Historical Route 66 Increasingly Threatened By Development

DWIGHT, IL - JUNE 13: A traveler passes by new and old power lines along historic U.S. Route 66 June 13, 2007 near Dwight, Illinois. Route 66 opened in 1926 stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles and became a western migration route for people looking for work during the great depression of the 1930's or to escape the Dust Bowl disaster. Later it offered vacation getaways and driving adventures until 1985 when it was decommissioned as a federal highway. Due to neglect and commercial development Route 66, the first highway to connect the Midwest with the West Coast, has recently been added to the biennially compiled list of the world's most endangered landmarks by the World Monuments Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's yearly list of the 11 most endangered historic places in America. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)