Barber made sure ‘people will come’ by making Route 66 historic highway

When the 10 Freeway was completed in the 1950s it was then a marvel of high-speed travel for visitors heading across the Inland Empire to Los Angeles.

But it had a significant negative effect of idling local tourist businesses along Route 66 — mostly Foothill Boulevard west from San Bernardino. The flow of visitors was suddenly greatly reduced at area businesses like San Bernardino’s Wigwam Motel or the Richfield gas station near Archibald Avenue in Cucamonga and other travel services along the way.