ROUTE 66, Hannibal Missouri

Yes, one could argue that Hannibal, Missouri is not directly located on Route 66 but, on our first adventure trip along it, we opted to come down the Mississippi River Road of Route 61 (well, that’s another story). We drove through Hannibal on our way to Saint Louis which is where Route 61 (from Lake Superior to Louisiana) meets Route 66.

Saint Louis boasts the Gateway to the West Arc where on the early days of the 1820-1850s, wagon trains gathered to begin their big adventures going West to Oregon or California.

Why is Hannibal of interest? Mainly because this is where Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, lived and worked in his youth. Hannibal and the mighty river were the setting for his novels about Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. Those two boys are as much a part of the city’s history and fame as that of their creative father, with numerous monuments and sculptures as well as the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum.

Fun fact: General Mills built a factory here because their founder appreciated Mark Twain!

Missouri;s State Food

Believe it or not, but not too long ago, Missouri, the Show-Me State appointed the ice cream cone as its state dessert. It makes sense since the cone is said to have originated in St. Louis at the World’s Fair way back in 1904.