Hall Automotive: This Week in 1926-August 6, 2026 – The Road That Would Become Route 66 Gets Its Name 

As Hall Automotive celebrates 100 years in Wisconsin, we’re looking back at the events that were shaping America during the same time in which Hall’s Wisconsin story began with a Chevrolet dealership in 1926. 

August 1926: Route 66 Becomes a Reality 

Few American roads are more famous than Route 66. And exactly 100 years ago this week, one of the final pieces of its identity was falling into place. 

The original plan for the highway running from Chicago toward Los Angeles called for it to be designated U.S. 60. But that number became the center of a dispute among states competing for one of the coveted round-numbered transcontinental highway designations.  A compromise was eventually reached: the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route would become U.S. 66. 

By August 7, 1926, enough of the affected states had approved the change that the American Association of State Highway Officials considered the dispute settled. The road that generations would eventually know simply as “Route 66” finally had its famous number. It would later be called the “Main Street of America,” stretching from Chicago through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before reaching California. 

Imagine Making That Trip in 1926 

For today’s driver, a trip from Chicago to Los Angeles means interstate highways, GPS navigation, climate control and fuel stops conveniently located along the way. 

In 1926, it was an entirely different adventure. Many roads were still gravel or dirt. Highway markings varied considerably, roadside services could be scarce, and drivers often needed to be part mechanic and part navigator. Yet Americans were eager to travel. 

Automobile ownership was giving families something previous generations had rarely experienced: the ability to decide where they wanted to go and simply get in their car and go there. That freedom helped transform not only transportation, but American culture itself. 

A Growing Automobile Nation 

The automobile business was booming as Hall began serving Wisconsin motorists. 

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s August 1926 report tracked enormous numbers of new passenger-car registrations and automobile sales, including vehicles from Chevrolet and the other General Motors divisions. The government was also closely following the rapidly expanding automobile parts and accessory business—evidence of just how important the automobile had become to the American economy. 

A new Chevrolet dealership beginning operations in Wisconsin wasn’t simply entering the car business. It was becoming part of a transportation revolution. 

100 Years Later 

Today, we can enter a destination into a navigation system and receive a route in seconds. Our vehicles can warn us about traffic, help keep us in our lane, and even communicate with our phones. 

But the reason we drive hasn’t changed nearly as much. Cars still represent independence. They take us to work. They bring families together. They carry us on vacations. And sometimes they allow us to take the long way simply because we want to see where the road goes. One hundred years ago this week, one of America’s most famous roads was receiving the number that would make it an American icon. 

And Hall Automotive was beginning its own journey through automotive history. 

Hall Automotive – Serving Wisconsin Since 1926