Illinois Route 66

Wilmington Elwood Preston Heights Joliet Crest Hill Lockport Romeoville Channahon Shorewood Plainfield

Joliet Regional Overview

Crossroads of America:
This section of the route is an intersection of canal, rail, and highway transportation. The I & M Canal, Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago and Alton Railroad, Lincoln Highway, Route 66, and more recently, Interstates 80 and 55, all played and still play a significant role in the development of these communities.

Relationship to Route 66:
These towns were settled on or near the I&M canal, mostly in the 1830s. Industries and agriculture developed along the canal which connected the Chicago and Illinois rivers. The canal made water travel possible between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. Railroads, the Ship and Sanitary Canal and highways replaced the I&M canal, and it ceased all operation in 1933. Joliet is the largest Route 66 community near Chicago and has done much in recent years to celebrate its connection to the road. It is at the intersection of I-80 and I-55, major connections for regional tourists. It was the “Crossroad of America” where the Lincoln Highway and Route 66 intersected. Joliet is taking advantage of its unique location to become a tourism center for Illinois Route 66. The Blues Brothers movie is used as a Joliet/Route 66 symbol that audiences can relate to. Greater efforts may be needed to define their local relevance to travelers. For example, “Joliet Jake” (John Belushi) is released from the Joliet Prison while his brother, “Elwood,” is named for the nearby Route 66 town. Their “religious catharsis” occurs in Elwood, Illinois. The “idiosyncratic personality” of Route 66 comes to life in this segment with the “Joliet Kicks on 66″ attractions, the Launching Pad Drive-In in Wilmington, and “the world’s greatest chicken” at White Fence Farm.

Eagle Hotel
Possibly one of the oldest commercial structures on Illinois Route 66, it will soon serve as the Wilmington Area Historical Society Museum.

G&D Tire Company and Sinclair Dinosaur
A Sinclair Dinosaur statue sits atop the G&D Tire Company, housed in an old filling station.

Mar Theater
Built in 1937,this first-run theatre is one of the oldest and the only privately-owned operating movie theatre in the Will County Area.

Launching Pad Drive-In and Gemini Giant statue
Founded in 1960, this friendly establishment has a full service menu and is home to a giant "muffler man" statue.

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Preserve and Welcome Center
Welcome Center for the prairie preserve is two miles north of Wilmington along Historic Route 66.

Wilmington
Wilmington began in 1834 when Thomas Cox acquired 400 acres of land from the government and built a saw mill. He later added a corn cracker, a gristmill, and a carding machine and the enterprise took on the name Cox’s Mills. Patronized by settlers from as far as 50 miles away, pioneers brought their corn [...]

Elwood Children’s Garden
A community garden with many delightful botanical nooks and mazes.

Original two-lane segment
This segment of the road dates from 1926-30.

Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery
Established in 1999 on 982 acres of the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant, the cemetery has many monuments and garden niches.

Elwood
Elwood was founded in 1854 along the Joliet- Bloomington rail line, and incorporated as a village in 1869. Elwood remained a small farming community until 1941, when the federal government required land with which to train soldiers for World War II and to construct the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant. In spite of the closing of [...]

Route 66 Raceway
A high-octane entertainment facility featuring concerts, motorsports, and more

Chicagoland Speedway
State of the art 75,000 seat, 1.5 mile superspeedway.

Preston Heights
Preston Heights is a small, unincorporated community south of Joliet.

Joliet Jackhammer Giant statue
This giant muffler man sports the Joliet Jackhammers baseball team colors and holds a jack hammer.

Bicentennial Park
Built along the river on land that had been Joliet's first street, this park was developed in 1976 to celebrate the nation's 200th birthday.

Joliet Iron Works Historic Site
Self-guided tour through exhibits explaining the iron making process.

Bird Haven Greenhouse & Conservatory
Historic greenhouse featuring a tropical house, cacti-room, shows.

Rialto Theatre
Beautifully restored historic theater.

First Dairy Queen
The first Dairy Queen in the country was located here.

Rich & Creamy on Broadway
An ice cream shop from the heyday of Route 66.

Collins Street Prison
Exhibit of prison is featured at the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

Route 66 Park, Joliet
Historic Joliet park with Route 66 connections.

“Route 66 Experience:” Joliet Area Historical Museum
A "must stop" for Route 66 tourists featuring Joliet history and Route 66 themes.

“Joliet Kicks on 66″ Tours
Driving and walking tours of Joliet sites.

Joliet
Joliet originally bore the name “Juliet” which was probably a corruption of the of French Canadian explorer Louis Jolliet’s name. Jolliet first ventured through this area in the fall of 1673, describing the game as abundant and the prairies wide, surrounded by lush forests. Though the settlement already existed, the town wasn’t officially laid out until [...]

“Building the Lincoln Highway” Sculpture
This statue depicts a 1915 Joliet road worker pouring concrete.

Stateville Correctional Center
This prison, with a history of infamous prisoners, is still in operation.

Crest Hill
Crest Hill incorporated in 1960 to avoid annexation to Joliet. The Lincoln Highway bisects the western half of the city, and old Route 66 travels along its eastern edge. As a new community it has no downtown. The only historic buildings are along Route 66. Crest Hill’s motto, “A City of New Beginnings,” reflects its [...]

Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve
A 254-acre surviving remnant of the rare "wet dolomite prairie" habitat.

Pioneer Settlement
These historic structures represent an early village of Will County.

Norton Building/Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery
The Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery is located on the first floor of the historic Norton Building.

I&M Canal Museum
Will County Historical Society operates this museum which features canal and local history exhibits in the former I&M Canal Commission building.

Gaylord Building
A museum operated by the Canal Corridor Association.

Fitzpatrick House
Historic home that now serves as the Lewis University Alumni Relations Development Office.

Lockport
Lockport, located in the Des Plaines River Valley, grew initially as the headquarters for the Illinois & Michigan Canal and as an agricultural processing center. In recent years, history has become a focus of commercial development. In 1968 the Will County Historical Society opened a canal museum in the old I&M Canal headquarters building. The [...]

Isle a la Cache Museum
Meaning "Island of the Hiding Place," this family-friendly museum highlights the area's historic Native American culture and fur trade.

White Fence Farm
This restaurant dates to the 1920s and serves the "World's Greatest Chicken" family style.

Romeoville
Romeoville, some 30 miles southwest of Chicago, was first called Romeo when nearby Joliet was still called “Juliet.” Founded in the 1830s, the area was home to abundant farmlands and stone quarries. In 1845, Juliet was changed to Joliet to honor the famous explorer Louis Jolliet. When this happened, Romeo changed to “Romeoville.” Located on [...]

Channahon
Its name meaning “Meeting of the Waters” in the language of the area’s original Potawatomi inhabitants, Channahon is located at the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers, where they form the Illinois River. The Illinois and Michigan Canal (including several locks) runs through most of the village, where it is fed by the [...]

Shorewood
Established in the 1830s as Troy (after the city in New York), village commerce focused on the DuPage River. The name was changed to Shorewood to reflect the resorts along the river and because a Troy, Illinois already existed. With over 10,000 residents, it has become a thriving suburb of Chicago.

Historic Structures in Plainfield
Three structures listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Route 66 and Lincoln Highway Shared Route
Banners commemorate the shared route.

Plainfield
Tracing its roots to the 1820s, the village of Plainfield is the oldest American community in Will County. It was earlier a Potawatomie village site along the DuPage River. Over the years it has grown from a river and railroad town to become a thriving suburb of Chicago. Plainfield’s main thoroughfare, Lockport Street, was chosen as [...]

Ernie Edwards – Pig Hip Restaurantad spacead space
Find us on FacebookAmerica's BywaysEnjoy Illinois