With each map, brochure, diary, or photograph we learn more about the highway—what it looked like, who used it, what it was like to drive it.
Learn More about Archives
Do you have historic photos, videos, diaries or other items related to travel or life on Route 66? Preserve them by donating your items to a public archive today!
Route 66 holds a special place in American culture, and preserving its legacy is important for future generations. If you have materials related to Route 66 that are historically or culturally significant, such as photographs, family films, postcards, or travel diaries, your contributions can help safeguard this heritage.
Many valuable collections have been lost because people were unaware of their significance to the historical record. Donating these materials to a public institution ensures their preservation and makes them accessible for community, museum, academic, and other public uses.
If you would like to donate your Route 66 items, please reach out to our general mailbox or contact one of our regional institutions. Provide information about your materials, and we will guide you through the available options and provide details on how your collection can be preserved for posterity.
Please contact our general mailbox or one of our regional institutions with more information about your materials, and we will provide you with information and options for your collection.
Archival collections (institutional records, personal papers, subject collections, etc.)
Photographs
Oral histories
Maps
Published material (books, periodicals, newspapers, etc.)
Promotional material (tourist brochures, advertisements, etc.)
Government documents
Audio-Visual material
Ephemera
Vertical files
Digital Material
History of Route 66
Transportation/Highway development
Trucking/Transit Industry
Trails, immigrant routes, pre-modern roads
Roadside architecture
Local history, businesses, industry, and government
Automobile travel
Tourism
Historic preservation
Native Americans/American Indian lands
Latinos/Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans, and/or other ethnicities
Dustbowl/Migrant camps
Road Boosters/Organizations/Good Roads Movement
Other (describe)
Route 66 in a particular state (IL, MO, KS, OK, TX, NM, AZ, CA)
National Route 66