As Route 66 turns 100, a new book is expanding the story of the Mother Road by focusing on people often left out of its history.
Illinois author and Route 66 historian Cheryl Eichar Jett’s latest book, Aprons Away: Women’s Work on Route 66, documents the roles women have played along the highway’s 2,448-mile stretch—from Chicago to Los Angeles—over the past century.
The book is out now from Reedy Press, and Jett's book tour includes a stop in Normal during the Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor weekend.
Jett said the idea for a book about women's roles in Route 66 grew out of a pattern she noticed while researching and traveling the famous highway.
“Many of the women’s stories along Route 66 were unrecognized or forgotten,” Jett said in and interview for WGLT's Sound Ideas.
While some women — especially those who ran restaurants or motels — are well known among Route 66 enthusiasts, Jett said those visible roles only scratch the surface. Her book profiles more than 80 women, including architects, artists, journalists and public officials whose contributions were less widely recognized.
The book has been released on Route 66's centennial, where tourism and attention are drawn to the historic highway. Jett said that timing made it the right moment to bring those stories forward now.
“I thought the centennial would be the best time and place to share these stories,” Jett said.
Jett spent more than a decade researching the project. She said she was struck not only by how many stories she uncovered, but how easily they can be lost over time.
Jett said she titled her book Aprons Away to reflect the shift away from strictly domestic roles that many women faced between the 1920s and 1960s.
“Women sort of threw off their household duties to tackle education and careers,” Jett said. “The flip side of that is that women became marvelous cooks, bakers and put those to work.”
Despite the uptick in women’s business roles, Jett said many women used traditionally domestic skills to build successful businesses that became staples of Route 66 travel.
The book isn’t shy to mention Route 66’s historical ties to Illinois. For example, Jett covered the timeline of Springfield entrepreneur Belle Miller, who built a successful floral business in the early 1900s before developing an apartment building that later became a pit stop for Route 66 travelers.
Jett said early reaction to the book has been positive, particularly among women readers and Route 66 fans.
“There seems to be a lot of interest and excitement,” she said.
She said the stories resonate in part because they reflect broader moments in U.S. history, including the Great Depression and World War II — periods when both the country and the highway faced significant challenges.
“We’ve gone through very difficult times before,” Jett said. “And somehow we’ve muddled through.”
Jett will appear in Normal next month for a book signing from 1-3 p.m. on May 2 at Ryburn’s Gifts & Gab at Sprague’s Super Service, 305 Pine St., Normal. The event is free and open to the public.
