Driving down memory lane on historic Route 66

People gather outside The Joliet Route 66 Diner for a ribbon cutting to mark the renaming of the Joliet Restaurant as part of a Destination Marketing program for downtown Joliet Thursday, July 26, 2012, at 22 W. Clinton St. in Joliet.

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons

Getting our kicks on historic Route 66

Reset takes a drive down memory lane.

People gather outside The Joliet Route 66 Diner for a ribbon cutting to mark the renaming of the Joliet Restaurant as part of a Destination Marketing program for downtown Joliet Thursday, July 26, 2012, at 22 W. Clinton St. in Joliet.

Matthew Grotto/Sun-Times Media Sun-Times Media

By Meha Ahmad

The historic Route 66 was once considered “the Main Street of America” – with the 2,440-mile highway having connected the Midwest to the West. It started in Chicago, ran across eight states and ended all the way in Los Angeles.

Today, there is a campaign calling on the public to share their personal Route 66 stories, in an effort to preserve the untold stories of the iconic motorway.

We find out more with one of the organizers behind the preservation campaign – including why it had such a profound impact on American pop culture.

GUEST: Amy Webb, senior director of preservation programs for the National Trust of Historic Preservation