The State Historical Society of Missouri is partnering with Google Arts and Culture to highlight Route 66! You’ll find online exhibits, images, maps, architectural drawings, stories, and other material related to the history of Missouri’s section of the Mother Road. Google Arts & Culture is a non-commercial initiative that works with cultural institutions and artists to preserve and make the world’s art and culture accessible to anyone, anywhere.
Starting in 2024, Google Arts & Culture began collaborating with the National Trust for Historic Preservation on a new project celebrating the history, heritage, and communities of Route 66. Launching October 29, 2025, the new hub will focus on Route 66’s hidden histories and underrepresented communities with the goal of introducing new audiences, nationally and internationally, to the Route’s legacy.
We are adding new material to this site, so be sure to bookmark us and check out our pages as we highlight SHSMO’s Route 66 growing collection.
Here's some of the material in our collection that includes a clip from The Red Foley Show featuring cowboy comedian Smiley Burnett singing a tune about Route 66 as he traveled to his home in California with a stop in Springfield, Mo. at KWTO Studios in 1954.