Before Route 66: Early Road Travel and the Birth of Highway Signage

Before Route 66: Early Road Travel and the Birth of Highway Signage
Presented by The Gamble House and Pasadena Museum of History
Saturday, July 25, 2026, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Reception - 4:00 p.m. | Lecture - 5:00 p.m.
at Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church (Ross Chapel)
301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91103
Tickets: Members: $15 | Non-Members: $20
What was a road trip like before Route 66? Early auto travel was a journey of uncertainty and adventure — cars were an emerging technology and roads lacked our modern infrastructure and signage. From 1914 to 1915, the Automobile Club of Southern California led a project to improve conditions for drivers by signposting the National Old Trails Road, the precursor to Route 66.
Join Corporate Archivist and Historian for the Automobile Club of Southern California, Morgan Yates, as he shares his illustrated presentation on the history of the Club’s signposting efforts and the early auto travel experience.
Doors will open at 4:00 p.m. for a pre-lecture reception. Lecture will begin at 5:00 p.m.