Historic Route 66: Missouri

This is the story of the author's life growing up in a large family in a small Missouri town near Route 66 during the 1950s. DeWayne Landwehr, like many boys who grew up in small-town America, lived through physical and sexual abuse--but he also enjoyed some great times. His early memories involved raising chickens: There were always eggs to gather. Every day, the family would bring them to the basement to be washed, candled, graded, and sold--or washed, sanitized, and assembled into the trays for the incubator, depending on whether they were to be eaten or hatched into more chickens. With three older siblings, he could not wait to go to school. Every day, he'd see his siblings go to class--and it seemed so magical. The entire school system was located right across the street in three buildings. Later, he started working his way to college at a gas station on the famous Route 66, where he encountered people of varying backgrounds. He struggled with the sometimes dishonest practices of his boss, contrasted with the necessity of keeping a job, and met interesting characters along the way.

Route 66 in the Missouri Ozarks picks up the journey west where its companion book, Route 66 in St. Louis, leaves off. As Bobby Troup's song says, Route 66 travels "more than 2,000 miles all the way." But one would be hard-pressed to "Show Me" a more scenic and historic segment than the Missouri Ozarks. The highway is lined with buildings covered with distinctive Ozark rock. It winds through a region of deep forests, sparkling streams, hidden caves, and spectacular bluffs. This book will take the traveler from Crawford County to the Kansas line. Along the way, there are small towns and urban centers, hotels and motels, cafes and souvenir stands. Take the time to explore Missouri's Route 66--it is waiting at the next exit."