Turkey Tracks on Route 66

About

Long before motorists followed Route 66 through this corner of Illinois, a turkey—or possibly several—left an accidental roadside landmark in freshly poured concrete. The pavement was laid around 1920 as part of Illinois State Route 4 and became part of U.S. Route 66 when the Mother Road was designated in 1926. Thirty-four individual footprints remain visible in the original concrete along Donaldson Road, now highlighted by a painted white border and roadside signage so travelers can spot them. Although local lore sometimes credits wild turkeys, historical research suggests the bird may instead have come from a nearby farm; either way, its brief walk across the wet pavement has survived for more than a century.

The tracks sit on the 1926–1930 Girard-to-Nilwood alignment, one of the oldest surviving sections associated with Route 66 in Illinois. The National Park Service notes that this road retains original concrete pavement, box culverts and a 1920 bridge, offering travelers an unusually tangible look at highway construction from the years immediately after World War I. Today the Turkey Tracks have become a wonderfully modest piece of Mother Road folklore: no neon, gift shop or elaborate attraction—just a few dozen bird prints, an old ribbon of concrete and the kind of unexpected story that makes exploring Route 66’s forgotten alignments worthwhile.

There is no dedicated parking or safe pull-off immediately beside the tracks, so use extra caution.

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