Cheryl Eichar Jett will present a program on the bold women who became part of the Illinois legend of Route 66 for the Madison County Historical Society. The presentation will be held on Sunday, October 1 at 2 p.m. at the Madison County Archival Library at 801 N. Main Street in Edwardsville, Illinois.
The women of Illinois 66 included entrepreneurs who ran theaters, ballrooms, motels and restaurants as well as many divergent personalities and talents from the adventurous Gypsy Coeds to the crusading Mother Jones. Jett tells the tales of these women who worked along Illinois’s 300 miles of Route 66. A slide show accompanies Jett’s presentation on the women and their contributions to what we celebrate as the culture of Route 66.
Jett is a nationally recognized authority on Route 66 and the author of six books, four of them on America’s favorite highway. She is a regular contributor to several regional publications including The 66 News, the Route 66 Association of Illinois magazine, and a regular column on Route 66 in the Prairie Land Buzz. She is currently working on a book about women on historic Route 66 and is presenting programs and producing magazine articles based on her research in advance of the book’s publication. She blogs about her travels and research at www.route66chick.com. Jett is also an award-winning writer of short fiction.
Jett holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in history from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She lives in Edwardsville, and currently serves on the board of directors of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway and as president of the (Illinois Route 66) Blue Carpet Corridor Coalition.
MCHS programs are free and open to the public. Regular hours at the Madison County Archival Library are Wed – Fri, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sun, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. The Madison County Historical Museum is currently closed for renovations. For additional information, call 618-656-7569.
