USPS Unveils Route 66 Centennial Stamp in Pasadena Ceremony
PASADENA — Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California. The U.S. Postal Service unveiled its Route 66 Forever stamp in Pasadena on Sunday, October 11, marking the centennial of the legendary highway. According to MyNewsLA, the ceremony was held at noon at the Pasadena Museum of History, 470 West Walnut Street, with postal officials and local history groups in attendance.
Route 66 was officially commissioned on November 11, 1926, running from Chicago to Santa Monica; Pasadena was a key stop on its California stretch, and Colorado Boulevard still carries the character of the "Mother Road." The stamp is part of USPS centennial commemorations, and the event offered a special pictorial postmark that drew stamp collectors and road-trip enthusiasts.
The Pasadena Museum of History holds photographs and artifacts related to Route 66. Organizers said Pasadena was chosen for the unveiling because of the city's close ties to the highway's cultural memory. The stamp is on sale at post offices nationwide and online, with further centennial exhibits and events planned through the year.
Route 66 became a symbol of westward migration and the American road trip in the mid-20th century — John Steinbeck called it the "Mother Road" — and although it was decommissioned in 1985 after the interstates replaced it, its motels, gas stations and neon signs remain enduring pieces of Americana. Pasadena's stretch along Colorado Boulevard keeps many vintage storefronts and historic buildings, and the city and chamber of commerce have added Route 66-themed signage to draw road-trippers into local businesses. States along the route are preparing parades, car shows and vintage rallies for the centennial, and the USPS stamp is being treated as the season's opening shot. The museum said the commemorative postmark used at the ceremony will remain available at the museum for a limited period for collectors who missed the event.
Photo: Historic Route 66 near Amboy, California, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, Dietmar Rabich
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 加州安博伊附近的66号公路历史路段，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0，Dietmar Rabich
