Airstream Joins Preserve Route 66 Campaign With National Trust For Historic Preservation

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The Preserve Route 66 campaign wants to highlight efforts to make the storied highway a National Historic Trail. (Photo credit: Airstream.)

Airstream recently announced a partnership with The National Trust for Historic Preservation for a new summer event entitled “Preserve Route 66,” which hopes to bring awareness to the campaign to earn Route 66 the designation of National Historic Trail. It all started on July 2, 2018, when the event organizers left Chicago, Illinois, and began a 6-week, 2,400-mile (3,862-kilometer) trip along Route 66 on the way to Los Angeles, California. The goal is to give this historic highway the same distinction as pathways like the Oregon Trail or the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

“This would be the first such paved trail,” says Jason Clement, director of marketing campaigns for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Our work is all about saving places of great historic importance that might otherwise fall into decay. Route 66 is ingrained in the American psyche, and we want to make sure it’s something everyone can enjoy for generations.”

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The event will take place over six weeks and 2,400 miles (3,862 kilometers) as an Airstream RV travels along Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. (Photo credit: Airstream.)

In Perspective

The true history of Route 66 goes beyond novelty shops and tourist traps. Clement says the highway “really supported a whole economy,” because businesses were able to thrive on the patronage of travelers passing through. It was heavily used during the Dust Bowl and World War II eras, but in 1985, the government removed it from the U.S. Highway System. Since then, vast stretches of the road have fallen into disrepair; this is part of the impetus for the campaign, which seeks to bring more attention to the route’s historical importance in an effort to preserve it.

Several sponsors, including State Farm, Polaroid, Sonic, and National Geographic, are joining Airstream to support the event. You’ll be able to follow the journey on social media, and, if you decide to share your own story with Preserve Route 66, you’ll be entered to win $2,500 as well as a $500 prize pack from Airstream. You can also visit the event’s website to get email updates and sign the Preserve Route 66 petition.

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Route 66 was removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985, but it maintains historical importance thanks to its use during the Dust Bowl period and World War II. (Photo credit: Airstream.)

If you want to hit up Route 66 and make your own memories, you’ll find a number of new and used Airstream RVs at RVUniverse.com to get your road trip started.

Source: Airstream