TULSA — It was a Tulsan who struck upon the idea of building a brand new highway that would connect Chicago to Los Angeles, in an age where the very idea of the federal government building roads was in its infancy.

His name was Cyrus Avery, and he not only invented the road - he made sure it came through Tulsa, which he pointed out had just recently built a beautiful, art deco bridge across the Arkansas River.

Oil was coming into its own with the massive growth in the auto industry, and Tulsa was poised for huge growth.

And while Tulsa's past is inextricably linked with the Mother Road - and vice versa - it is the future which intrigues the modern generation of leaders.

It will include a large interpretive center, a drive-in movie theater, dining, shopping and more - with an eye toward truly making Tulsa the capital of Route 66 for visitors from around the world.

In this special series, which aired on the KRMG Morning News with Dan Potter, we break down Route 66 and its impact on Tulsa, and talk about those plans for the future with (among others) Michael Wallis, the founder of the Route 66 Alliance and Ken Busby, its Executive Director.

Route 66, Past Present & Future: A KRMG In-Depth Report in 3 parts