Project to Preserve Stories of Trucking on Route 66
The Missouri State University Libraries, in partnership with Ozarks Alive (OzarksAlive.com), has received a $5,100 grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program of the National Park Service to undertake the “Trucking on Route 66” project. Twenty oral history interviews will be recorded with individuals involved in the trucking industry along the Route 66 Corridor in Missouri from 1926 to 1985.
Tom Peters, Dean of Library Services at Missouri State, noted, “Oral histories have a proven track record of expanding and enriching other aspects of the historical record and documentary evidence about Route 66. The history of trucking along Route 66 in Missouri is legendary, with Campbell 66 Express — including its iconic image of Snortin’ Norton — a prime example. We appreciate the support and participation of the National Park Service and Ozarks Alive to advance our oral history initiatives.”
Kaitlyn McConnell, Founder of Ozarks Alive and Media Relations Coordinator for CoxHealth, observed, “When people think of Route 66, they typically focus on the ‘fun’ aspects, such as vacationers traveling across America. However, the road was integral to our history in many other ways, such as economic expansion. This project is a wonderful opportunity to preserve some of those stories before they’re lost.”
Both audio and video will be recorded and preserved. Metadata and transcriptions will be created for each interview. The audio recordings, the video recordings, the metadata, and the transcriptions will be uploaded to the Internet and made freely available to researchers and members of the general public. This project will complement other oral history collections held by MSU, other Research Route 66 member libraries, and the Route 66 Association of Missouri.