You probably know you can get your kicks on Route 66, but did you know you also can get your chicks on Route 66? Cackle Hatchery® opened for business in downtown Lebanon, Missouri, in 1936, just ten years after the opening of historic Route 66. Four blocks off Route 66, the hatchery today is one of America’s few remaining family-owned poultry hatcheries.
Route 66
Ten years after Cackle Hatchery was established, the iconic Munger Moss Motel opened in 1946 as one of the first overnight accommodations along Route 66. It is today one of the few mom-and-pop motels still operating along the highway.
Of the 2448 miles of Route 66 connecting Chicago to Los Angeles, 317 miles go through Missouri. Much of the highway follows a traditional Native American trail.
In 1957 parts of Route 66 merged into I-44. Yet visitors still arrive from all over the world to travel the old highway, known as The Mother Road. Route 66 is now also an All-American Road and National Scenic Byway in the state of Missouri.
Lebanon, Missouri
Lebanon, Missouri, a popular stop along Route 66, became a city in 1877. Established on the site of an ancient Wyota Indian village, the city gets its name from the country of origin of one of its early prominent citizens.
Home to 14,000 residents, Lebanon is the Laclede County seat. The area offers numerous exciting things to see and do, many of them focused around Route 66.
For instance, the Route 66 Museum on Jefferson Avenue is just minutes from Cackle Hatchery. The museum is housed in the Laclede County library. Admission is free and includes a self-guided tour.
A two minute drive from Cackle Hatchery is the Route 66 themed Boswell Park on Drury Lane. At the park you can visit the only remaining cabin from Camp Joy, the first tourist camp on Route 66 between St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri. Boswell Park also hosts the Annual Route 66 Festival each year on Father’s Day weekend.
Come Visit Cackle Hatchery
Cackle Hatchery on Commercial Street is one of the many attractions that draw visitors to Lebanon. At the hatchery, on certain days you can watch eggs hatch.
The hatchery also operates a year-around retail store for all things chicken plus a museum of poultry related antiques and memorabilia. And if your trip is in early October, you can participate in Cackle’s Annual Chicken Festival.
So visit Cackle Hatchery and get your chicks on Route 66. And be sure to take home a colorful metal sign as proof that you got chicks on Route 66.
And that’s today’s news from the Cackle Coop.
Gail Damerow has written numerous books about keeping poultry, many of them available in Cackle Hatchery’s retail shop.
