Highway traffic was the lifeblood of family businesses on Route 66, which linked farm towns like Williamsville with the nation and brought travelers seeking food and fuel. In prosperous times, Americans traveled for pleasure, while during the Great Depression and World War II the road carried job seekers and troops, and business on Route 66 remained strong. Before 1941, the route ran through the heart of Williamsville, where cafes and service stations opened to serve travelers, including the Turner Garage and Gas Station across the street from the present community center. The road curved there, creating a hazard for speeding motorists, and a 1941 newspaper account of a car crashing into the garage reported 15 accidents there in the previous three and a half years. To make travel faster and safer, Route 66 was expanded to four lanes, bypassed towns, and in 1977 was replaced by I-55; with each change, businesses moved or died. Today only a few franchise service stations survive at access ramps, though stations such as Fawn’s Service Station and Route 66 Café on the bypass served travelers during the 1950s and 60s.