Route 66 - Chicago, Illinois

Welcome to Chicago, Illinois, the third largest city in the United States of America and a trading post since the late 17^th century.  The first permanent resident was a Haitian man, Jean Baptise Point du Sable – little is known of him before he first appeared in Chicago in the 1770s, but he was certainly resident there from 1790 and is known as the city’s founder.  By the time Mark Twain said, “she outgrows [a man’s] prophecies faster than he can make them” in 1883, Chicago had gone from trading post on the river to a thriving town.

When the Willis Tower – formerly known as the Sears Tower – was complete4d in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world and remained so for 25 years.  Although still impressive, the tower is only the second tallest in the States and has slumped to 14^th globally.  It gets its original name from Sears Roebuck, which required a staggering 3,000,000 square feet of office space for its employees at the time of construction.

After 40 years, Sear’s naming rights bizarrely expired, and in March 20098, Willis Group Holdings not only leased part of the building but obtained naming rights, too.  Potentially, the name could change again in 2024 when rights become available again.  However, the Chicago Tribune notes that “we’re stubborn about such things” and that the current name hasn’t yet stuck in the minds of locals, let along the world.

Before finishing the Jesus Trail, I joined this challenge as a team effort - all miles of 5 members are combined.  The Team leader wants to earn it and gift the medal to her brother Gary who is obsessed with Route 66 and has driven it twice.