You're standing in the middle of an empty highway, staring off into the fading, golden light of Arizona's high desert. The soundtrack playing in your mind? Depeche Mode. Industrial-leaning synth-pop strains might seem incongruous with such a vista, but it was the alternative rock band's homage to Route 66 that seduced David J. Schwartz. With camera in hand, he has made 42 trips over two decades along the celebrated highway, qualifying himself for the job of creating postage stamps commemorating the Mother Road's centennial, reports the AP. The US Postal Service on Tuesday is releasing eight stamps marking significant parts of the road in each of the states it traverses, passing by vintage diners, gas stations, and motels—many since preserved or restored—along with breathtaking vistas and wide horizons of the open road.
Route 66 is paved with history, from its early days as an escape from the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, through serving as a vital supply route during World War II, to its mid-century role as an antidote for wanderlust. A symbol of freedom and mobility, it has evolved into a time capsule of Americana, steeped in nostalgia and neon. To Schwartz, the road—stretching 2,448 miles—represents a significant piece of a newly mobile 20th century America, from its debut in 1926 to its decommissioning in 1985: "Road trips, big cars, neon signs." Though retired from the federal highway system, vast stretches of the route are still in use and a favorite of road warriors and tourists to this day. "So much to explore. You start here in Illinois on 66 and you're cruising through prairie land," Schwartz said. "By the time you get out west, you're in the desert or you're in mountains through hairpin turns. It's just an incredible journey and you just get such a beautiful slice of America going through it."
Schwartz had the idea of Route 66 stamps as early as a decade ago. He was tapped for the project in 2023. He recalls thinking, "Here is my moment to bring Route 66 to the masses." Greg Breeding, a USPS art director for stamp design, was working on a graphic showing a map of the road when he discovered Schwartz's photos. They were beautifully photographed, not commercial and slick. "They're as if you were there," he said, "which makes them especially useful for stamps."
The USPS plate contains 16 stamps, two for each Route 66 host state. A ninth photo serves as selvage, or the image surrounding the block. It's the scene of that empty Arizona highway, shot in 2023 near Seligman, Arizona. But a road is a road, isn't it? Why can't a traveler get the same view standing on one of the interstate highways that ultimately bypassed Route 66? "You'd probably get run over," Schwartz said dryly. "Interstates are designed to move traffic quickly. They cut through the sides of mountains, they do not follow the contour of the land ...," he added. "On Route 66, you're actually part of the landscape as you move through it. You feel the land as you're traveling."
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