Kansas' Historic Route 66 Byway
Of the 2,448 miles of the famous Route 66, 13¼ miles pass through Kansas across the southeast corner of Cherokee County. It may be a short stretch but it has plenty of great explorer attractions—a charming narrow road, rainbow arch bridge, throwback market, a WPA park with a shallow wading creek, and three delightful towns. Long before this section of road became a Kansas Historic Byway, it was part of a new national highway network so designated on November 11, 1926. A bypass built in the early 1960s resulted in less traffic on the old route, leaving it for locals and for tourists to enjoy the nostalgic journey.