ROUTE 66 Galena, Kansas

Galena, Kansas really doesn’t look like a tourist attraction. So why go to Galena, Kansas of all places?

Well, apart from these cute houses on Main Street, a gas station that we have seen in “Cars” movies, murals and other attractions, its importance for our journey was that Route 66 makes a little loop of 13 miles into Kansas. If it didn’t, there would be no Route 66 in all Kansas anywhere!

And why this astonishing little deviation of The Main Road? To quote James Carville “It’s the economy stupid!” Galena was a booming lead mining town in the early 1900s. In 1926 when Route 66 was built, the area had enough economic muscle to have it built through town to incorporate a former mining company road.

Oh, and by the way, “galena” is the Latin name for, well, lead.

The Kansas State Food

Kansas hasn’t proclaimed an official food, but Barbecue is commonly associated with the Sunflower State. It's delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed it on our stays in Kansas.