Dwight, IL
Dwight is another nicely preserved Route 66 town where the Mother Road meanders through its downtown area. Beginning in Dwight and continuing on for several miles you will see some of the old Route 66 roadbed that has been replaced by a newer surface. It will give you a feel of how small the old road was.
Becker's Marathon Station at the intersection of Route 66 and Route 17 dates to 1933 and was the longest operating service station pumping gas on Route 66. It originally was Ambler's Texaco. It is open as a Visitors Center during the warm weather months.
Downtown you can see the First National Bank of Dwight, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and opened in 1906.
A few old hot dog stands and a set of old gas pumps and signs next to Route 66 Tire and Auto also are cool attractions.
Dwight was the home of the Keeley Institute, which was a world famous center for the treatment of alcoholism between 1879 and 1965. The four week "Keeley Cure" started off allowing the patients to drink as much booze as they wanted, and was followed by replacement with various tonics developed by Keeley. At it's peak, there were over 200 Keeley franchises worldwide, and hundreds of thousands took the cure. Little is left of the Institute in Dwight today.
Dwight participates in the Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor events each May.
From Dwight, go left onto Old Route 66 (Frontage Road) toward Odell - Go 5.5 miles and follow the Historic Route 66 sign left onto Odell Rd (which turns into West St) to Odell
Follow the Frontage Rd going out of Dwight - Go right on Hwy 53 to a Stop sign in Gardner - Go Right on Hwy 53 - Go left on Jackson - Go right on Jefferson - Go left on Depot - Go left on Central, which becomes Washington (instead you can go right first and see an old two cell jailhouse) - Go left back on Hwy 53
View Route66mc.com - Dwight to Gardner in a larger map
