Can Route 66 towns survive on nostalgia?

Victoria Craig (0:02)

Hello and welcome to Business Daily from the BBC World Service.

Today we're cruising down Route 66 I'll be your host and driver, Victoria Craig. The Mother Road, as the great American novelist John Steinbeck famously called it, turns 100 this year. And in that century, it has served as a gateway to the West for poverty stricken farmers of 1930s to 1950s holiday makers chasing a neon getaway and nostalgia seekers of today hunting down memories of yesteryear.

Corey Cart (0:35)

Sales in our gift shop are up over 300 percent, and that's directly because of increased international traffic due to the Route 66 centennial.

Victoria Craig (0:45)

The road and the towns that relied on it was left in the dust by the introduction of America's vast interstate network in the 1980s. And though many enthusiasts are trying to save its history and memory, some fear its time may be limited.

Angel Delgadillo (1:01)

People are waking up slowly, perhaps not fast enough, but people are beginning to understand our country a little bit better. And with Route 66, it's a wake up call.

Victoria Craig (1:13)

Business owners who are passionate about Route 66 are doing what they can to keep it alive. But how big is the return on that investment? We'll find out as we head west, right here on Business Daily.

Route 66 is a 2,500 mile stretch of concrete and pavement that runs from the bustling metropolis of Chicago, Illinois, all the way to the sandy west coast shores of Santa Monica, California. The highway was officially decommissioned in the 1980s and replaced by the vast high-speed interstate network that still exists across America today. But individual states still maintain their original stretches of road. And as we'll see, Route 66 continues to provide a source of freedom, adventure, and economic hope for those who live, work, and travel on it. Our first stop is in Cuba, Missouri, and the Wagon Wheel Hotel.

It's been operating here for more than 90 years, and still allures road-weary travelers with its iconic red and green neon sign. It's where we meet Roman Rich Dinkela, a lifelong Route 66 enthusiast. He bought this historic mother road property, which is his second, in April this year.

Roman Rich Dinkela (2:33)

So this is the longest, continually running Route 66 motel. This place represents so much. You've got the Ozark stone cottages, which is really indicative of the craftsmanship that we had around the Midwest at the time. These places are neat looking.

It's kind of like, you own a little time capsule, and people can come here, and they can see, they can get a glimpse of what it was like in the 30s and 40s to stay on the road.

Victoria Craig (3:03)

Speaking of the people, tell me who is staying at this hotel.

Roman Rich Dinkela (3:06)

The wagon wheel, I think, gets probably the largest variety of people, because you have the Ozarks around us. A lot of people come here who are doing float trips. We float down the river. We use a kayak, a canoe, or pure Ozark style is we use an inner tube from a truck tire.

That's the thing. So we get a lot of that. We get a lot of Route 66ers, of course. A ton of international travelers. If we cracked open the guestbook from years past, I would probably say over 50 percent of the people logging in that guestbook are going to be from abroad. And, you know, being the centennial year, we've got a ton of people here interested that are local and domestic.

Victoria Craig (3:46)

So that must be good news for a Route 66 enthusiast like yourself. And business owner.

Roman Rich Dinkela (3:51)

It's good news for the businesses, and that's what people forget. They poured their passion and their personalities into these places, and that's why people have this romanticism with Route 66 But if you don't stop and spend money at these places, they'll go away, and they have gone away.

Victoria Craig (4:08)

How important is Route 66 to some of these towns, particularly here in Cuba?

Roman Rich Dinkela (4:14)

I would say Route 66 is probably 30%. There's a lot of Route 66 spirit here, and, you know, the thing about the businesses is, is when you slow people down, and they get out of their cars, they may decide they need to buy a pair of shoes, need to get a haircut, they're hungry, or they need to get a drink of water, or whatever.

And spending any amount of money is good for the local economy, and that's what keeps Route 66 alive.

Victoria Craig (4:40)

Do you worry if there isn't more awareness raised, particularly for younger generations who will eventually be the ones staying in this motel and others?