What nickname honoring a famous humorist was used for U.S. Route 66?

U.S. Route 66 was given the nickname “Will Rogers Highway” in honor of humorist Will Rogers.

The name reflected Rogers’s popularity and his association with the American West. Will Rogers was a celebrated writer, actor, radio personality, and performer known for his homespun commentary and travel-related public image.

The nickname appeared on signs and promotional material, particularly after Rogers’s death in 1935. It was one of several labels associated with Route 66, alongside “Main Street of America” and John Steinbeck’s famous “Mother Road.”

The honorific is sometimes mistaken for the road’s official designation. “U.S. Route 66” was the formal highway number; “Will Rogers Highway” was a commemorative nickname rather than a separate route.