Route 66 documentary explores women's discrimination, segregation along the Mother Road

Route 66 is one of the United States' original highways, spanning from Chicago to Santa Monica, cutting right through Springfield. The 96-year-old roadway is a looking glass into the past, as it is considered a significant piece of Americana.

But Katrina Parks, a film producer and director based in Madrid, Spain, believed not all voices and perspectives from Route 66 were being heard.

Her latest documentary, "Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road" tells these stories, about women who overcame gender discrimination and segregation along Route 66 from the 1920s to present day.

The documentary is a three-part film series, with each film being about an hour in length. Throughout the remainder of the year, the films will be shown in cities across Route 66, with a film series tour starting in Springfield.

A kickoff event for the tour will be held in room 101 in the Duane G. Meyer Library on Missouri State's campus on Tuesday, June 14 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Excerpts from the series, featuring women from Missouri will be shown, followed by guest speakers. Speakers include author and photographer Shellee Graham, Missouri State assistant professor Anne Baker, Karan Andrea with the Riveter Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America and film co-producer Michelle Kantor.

Chix on 66, a 40-member women's motorcycle group, will also stop in Springfield for the film series tour. The group began its two-week motorcycle ride in Milwaukee on Friday, June 10 and will conclude in Santa Monica on Saturday, June 25.

As Parks and her team prepare for their nationwide film series tour, Parks reflected on the last five years dedicated to extensive research, group interviews and editing of the documentary.

'Don't just stop at your preconceived idea'

While an undergraduate intern in Belen, New Mexico, Parks learned about the Harvey Girls, which she eventually directed and produced a documentary about, "The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound."

Women from across the country flocked to the Southwest in the late 1880s and early 1900s to serve as waitresses in hotels and restaurants along the railroad, according to the Associated Press. These women, known as the Harvey Girls, are credited with improving the development of tourism in the Southwest with their skilled service and positive demeanor.

Four years after the release of her Harvey Girls documentary, Parks began to look at all women impacted by Route 66.

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"When I started the project ... a question I had was, 'Well, would I just find women working at mom and pop businesses or as waitresses?' Parks said. "I was really pleased and surprised that there were all these other aspects in terms of women's occupations along the Mother Road."

The documentary touches on women who worked as archaeologists, creatives, entrepreneurs, politicians and school teachers.

During production of "Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road," Parks conducted a hefty amount of research, with help from institutions like the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, Northern Arizona University and Missouri State's Special Collections and University Archives.

It was at Missouri State where Parks learned about Alberta Ellis, owner of Alberta's Hotel in Springfield. Ellis remodeled a three-story house that served as a community hospital for Black travelers along Route 66. Ellis' story is featured in the documentary series, and her grandson Irv Logan will be at Tuesday's event.

A nine-minute excerpt about Ellis can be viewed on the documentary's website, route66women.com/portfolio/alberta-crittenden-long-ellis/.

In total, about three-dozen women are featured throughout the series, which is organized chronologically. Not all women Parks learned about made the final series cut, but they are featured on the documentary's website, route66women.com/.

Parks said she hopes the documentary series inspires people to take a trip down Route 66, while educating them about the diverse women who worked along it.

"People often assume that women have been absent from history," she said. "When I go into an art museum in Spain, frequently it will be all male painters, so you may think there weren't women artists. Just like with Route 66, you might think, 'Well, there were probably just a few women working, but they were probably waitresses.' But there's actually a lot more if you dig further and you don't just stop at what your preconceived idea is of what women did in an era."

The documentary series can be accessed on the Ozarks Public Television website with an OPT Passport membership at pbs.org/show/route-66-women-untold-story-mother-road/. OPT Passport memberships are $5 per month.

In addition, a DVD with each of the films is available for purchase for $18 on the series' website at route66women.com/contact/.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Route 66 film explores women's gender discrimination, segregation