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America on the Move
Collection Exhibition Themes
Transportation in America before 1876 Community Dreams: Santa Cruz, California, 1876 Delivering the Goods: Watsonville, California, 1895 A Streetcar City: Washington, D.C., 1900 People on the Move The Connected City: New York, New York, 1920s Crossing the Country: Somewhere in Wyoming, 1903 Americans Adopt the Auto Lives on the Railroad: Salisbury, North Carolina, 1927 Roadside Communities: Ring’s Rest, Muirkirk, Maryland, 1930s Family Camping: York Beach, Maine, 1930s On the School Bus: Martinsburg, Indiana, 1939 Suburban Strip: Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon, 1949 City and Suburb: Chicago and Park Forest, Illinois, 1950s On the Interstate: I-10, 1956-1990 Transforming the Waterfront: San Francisco and Oakland, California, 1960-1970 Going Global: Los Angeles Introduction The People's Highway Cyrus Avery: 'The most direct road to the Pacific coast' Lucille Hamons: 'I was alone here to run this place.' The Haggard family: 'Headed west toward California' Caroline Millbank, Janet McDonnel, Ethel May Krockenberger, and Mary Jane Pecora: 'Our rest stops were lots of fun' Bobby and Cynthia Troup: 'Get your kicks on Route 66' The Delgadillo family: 'Playing with bands up and down Route 66' Pete Koltnow: 'Bumpy seats and the open road' Indian Trading Posts
10: The People’s Highway: Route 66, 1930s–1940s

Caroline Millbank, Janet McDonnel, Ethel May Krockenberger, and Mary Jane Pecora: “Our rest stops were lots of fun”

In November 1947, four young women drove from Rochester, New York, to Los Angeles by way of Route 66. One was returning home, two were moving to the West Coast, and one went along for the ride. The journey on Route 66 was a memorable time for all four women: it represented a path to a better future, the way home, and an unforgettable look at the American West.
Caroline Millbank with Route 66 sign, Kansas
Caroline Millbank with Route 66 sign, Kansas
Millbank, McDonnel, Krockenberger and Pecora on a Texas sign
Millbank, McDonnel, Krockenberger and Pecora on a Texas sign
Janet McDonnel with road sign on Route 66 at New Mexico state line
Janet McDonnel with road sign on Route 66 at New Mexico state line
Ethel May Krockenberger in Arizona
Ethel May Krockenberger in Arizona

“We made plans to drive from Rochester, New York, to Hermosa Beach, California.…Mary Jane drove her car, I drove mine. Somewhere in Missouri we... crossed some railroad tracks, and my two front tires blew. We had to spend an extra day for repairs....On the road again, we became aware of a car with four young men doing the same as we. Our rest stops were lots of fun with some boys to talk with. Getting close to Albuquerque, we noticed the reddest soil all around. As we went through Flagstaff the next day, we were treated to a magnificent morning sky.... Thanksgiving Day 1947: the boys headed off to their intended destination, and we girls were welcomed with open arms at my parents’ house in Hermosa Beach.”

—Caroline Millbank Short
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