Above 3 images: On the grounds of Henry's Ra66bit Ranch!

Another beautifully restored filling station - Soulsby's Service - built in 1926, in Mount Olive, IL. Its size was doubled in the 1930s, from a mere 13 x 20 feet. It was never classified as a garage though

Above and immediately below: The Ariston Cafe (fabulous dinner here!) on 66 in Litchfield, serving meals in this building since 1935! The cafe began life in 1924 in nearby Carlinville and then moved to a location across from the above spot in 1929 when the Route 66 alignment was changed. The owner then moved to his own building here in '35...

Inside the Ariston...

Above and two below: The Skyview Drive-In Theater in Litchfield - the last remaining operating venue of this kind on Illinois Route 66 and in seasonal operation since 1951!

St. Paul's Lutheran Church - the "Church of the Neon Cross" - in Hamel. The cross is lit at night, guiding Route 66 travelers for over 50 years...

All that's left of the Bel Air Drive Theater on Route 66 in Mitchell...

Sign of a long-gone motor court - the Town & Country Motel at the edge of Edwardsville

The Greenway, on Chain-of-Rocks Road in Mitchell, IL, still in operation...

One of the oldest signs still in use on Historic Illinois 66 - for the old Luna Cafe, in Mitchell. The cafe was built in 1924, two years prior to the establishment of Route 66. It is rumored to have been frequented by gangsters like Al Capone. The Luna did operate as a cafe on the main floor, but had a gambling operation in the basement and a house of ill repute upstairs. The neon sign out front, still standing, has a cherry which used ruby glass to enhance its red glow. It is said that if the cherry was lit, the girls were in. At one time, the cafe was a “fine dining establishment” and so expensive that most law-abiding citizens could not afford to eat there. The Luna is now a working man’s bar frequented by locals and the sign was restored and re-lit in neon on October 22, 2011!

Final images below: The Chain-of-Rocks Bridge in Madison, IL, where Old Illinois Route 66 finally dead-ends (to vehicle traffic that is) at the mighty Mississippi River...

The bridge has been restored as a walking and biking path; it once carried Route 66 traffic over the Mississippi River into Missouri, just north of St. Louis...

Most noted for its famous 22-degree "bend" near the middle, the bridge carried traffic from 1936 to 1955 as part of the third alignment of Route 66. It was actually privately built as a toll bridge in 1926 at a cost of 3 million dollars and in 2007 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge was officially closed to vehicular traffic in 1967 when the new Interstate 270 bridge was built just to the north...

Here, the Mississippi flows swift and muddy, due to its confluence with the Missouri River just to the north. To the left of the photo (out of frame) and downriver lies St. Louis. This image was taken from a park on the Illinois side of the river. The bend in the bridge was required due to the rocky bottom, as suitable places for solid footings were needed...

Old electrical "ghost" insulators survive on girders of the Chain-of-Rocks Bridge, with sections of wire going nowhere, still attached...

Above two photos: A side trip - vineyards in the middle of cornfields! On a rainy day, a visit to Mackinaw Valley Vineyards in Mackinaw, IL...This is a gorgeous, lush place that reminded us more of the Finger Lakes Region in Upstate New York rather than Illinois! A fun diversion while exploring the Mother Road - Historic Illinois Route 66!

Well, thanks for your patience in visiting these five pages! Thanks also to John Weiss, Pontiac, IL Mayor Bob Russell and all the helpful and informative folks we met along the way! We sincerely hope you have enjoyed the images and that you are inspired to take a road trip along Historic Illinois Route 66 - or any of the other sections of the Mother Road that still survive (and there IS still a lot remaining!)...  

- Yours, Dennis and Donna Hubbs, D&D Travel

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All photos c. 2012, Dennis A. Hubbs, D&D Travel Services, LLC