This is interesting. Not only is the Illinois Route 66 Association recruiting cities that are on the Mother Road, but it is now wooing towns that aren’t.

Marty Bilecki of the association is trying to persuade the City of Morris, which is at least 25 miles west of Route 66, according to the Morris Daily Herald.

… Bilecki said that while Morris is not on Route 66, people go through Morris on Interstate 80 and Illinois 47 to reach the famous highway.

He said Route 66 is becoming more and more popular as a tourist attraction, and it brings in people not only from other states, but also foreign countries.

Bilecki said the Route 66 Museum opened in the historic fire station in Pontiac in June of 2004. Since then, 6,000 people have gone through the museum and of those, about 4,500 were from foreign countries.

He noted a recent article in the Chicago Tribune about a couple from England that drove from California to Chicago on Route 66.

Interesting approach by the association. The City of Morris took no action on Bilecki’s proposal. We’ll keep an eye on this. If successful, this many be a way for other Route 66 associations to boost their membership rolls.

The Texas Vacations blog has a well-researched article about the Route 66 ghost town of Glenrio, Texas, which is on the New Mexico border. Check it out.

The New Mexico Legislature approved earmarking $70,000 to the state regulation and licensing department to create a state “certification” mark that will be placed on arts and crafts made by American Indians in New Mexico, according to the Gallup Independent.

It’s interesting to read this story from the Gallup perspective. Gallup, along with Santa Fe, is a popular place for Route 66ers to buy Indian arts and crafts. But according to Rep. Patty Lundstrom, it’s hard to find the real article in Gallup.

She said she realized Gallup had a major problem in this area when she went to the Indian Plaza in Santa Fe recently and was looking at the jewelry. When asked by one of the vendors if she wanted to buy something, she explained she was from Gallup and could buy anything there.

But the vendor told her, “You can’t get the real stuff there.”

Others have also been saying that Gallup is getting the reputation of becoming the capital not for authentic Indian goods but fakes that are imported from foreign counties where the labor is cheaper.

“I think this is hurting Gallup’s image,” Lundstrom said.