Route 66 was pieced together from rural dirt roads, farm-to-market roads, and connections among U.S. highways 25, 31, 52, 60, 62, and 150. Its name was assigned on November 11, 1926, when state politicians discovered after a heated debate that the number 66 had not yet been used. Route 66 remained in operation for over 50 years until the highway was officially decommissioned in 1985.