After 83 years, the Santa Monica Pier was designated as the official Western Terminus of Route 66 today by the Route 66 Alliance, an organization that promotes and preserves the historic roadway between Chicago, Ill. and Santa Monica, Calif. in a ceremony at the Southern California landmark where a replica of the once lost “End of the Trail” sign was unveiled by local dignitaries and civic officials.

The ceremony was preceded by a processional motorcade of 66 vintage cars and motorbikes that drove the final western tip of the highway, beginning at Santa Monica Blvd. and Lincoln Blvd. and ending on the Santa Monica Pier.

The official designation of the Santa Monica Pier as the West Coast’s end to Route 66 during the Pier’s centennial year was developed in partnership with the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau, Route 66 Alliance, 66 to Cali Inc. and the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation to acknowledge a commonly held public perception that the pier was the end of the historic roadway, although never officially recognized.

“This Veterans Day marks the 83^rd anniversary of Route 66, and we are proud to on this day unite the nation once again from Illinois to California by commemorating the national link the ‘Main Street of America’ delivered so many years ago,” said Jim Conkle, chair of the Route 66 Alliance, “We believe that unveiling this sign at the iconic Santa Monica Pier today will resonate deeply with those across the country who are passionate about the roadway’s enduring legacy.”

The sign’s unveiling was a tribute to a historic and famous sign that read “End of the Trail” that once stood overlooking the Santa Monica Pier during the 1930s. Although long ago disappeared, the sign played a role in creating the national public opinion that the end of Route 66 was at the Santa Monica Pier, even though the official terminus was under debate throughout the road’s history.