Editing Pontiac, Illinois (section)

===20th century to present===
In the American Midwest, new highways often parallel early railroads. This happened at Pontiac. The Chicago Mississippi, linking St. Louis with Chicago, was Pontiac's first railroad. In 1922 and 1923, Route 4, the first paved highway between Chicago and St. Louis, followed almost exactly the same route as the railroad. Local people called it the "hard road". The new state highway passed along Ladd Street and brought traffic through the center of Pontiac.<ref>''Pontiac, Illinois Sesquicentennial 1837–1987'' (Pontiac: c. 1987) pp. 35–36.</ref> The 1891 iron truss bridge over the Vermilion proved inadequate to carry increased traffic over the river, and in 1925 it was replaced with a steel and concrete structure.<ref>''Pontiac Sesquicentennial'', 1887, p. 46.</ref> Also in 1925, the designation of the road was changed to [[U.S. Route 66|Route 66]], but this was only a change in name, as most of this famous highway simply borrowed the pavement of Route 4.

The [http://www.threshermensreunion.org/ Threshermen's Reunion] started in a modest way in 1949 at Pontiac's Chautauqua Park next to the [[Vermilion River (Illinois River tributary)|Vermilion River]] as a gathering of interested people who brought together a collection of old farm machinery. The assemblage of steam engines and the people who ran them grew in popularity. In 1999, the sponsors purchased their own forty acres north of town.<ref>''Pontiac Sesquicentennial'', 1887, p. 168.</ref>

The first phase of construction on Interstate 55 was finished in 1966, and in the early 1970s the road, which closely followed [[U.S. Route 66|Route 66]], was brought up to improved federal standards. Highway-oriented businesses soon clustered around these roads, at first on the north and south sides of Pontiac, and later near Exit 197, west of the old town center. Unlike many towns, Pontiac has continued to be serviced by railroad passenger service. In 1971, [[Amtrak]] took over the task of moving people between Chicago and St. Louis, and Pontiac has continued to be a stop.<ref>''Pontiac Sesquicentennial'', 1887, p. 44.</ref>

Pontiac is home to the [https://www.il66assoc.org/destination/route-66-association-hall-of-fame-museum-3/ Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame]. It was previously located at [[Dixie Truckers Home]] in [[McLean, Illinois]], but it was moved to a new, larger location in Pontiac when Dixie changed ownership.