Now, there’s another reason for those passing through Springfield on historic Route 66 to stay a little longer.
The City of Springfield’s Geographic Information Systems division has created an intensive 80-stop “story map” of Historic Route 66 through the city utilizing mapping software Esri.
According to the city, Esri Story Maps let users combine authoritative maps with narrative text, images and multimedia content to tell a story.
The story map starts at the former site of Bumgartner’s Store in Strafford and ends at the former site of the Lone Start Court on West Chestnut Expressway, which now houses the Best Budget Inn.
Stops between the two include the former site of Red’s Giant Hamburg, Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven, the former Kentwood Arms Hotel and the Woodruff Building (now Sky Eleven) and several motor courts, plus long-forgotten locales such as the Star Terminal Café, Brown’s Tourist Camp and Manhattan Dinner House. The story map features historical photos of the places in their heyday and current photos of the sites today.
To view the story maps, click here.
