Route 66 Lost & Found

Written and designed to appeal not only to Route 66 fans, but architecture and American history enthusiasts as well!

Very Limited Supply Left - Out of Print !

One of the most exciting eras in our nation's history was the advent of the automobile. Adventure beckoned. A system of U.S Highways was developed to meet the demands of a nation on the move. Businesses catering to the traveler sprang up along these highways and a new roadside culture began - a culture of auto courts, cafes, service stations, and tourist attractions. During this wonderous time a legend was born - Route 66 - the most celebrated highway of all! She was the Mother Road and she wound through and captured the heart of a nation. She has become the highway we couldn't forget. And Route 66 Lost and Found volume 1 & 2 will become the books you'll not forget either!

A moving illustrated history of the iconic American road ~ then and now!

Detailed Two-page Spreads  

Route 66 Lost and Found volume 1 & 2  are your time machine back to the glory days of the Mother Road. Journey back in time with these photographs, most taken over 50 years ago, of places and stops along Route 66. Order both volumes today, or complete your library with the new Route 66 Lost & Found volume 2!  This follow-up to Russ Olsen's 2004 book is a perfect companion to that volume and like volume 1 is an important historical document cataloging Route 66 landmarks as they appeared both in their heyday and today.

Author and photographer Russell Olsen has tracked down these illusive Route 66 sites and has photographed the structures and sites as they appear today. Each locale has a two-page spread with a detailed account tracing its rise and fall, as well as specially commissioned maps detailing the featured site's locations along Route 66. Click the pictures on the right to enlarge.

All Books ordered from this web site will be signed by the author!

Route 66 Lost and Found ~ Coffee Table Edition

Very Limited Supply! Sold Out & Out of Print!

Volume 1 ~ Only $85.00 U.S.

Includes shipping and handling ~ U.S. Orders Only
(Foreign orders please inquire as to shipping rates.)

Hardcover ~ 10" X 10" * 160 pages ~ 10 Color Pages * 150 b/w Photographs * 35 maps

Route 66 Lost and Found ~ Coffee Table Edition

Very Limited Supply! Sold Out & Out of Print!

Volume 2 ~ Only $75.00 U.S.

Includes shipping and handling ~ U.S. Orders Only
(Foreign orders please inquire as to shipping rates.)

Hardcover ~ 10" X 10" * 160 pages ~ 128 Color Photos * 47 b/w Photographs

Route 66 Lost & Found Museum Exhibit

Take a virtual road trip down the most famous highway of them all!

Based on the popular Route 66 Lost and Found book series. The Route 66 Lost and Found traveling museum exhibit features 35 historic motels, gas stations, and town sites along the most famous road in America. All sites are shown both in their heyday and in their current state.

The premise of the books and the exhibit is simply “then and now” as shown in photographs. Author and photographer Russell Olsen has carefully selected vintage B&W photos and postcards from the late 1920’s - 1960’s of various locations from along the fabled “Mother Road”. Russell then traveled to these locations and photographed them (from the same angle as the vintage photos) capturing the many changes and in some cases the surprising lack of changes that have occurred since Route 66 carried our nations traffic. The exhibit contains 35 (70 photos) iconic towns, motels and service stations that once serviced thousands of travelers along the route. All eight Route 66 states are represented. The exhibit follows the route east to west from Illinois to California. The sites are in order as you would come to them while driving the family on vacation to California. Each fiber base black and white photographic print is 11 x 14 and is mounted on 16 x 20 gator board and matted. Prints, mattes and mounting are all of museum quality. 150-160 lineal feet of wall space is ideal but can be refigured to fit in an area 75 feet in length. Also included with each pair of photos is a mounted text card revealing the colorful history of each location. Dozens of interviews with original owners and current owners of these varied roadside businesses were conducted to provide the viewer a real sense of what travel was like during the halcyon days of the most famous highway of them all: U.S. Route 66.

Author and photographer Russell Olsen can be on hand for book signings and to answer questions. Check back for dates of the traveling exhibit's future stops.

Contact Russell Olsen for schedule or bookings: