Now through spring of 2027, visitors walking into Northern Arizona University’s Cline Library will step into a slice of mid-century America: a glowing motel “No Vacancy” sign. Vintage furniture. A guestbook waiting to be signed. A Polaroid camera to capture the moment.
The installation is part of Echoes of the Open Road: 100 Years of Route 66 in Arizona, a new exhibition at NAU’s Cline Library Special Collections and Archives to commemorate this year’s Route 66 centennial. The exhibit traces the story of the historic highway—from its rise as a cross-country travel route to its cultural afterlife as one of the most recognizable symbols of American road travel.
Behind the exhibition is a long-standing partnership between NAU and the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, whose philanthropic support has helped fund the exhibit, a student internship, and ongoing archival preservation of Route 66 history at NAU.
The collaboration has enabled NAU to preserve a significant piece of Arizona’s history while giving students valuable, hands-on experience.
Why Route 66, and why NAU
Established in 1926, Route 66 stretched more than 2,400 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, passing through eight states and helping shape the economic and cultural life of communities along its path. Arizona contains the longest remaining stretch of the highway’s original alignment, making the state central to the road’s story.
“The significance of Route 66 in the state of Arizona is large,” says Peter Runge, head of Special Collections and Archives at NAU’s Cline Library. “The Southwest has this broad appeal—not only to other Americans but to people around the world. It’s iconic in terms of its natural landscapes, its human geography, and the culture that’s grown up around the two of them.”
The road once served as a gateway to many of the region’s most famous destinations, including Grand Canyon National Park.
“Route 66 plays an important cultural and economic role in the state of Arizona,” Runge says.
NAU is uniquely positioned to tell that story. The historic highway runs directly alongside the university campus, making NAU one of only two universities in the United States located directly on Route 66, alongside the University of New Mexico.
That proximity has helped make NAU a natural home for preserving Route 66 history.
In 2008, Cline Library was designated as the official archival repository for Route 66 history in Arizona, a role that grew out of a collaboration with the National Park Service.
Today, the library preserves a growing collection of materials documenting the road and the communities it shaped—from photographs and oral histories to maps, business records and family archives.
Among the most significant collections are the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona Records and the Delgadillo Family Records, which document the grassroots movement to preserve Route 66 after the interstate highway system bypassed many towns along the road.
A partnership preserving the road’s legacy
The exhibition and related programming at NAU are supported in part by the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, which has contributed more than $80,000 through an endowed fund, along with additional grants supporting exhibitions and student internships.
Founded in the late 1980s by preservation advocates including Angel Delgadillo, the association emerged after Interstate 40 bypassed towns along Route 66, dramatically reducing traffic and tourism in places such as Seligman, the birthplace of historic Route 66.
“Angel, along with his brother Juan and several others, decided to develop a group to preserve, protect, and raise awareness of the history of Route 66,” Runge says.
That grassroots effort eventually grew into a statewide organization dedicated to safeguarding the road’s heritage.
“The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona has been an incredible partner, advocate, and supporter of Cline Library and Northern Arizona University for a number of years,” Runge says.
The association’s philanthropic contributions have supported multiple exhibitions exploring Route 66 history, archival processing and digitization of collections, and internships that give students hands-on experience in public history.
“That funding is so important for the library, but also for our ability to support student success,” Runge says. “These internships provide students with an opportunity to develop career readiness skills and experience.”
“We feel lucky to be partnering with NAU’s Cline Library. They have become stewards of Route 66 history in Arizona,” says Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona Director of Operations Nikki Terlesky. “They have an enthusiasm for collecting, protecting, and sharing that history. We are looking forward to the Centennial Exhibit opening for Arizonans and visitors to enjoy.”
A student’s perspective on the open road
Kaylen Wilson, ’24, ’26, is a graduate student in NAU’s public history program who served as the exhibition’s curator through a paid internship.
Wilson grew up in Taylor, Arizona, a small community about 30 miles from Route 66 near Holbrook. With a population of just a few thousand people, Taylor—and neighboring Snowflake—represents the kind of smaller community whose stories are often overshadowed by larger Route 66 destinations.
“Kaylen had not only a historical understanding of the Southwest in American history, but she had this very personal connection to Route 66,” Runge says. “She was the perfect intern for this project.”
As part of her internship, Wilson researched Route 66 history across Arizona, selected images and artifacts from archival collections, and wrote interpretive text for the exhibition.
Curating a centennial exhibition meant narrowing down a vast history.
“For a centennial exhibit, you’re trying to cover 100 years of a road that spans an entire state,” Wilson says. “There’s no possible way that can fit in even the large room in the library.”
One of the most surprising discoveries for Wilson was the global fascination with Route 66. Data collected from guestbooks at the Kingman Visitor Center showed visitors from all 50 states and more than 70 countries traveling the road.
“Seeing just how many people around the world care about Route 66 and come here to see it was really mind-blowing to me,” she says.
Bringing Route 66 history to campus
The exhibition tells the story of Route 66 from its early years through its decline and modern revival.
Visitors will learn about historical moments such as the 1928 transcontinental foot race organized by promoter C.C. Pyle. More than 100 runners attempted to race from Santa Monica to Chicago—and eventually New York—running 20 to 40 miles per day along the route. The winner, Andy Payne, a 20-year-old runner from Oklahoma, earned a $25,000 prize, a life-changing sum at the time.
The exhibit also highlights lesser-known stories from towns along the route—communities that depended on the highway for economic survival and cultural identity. Wilson said preserving those stories became one of the most meaningful parts of the project. During research visits, she spoke with members of the Ash Fork Historical Society, who loaned objects for the exhibition.
“One of the staff there said very offhandedly, ‘We’re just glad you think our story is worthy,’” Wilson recalls.
“That really changed the way I think about it.”
“Preserving these stories means recognizing that this isn’t just history in a book,” she says. “This is a place where people are living their real lives—a place where they have deep roots and personal connections.”
Echoes of the Open Road is installed on the first floor of Cline Library, making it accessible whenever the library is open.
Runge says the goal is to create an immersive experience for visitors—including travelers passing through Flagstaff along Route 66 itself. The exhibit features two main sections: an interactive mid-century motel lobby and a gallery space exploring the highway’s history.
A companion digital exhibition allows visitors to explore the history online.
“Through our Special Collections and Archives, Cline Library empowers students to engage directly with the stories, organizations, and people of Northern Arizona’s communities along Route 66,” says Dean and University Librarian Cynthia Childrey. “Echoes of the Open Road is both a celebration and a journey—and like the Mother Road itself, it connects the past to the future, inspiring new generations of scholars and travelers.”
Inspiring the next journey
Despite the interstate system that replaced it, much of the original road still survives.
For Wilson, the exhibit represents both a professional milestone and a personal one. When visitors step into the exhibition, she hopes they “learn a little bit more about how Route 66 plays into communities across the state,” she says.
For Runge, the goal of the public exhibition and opening celebration is simple: to inspire people to rediscover and learn about the road.
“I hope people walk away feeling inspired,” he says. “I hope it inspires students and members of the community to get out and explore Route 66.”
