Miller Farm & Original Route 66 Alignment

The Miller family established their farmsteads in this section of Pulaski County in the 1880s-90s, during the wave of Ozark settlement that followed the Civil War. By the time Route 66 was being planned in the early 1920s, the Millers operated several adjacent farms covering hundreds of acres along the south side of the Big Piney River valley. The 1926 highway surveyors needed a route from the new Devils Elbow Bridge eastward to connect with the Phelps County alignment that would lead to Rolla, and the natural path ran directly through the Miller farms.

Highway negotiations with the Miller family resulted in a road that traced existing farm lanes and field edges rather than cutting through productive farmland or homestead buildings. This collaborative approach was common in 1920s rural highway construction, when federal and state highway funds were limited and landowner cooperation was essential. The result was a road that bent and curved with the contours of the Miller farms, with fence lines and farm gates on both sides, and small barns and outbuildings visible from the pavement.

Through the Route 66 boom decades of the 1930s-60s, the Miller farms continued to operate while the highway brought a steady stream of cross-country travelers past the farms. Some family members opened small roadside businesses — produce stands during summer, a brief experiment with tourist cabins — but the farms remained primarily agricultural. The current generation of the Miller family continues to own substantial acreage along the original alignment, and the agricultural use of the land has helped preserve the rural Route 66-era character of the entire stretch.

The original alignment through the Miller farm area is signed as Teardrop Road (in some sections) and Old Route 66 (in others), with various Pulaski County road numbers used by mapping services. Beginning at the east end of the Devils Elbow Bridge, the road climbs slightly out of the Big Piney River bottom, curves around the hillside, and emerges into open farmland on the higher ground. From there it winds through pastures, alongside woodlots, and past small farm clusters for several miles before connecting back to more modern roads near the Phelps County line.

The pavement varies in quality and material. Some sections retain original 1920s concrete with visible joint lines and the characteristic narrowness of pre-WWII highway construction. Other sections have been resurfaced with asphalt over the original concrete (you can see the edges where the asphalt thins out). A few short sections may have been more substantially rebuilt, but the underlying alignment and approximate width remain unchanged. The combined effect is a road that feels older and tighter than modern roads, which is precisely the point.

Driving etiquette and safety: keep speeds low (25-35 mph is appropriate, with even slower pace through curves), be alert for farm vehicles and livestock, do not park on the pavement (use the small pullouts or driveways with caution), and be respectful of working farms that border the road. The Millers and other landowners along the alignment are generally tolerant of Route 66 tourists but do not appreciate trespassing or careless behavior. Stay on the public roadway, photograph from the road, and enjoy the experience without intruding on private property.

Several specific features along the Miller farm alignment reward attention. Original concrete pavement sections are visible in places where later resurfacing has worn through — look for the characteristic gray color, the visible joint lines every 15-20 feet, and the slight crown at the road's center. Period-appropriate wooden fence posts and barbed-wire fencing line significant portions of the road, much of it dating from the 1930s-50s. Small farm buildings — equipment sheds, hay barns, fence-line outbuildings — built in the Route 66 era are visible from the road.

The natural landscape is itself a feature worth photographing. The combination of small Ozark farms, wooded hillsides, occasional limestone outcroppings, and the meandering valleys of small creeks creates a quintessential rural Missouri scene that has been captured in thousands of vintage Route 66 photographs. Spring brings green pastures and blooming dogwoods; summer brings dense green canopies; fall brings spectacular orange and red color across the hillsides; winter brings stark beauty in the leafless trees and frozen creeks.

Photography tips: early morning and late afternoon provide the best lighting for the rolling landscape. Look for natural framing through tree branches or fence lines. Don't try to photograph the entire alignment in a single shot — the road is too narrow and curving for sweeping panoramas. Instead, focus on specific scenes — a curve of road disappearing into trees, a small farm building set against a hillside, a section of original concrete with a fence line beside it. For 2026 Centennial visitors, expect enhanced interpretive signage along Teardrop Road including markers identifying significant features and historic Miller family landmarks.