue of the Route 66 Sentinel, page 18.