With the ease of publishing on the internet and the immense number of Route 66 websites a search can produce, the accuracy of facts about the Mother Road can sometimes be called into question. A good example is the history of the Chain of Rocks Bridge: one website will claim that the bend in the span is due to the difficulty navigating around the rocks in the river, while a second will point to a difference in the land quality on each side of the bridge while a third will simply say "the engineers screwed up." To this end, a list of the sources used to assemble much of the information available on Digital Route 66 has been assembled below to give readers an idea of the origin of many of the facts. The list is not meant to be a comprehensive summary of Route 66 sources.

Additional sources of information include Wikipedia (mostly for population and other town data; other information is usually fact checked or at least given the "Is-This-Possible" quick test), various vintage state highway maps, observations along the road, personal conversations/interviews and, most importantly, a lifetime of casually gained knowledge about Route 66.

Additional sources will be added to the list as they are discovered and utilized.

All town populations are 2000 U.S. Census with the exception of towns who have conducted a special census in the intervening years. Exceptions are not noted; all populations should be considered the current official population.

Corrections, questions about particulary facts and/or additional information to add are always welcome; please contact us at drive@digitalroute66.com

Abe66.com. “Route 66 Attractions in Logan County.”Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County. http://www.logancountytourism.org/route66.html

Atlanta, Illinois. “Official Atlanta Web Site.” City of Atlanta, Illinois. http://www.atlantaillinois.org/

Canepa, Hella. “Chain of Rocks Bridge.” Route 66 Magazine. Winter 1996/97, 8-11.

Cinema Treasures. “Bel-Air Drive-In.” Cinema Treasures. http://cinematreasures.org/theater/6007/

City, Water, Light and Power. “Lake Springfield.” City of Springfield, Illinois. http://www.cwlp.com/lake_springfield/lake.htm

Curtis, C.H. Skip. Birthplace of Route 66 – Springfield, Mo. Springfield, Missouri: Curtis Enterprises, 2001.

Dwight, Illinois. “Official Dwight Web Site.” City of Dwight, Illinois. http://www.dwightillinois.com/

Google Maps. Google. http://maps.google.com.

Hampton Inns. “Soulsby’s Shell Station.”  Hampton Inns. http://www.hamptonlandmarks.com/LandmarkDetails.aspx?landmarkId=973&page=14&cat=9

Illinois Railway Map. Illinois Department of Transportation. January 2006. Accessed at http://www.dot.state.il.us/maps.html

Jakle, John A. and Keith A. Sculle. The Gas Station in America. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994.

J.H. Hawes Elevator and Museum. “J.H. Hawes Elevator and Museum.” Atlanta Historical Preservation Council. http://www.haweselevator.org/

Joppich, Stefan. “Route 66 Web & Atlas.” Stefan Joppich. http://www.stjo66.de/

Keafer, Brandon M. “The Origins of Lake Springfield” Illinois Periodicals Online. http://www.lib.niu.edu/1993/ihy930571b.html 

Kelly, Susan Croce. Route 66: The Highway and its People. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988.

Legends of America. “Wilmington, Illinois – Home of the Gemini Giant.” Legends of America. http://www.legendsofamerica.com/IL-Wilimington.html

Litchfield Public Library. “Welcome to the Litchfield Public Library.” Litchfield Public Library. http://www.litchfieldpubliclibrary.org/

Macoupin County Genealogy. “Virden Mine Riot of 1898.” Macoupin County ILGenWeb Project. http://www.macoupinctygenealogy.org/mines/m_riot.html

National Register of Historic Places, “National Register of Historic Places – ILLINOIS,” National Register of Historic Places, http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/il/state.html.

Newton, David. “Route 66, Litchfield to Mount Olive.” (PDF) National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. 1998.

Pantagraph.com. “Trucking Company Enters Route 66 Hall.” Bloomington Pantagraph. http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/03/30/news/doc442c1aa7af3f0928454796.txt

Potts, Jim. “Chain of Rocks Bridge Bikeway” Cruisin66.com. http://www.cruisin66.com/stl/cor.html

Rittenhouse, Jack. A Guide Book to Highway 66. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1946. Reprinted 2000.

Road Wanderer. “The Chain of Rocks Bridge” The Road Wanderer. http://www.theroadwanderer.net/66Illinois/chain.htm

Road Wanderer. “Litchfield and the Ariston Café.” The Road Wanderer. http://www.theroadwanderer.net/66Illinois/litchfield.htm

Roadside Peek. “Route 66. Illinois – Joliet to Bloomington.” Roadside Peek. http://www.roadsidepeek.com/rte66/illinois/joliet/index.htm

Route 66 Association of Illinois. “Soulsby Station Restoration Journal” Route 66 Association of Illinois. http://il66assoc.org/content/soulsby-station-restoration-journal

Route 66 Caravan. “Route 66 Caravan Road Log: June 22, 2003.” The Route 66 Caravan. http://www.cart66pf.org/66caravan/roadlog48.htm

Ross, Jim. “Escape From St. Louis.” Route 66 Magazine. Fall 1996, 20-23.

Seratt, Dorothy R. L. and Terry Ryburn-Lamon. “Historic and Architectural Resources of Route 66 Through Illinois.” (PDF) National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form. Route 66 Association of Illinois, 1997

SkyView Drive-In. “About Us.” SkyView Drive-In. http://www.litchfieldskyview.com/about_us.html

Sonderman, Joe. “Missouri Cards Page 1.” 66postcards.com. http://www.66postcards.com/cardsmo.html

Stringer, Lawrence B. “History of Atlanta, Illinois.” Chicago: Pioneer Publishing Company, 1911.  Accessed at http://history.rays-place.com/il/logan-atlanta.htm

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Locks 27 and the Chain of Rocks Dam.” U.S. Arym Corps of Engineers St. Louis District. http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/navigation1/L27.html

Wallis, Michael. Route 66: The Mother Road. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990.

Weiss, John. Traveling the New, Historic Route 66 of Illinois. 6th ed., Wilmington, Illinois: Route 66 Association of Illinois, 2007.