The Dixie Travel Plaza, previously known as the Dixie Truck Stop and Dixie Trucker's Home, is a large trucker and travel plaza located in

McLean, Illinois McLean is a village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 743 at the 2020 census, down from 830 in 2010. It is part of the Bloomington– Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area. McLean is the home of the Dixie Travel Plaza ...

, on

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

. It was established by J.P. Walters and John Geske in 1928 on old

US Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

as a small sandwich stand in a truck mechanic's garage. By 1930, quickly growing demand had necessitated expansion into a full-size restaurant. The restaurant was expanded several times afterwards, and rebuilt once after a fire in 1965. Walters, Geske and the Dixie Trucker's Home have been recognized by the

Route 66 Association Route 66 Association is the generic name of the non-profit associations established for preservation, restoration and promotion of the historic U.S. Route 66. They exist in all 8 Route 66 states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New ...

of Illinois for their contributions—from 1926 to 1977—to the character of Route 66. They were inducted into the association's

hall of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

on June 9, 1990. Dixie was previously home to the Route 66 Hall of Fame when it opened in 1990. In 2003, after Dixie changed ownership, the museum was moved to a new, larger location in

Pontiac, Illinois Pontiac is a city in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,931 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Livingston County. The town is also the setting of the 1984 movie ''Grandview, U.S.A.'' Geography Location P ...

. Dixie Travel Plaza is frequently mentioned in travel books and histories of Old US Route 66. It has also been the subject of articles in the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' in articles about Old Route 66. Dixie was referred to as "one of the most impressive" late night stops along I-55. When the Interstate system was constructed and Route 66 was decommissioned, the portion of Route 66 that Dixie was located on became a portion of I-55.

Expansion

In 2003, the original owners sold the business, after which it was renamed "Dixie Travel Plaza". It was purchased by a company in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. The name was expanded into a chain when the new owners bought two additional truck stop locations and branded them as Dixie Travel Plazas. The other locations are in

Tuscola, Illinois Tuscola is a city in Douglas County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,480 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Douglas County. Geography Tuscola is located at (39.797682, -88.281564). According to the 2010 census, Tuscola ...

and

Effingham, Illinois Effingham is a city in and the county seat of Effingham County, Illinois, Effingham County, Illinois, United States. It is in South Central Illinois. Its population was 12,252 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Effingham, IL Micropolita ...

. In January, 2009, Dixie Travel Plaza was sold again to Ben Gulley of

LeRoy, Illinois LeRoy Township is one of nine townships in Boone County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 485 and it contained 201 housing units. Geography According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of , of which (o ...

, after which it underwent a major renovation. In June, 2012, it was sold to

Road Ranger Road Ranger is a Schaumburg, Illinois-based chain of travel centers, truck stops and convenience stores primarily found in the mid-western United States. History The first Road Ranger was opened in 1984 in Rockford, Illinois, by Northern Illi ...

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

, after which it underwent a complete remodel. Road Ranger buys Dixie
/ref>

References

External links

{{coord, 40.3104, -89.1690, type:landmark_region:US-IL, display=title U.S. Route 66 in Illinois Restaurants in Illinois Gas stations in the United States Transportation in Illinois Buildings and structures on U.S. Route 66 Tourist attractions along U.S. Route 66 Companies based in McLean County, Illinois Restaurants established in 1928 Retail buildings in Illinois Truck stop chains 1928 establishments in Illinois