The Kimble Family Summer Vacation on Route 66

Every summer the Kimble family would take a seven-hour road trip to Saint Louis, Missouri, to Grandmother and Pops's house in Villa Ridge, Missouri, off Route 66.Route 66 was developed to create a route between Chicago and Los Angeles. Route 66 curved and wound through Chicago, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas, linking hundreds of farming communities, helping farmers to transport grain and produce to market.Americans who drove the route stayed in motels, motor courts, roadside auto camps, and cottages. Some even provided water, firewood, and toilet paper. There were showers, restaurants, grocery stores, and laundry facilities free of charge. However, for the most part, these accommodations were not available to people of color. There were signs that said Whites Only. Blacks Should Go to the Back Door to Be Served. Regardless, the Kimble's found ways around these barriers and had a fun trip on Highway Route 66.There were many points of interest and landmarks on Route 66 such as parks, monuments, places to fish, and Native American reservations. Many Americans considered Highway 66 as "the route to seek new adventure". The Kimble family: James (Dad); Mary (Mother); Lodovic, 16; Adonis, 15; Taryn, 14; Antonio, 12; Marissa, 11; Juan, 10; and Aleathia, 9.

by LoDovic Kimble

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