About

Mission Statement: 

Ozarks 66 Map's mission is to share detailed historical information about Route 66 as it passes through the Ozarks, made easily accessible through an interactive map and deep-dive articles. By tracking the conservation status of each site, this project aims to celebrate our surviving roadside heritage while highlighting the urgent need to document and protect continually vanishing historic landmarks. 

Inspiration:

I was inspired to create this website after visiting Route 66 Times' website (Link: https://route66times.com/). They have a wonderful website documenting many interesting sites all the way from Chicago to L.A. I want to create something similar, instead hyper focusing on the Ozarks, allowing for a deeper and more comprehensive catalog of sites. I also want to map each historic site, because I have often wondered, "Where was that actually at?", when reading about sites that are no longer present (e.g., Red's Giant Hamburg, or The Grove Supper Club). I hope that this website helps to inform readers about how much awesome history is on Route 66 through the Ozarks!

I also wanted to include information about how safe certain sites are. After losing the Rancho Court in Springfield, I wanted to catalog what we have and how close we are to losing it. That way, if another historic site gets listed critically endangered here, next time the outcome could be better, or at least detailed documentation of the site prior to destruction could occur. Read more about my idea for conservation statuses here.

About The Author:

My name is Jaxson Priest. I am a huge fan of all things Route 66! I am based in Springfield, MO, "The Birthplace of Route 66". I drove from Springfield, MO to Santa Monica, CA in May of 2026 in my project 1956 Plymouth. I have started this website as my next project. I hope you all enjoy. I can be reached at my email: Jaxsonp10@gmail.com