Route 66 Centennial: From steam to neon, Kingman’s keeping the Mother Road alive

Walk down Beale Street in Kingman on a First Friday and you’ll hear the music, the laughter, and the conversation that fill the downtown air. The monthly event brings residents and visitors together to celebrate community pride, art, and local businesses, all in one of Arizona’s most historic Route 66 districts.

For many, gatherings like these feel like a reunion of sorts. People who grew up there, travelers passing through, and newcomers to the area all share something in common - a connection to the road that built the town.

How it all began

Kingman’s story began several decades before Route 66. In 1857, Navy Lieutenant Edward F. Beale led an expedition through the desert (on camels. Seriously.) to chart a wagon road across the region. The railroad followed in the 1880s. Surveyor Lewis Kingman laid out the tracks in 1882, and the first train rolled through on March 28, 1883.

When U.S. Highway 66 was commissioned in 1926, it followed much of the same path as the railroad. Businesses quickly grew to meet the needs of travelers as gas stations, diners, and motels popped up along the highway. Kingman soon became known along the drive between Los Angeles and Chicago as a friendly stop to refill tanks and enjoy a slice of pie.

From Dust Bowl to destination

During the 1930s, thousands of Dust Bowl migrants drove west along Route 66 in search of new lives in California. The road became a national symbol of freedom and opportunity - celebrated in songs, featured on TV, and written about in books like John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. By the mid-1960s, more than half a million travelers a year were passing through this part of the Mojave Desert.

Mining, Hollywood, and local legends

While Route 66 helped Kingman grow, mining was the town’s foundation. Discoveries of gold, silver, and turquoise - to name a few - drew in settlers and supported the local economy before tourism took over.

Kingman also earned a bit of Hollywood fame. Actor Andy Devine, known for his roles in classic Westerns, was born and raised here. Front Street, which became part of Route 66, was renamed Andy Devine Avenue in his honor, and the annual Andy Devine Days Parade continues to keep his legacy alive.

Films including Go West, Edge of Eternity, Roadhouse 66, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas shot scenes in or around Kingman, and in 1939, Hollywood icons Carole Lombard and Clark Gable chose the town for their wedding while on a break from Gone With the Wind.

When the traffic slowed

The completion of Interstate 40 across Arizona in the early 1980s diverted travelers away from Route 66, taking with it the steady flow of business that had supported many small towns. When the federal government officially decommissioned the Mother Road in 1985, many communities along it declined. Kingman, however, held on as local residents and business owners have worked to preserve the town’s history. Today, Kingman is part of the longest continuous stretch of Historic Route 66 in the nation - 158 miles of living history.

Preserving the past while moving forward

Historic Downtown Kingman remains a blend of past and present. Colorful murals cover old brick walls, and QR-coded walking tours share stories of the buildings and people who shaped the area.

The Mohave Museum of History and Arts showcases exhibits about local indigenous tribes, early settlers, mining, and ranching. Many of the museum’s original displays were developed in the late 1960s by its first director, artist Roy Purcell, and remain part of the collection today.

Down the road is the Railroad Museum, located within the historic railroad depot where you can still catch glimpses of people - now browsing their phones or listening to music - waiting for the Amtrak line to pick them up. Railroad memorabilia, artifacts, and model train exhibits bring the city’s story to life as trains rush by outside.

Just north of downtown, the White Cliffs Wagon Trail still has visible wagon ruts carved around 150 years ago by miners hauling ore from the Stockton Hill mines to the railroad.

According to Kingman Tourism Services Manager Josh Noble, all of these form a single narrative.

“Our community changed with the methods of navigation, but the alignment and the path remained steadfast because it is the result of America’s drive to move west,” he said. “I hope travelers will see the authenticity of Kingman, how the many eras of Highway 66 are captured in our architecture and community spirit.”

Powering Route 66

At the center of it all is the Historic Powerhouse Visitor Center, one of Kingman’s most recognizable landmarks. Built in 1909, the powerhouse supplied electricity to Kingman and area mines until the Hoover Dam took over in 1938. After decades of other uses, it was renovated and reopened in 1997 as a museum and visitor hub.

Today, it’s home to the Arizona Route 66 Museum and the Route 66 Electric Vehicle Museum, the latter of which will soon be relocating to a larger space on Beale Street.The Route 66 Museum is being modernized ahead of the Centennial, with interactive exhibits, touchscreens, and app integration that bring the story of America’s most famous highway into the digital age.

The Powerhouse has earned national recognition, being named Arizona’s “Coolest Visitor Center” by Only in Your State in 2023 and “Best Route 66 Visitor Center in Arizona by Official Best of America in 2024.

Noble, who oversees the Powerhouse, was named “Citizen of the Year” at the local 2025 Andy Awards for his leadership in revitalization efforts - including bringing in new attractions to the area, historical preservation, enhancing the Visitor Center, and bringing new tourism amenities to the building, such as electric vehicle chargers and a dog park for furry travelers.

Shaping the route for a new century

Events such as the I ♥ 66 Fest, Route 66 Fun Run, and Andy Devine Days continue to grow each year, keeping the town’s traditions and community pride alive while welcoming a new generation of travelers. As the Mother Road celebrates her 100th anniversary in 2026, thousands of visitors from around the world are expected to take part in events across the country, and Kingman has been meticulously preparing for their arrival.

Over the last several years, Kingman has shifted from simply preserving its past to actively building its future as a Route 66 destination. Groups like Kingman Main Street and the Kingman Office of Tourism team have led many of these efforts, including restoration projects, public-art installations, and digital engagement initiatives to make downtown more vibrant and visitor-friendly.

The Route 66 Drive-Thru Shield, installed outside the Powerhouse in 2021, became the city’s first official Centennial project, as well as one of its most-photographed landmarks. In 2024, the Heart of Historic Route 66 neon sign - originally from a Las Vegas wedding chapel - was installed just steps away on Andy Devine Avenue, joining a growing collection of installations that express Kingman’s identity as the “Heart of Route 66.”

That same year, artist Ray Harvey added new Route 66 murals downtown. Noble recalled chatting with him as his brushstrokes brought to life a wall near a coffee shop called Mudd on 66.

“He had painted murals in several Route 66 communities on the eastern side of Route 66 in Illinois and Missouri,” Noble said. “He commented that he felt the presence of Route 66 in Kingman more than in any of the other places.”

At Lewis Kingman Park, a 12-by-12-foot Leaning Route 66 Shield was added, providing another hot spot for photos.

Streetscape renovations on Beale Street have made the area more walkable and welcoming and the Beale Street Theater, reopened after extensive renovations, now hosts live performances, community events, and film screenings - including a special showing of John Paget’s “Route 66: The Main Street of America” documentary, scheduled for October 16, 2026.

Noble says the revitalization has already changed how visitors experience Kingman. He shared a story from one summer evening, as he guided international travel representatives downtown. The sight of people getting burgers and floats at Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner, cars lined up under the Drive-Thru Shield, and the glowing Heart sign all within view was something that could very easily transport visitors to another world.

“It’s like Disneyland,” mused one of the guests, likening the scene to Cars Land at Disney California Adventure.

This story originally appeared in River City Newspapers publications in November 2025 and is republished here with permission/in accordance with freelance publication terms.