Pasadena Post Office, Pasadena Museum of History postmark Route 66

The centennial of Route 66 got the Pasadena Post Office’s stamp of approval Oct. 11, when that office and the Pasadena Museum of History unveiled a commemorative keepsake postmark honoring the historical highway.

Brenton Schaeffer, postmaster of Pasadena and Jeanette O’Malley unveiled the Route 66 Forever stamp at the event, held at the museum. Attendees purchased stamps and have them canceled by a special postmark.

“It’s an honor to celebrate Route 66 in Pasadena with this special commemorative stamp and cancellation,” Schaeffer said. “I can’t think of a better way to craft memories than by crafting a letter from the heart to someone you love.”

The pane of 16 stamps features landmarks from each of the eight states that Route 66 passes, including signage from diners, gas stations and motels that once punctuated the celebrated road. Route 66 was established on Nov. 11, 1926, and originally stretched about 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, allowing newly-mobile Americans to celebrate freedom and adventure.

Route 66 may not be part of the federal highway system today, but it remains a beloved historical element to its fans of road warriors and tourists. Locally, it traverses Pasadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa, Glendora, and San Dimas.

The U.S. Post Office is marking the highway’s centennial with stamps featuring photography by David Schwartz.

The Pasadena Museum of History has trained its focus on regional ties to the Mother Road with exhibits and events.

“Where History Meets the Road: Celebrating Route 66 & Colorado Boulevard” is a museum exhibit focused on the centennial of the Mother Road and the 150th anniversary of Colorado Boulevard. Pasadena Heritage contributed four new oral histories to the exhibit, bringing lived experiences along the boulevard to life.

The Claremont Graduate University’s Center for Humanities in Practice (CHIP) Route 66 Pathway Project is also featured in the exhibition, highlighted by a 70-foot-long, five-foot-high canvas scroll presenting a narrative of the highway from Santa Monica to Needles. The exhibit closes on Jan. 24, 2027.

On Nov. 12, the museum presents “Route 66: Travelers and Tribes,” with historian Shawn Price, Dine’Tah Navajo Cultural Program director, who will discuss the highway’s economic impact on tribal communities. Admission is $18. For more information, visit pasadenahistory.org.