Wagon Road to Mother Road

Wagon Road to Mother Road invites you to journey through America’s transformative era of road travel.

This engaging exhibition traces the evolution of travel in northern Arizona from the Beale Wagon Road to Route 66 and reveals its deep imprint on landscapes, communities and highway heritage. It coincides with the Route 66 Centennial, marking 100 years since the highway’s designation on Nov. 11, 1926.

Based on the museum’s archaeological surveys in Petrified Forest National Park, the exhibit uncovers Route 66’s wilder side—stories of revelry, hardship, and tragedy revealed through tens of thousands of discarded objects that challenge the highway’s more nostalgic image.

“The story of Route 66 is written in trash that speaks to lazy habits, mechanical failures, and the lives lost in car crashes,” observes David Purcell, the exhibit curator and MNA supervisory archaeologist and historian.

Wagon Road to Mother Road highlights vintage artifacts, maps, music and memorabilia that bring the legendary road to life. Featured items include a 1931 Ford Model A pickup, a hand-painted Route 66 map, and mid-century Phillips 66 gas pump. Liquor bottles, soda bottles, and oil cans uncovered by MNA archaeologists will also be on display.

Learn more by downloading the complimentary Wagon Road to Mother Road: The Route 66 Centennial, a short paper by curator Purcell.

The 2025 edition of the museum’s Plateau journal expands on the information and themes of the Wagon Road to Mother Road exhibition. It is available for purchase in the Museum Gift Shop and online at shopmusnaz.org.

The Museum of Northern Arizona extends its gratitude to the following for their support
of the Wagon Road to Mother Road exhibition.