Cheryl is the author of the upcoming book Aprons Away: Women’s Work on Route 66, which will be published by Reedy Press in St. Louis in Spring 2026!

We’ve all heard of Route 66, but did you ever stop to think of all the women who worked along the 2,448-mile length of the most famous highway in the world? The welcoming smile from an aproned waitress offering to pour you a cup of coffee or the friendly face of the motel owner ready to rent you a room come to mind. But thousands more worked behind the scenes at a variety of jobs, businesses, careers, and artistic endeavors during the first century of Route 66. From Chicago to Los Angeles, in cities and small towns, women pumped gas, held elected offices, painted public art murals, joined the military, reported news, and designed buildings, theme parks, fashion, and toys. Just in time for this year’s 100th anniversary of the iconic Mother Road, author Cheryl Eichar Jett examines the myriad roles women played at the crossroads of Route 66 and women’s history.

The book is the result of ten years of collecting and researching stories of women’s lives and work during the first 100 years of the Mother Road. Featuring them, she has presented programs at venues in Illinois, Missouri, Texas, and New York. Stories from her research have also evolved into magazine articles, including a series entitled “Memorable Women of Route 66” in the now-defunct Route 66 Magazine. A prized accomplishment is the production of her stage play Aprons Away: Women’s Work on the Mother Road. Written as a series of monologues performed by characters from the Route 66 era, the play premiered as a one-act at Blackburn College in Carlinville in 2018 and was produced in a full two-act version with original music by Jett at the Eagle Performing Arts Center in Pontiac, Illinois, in 201

Cheryl is the author of seven previous nonfiction books (three collaborations, four solo books), most recently writing the Illinois Chapter for the November 4, 2025-released Route 66: 100 Years Centennial anthology edited by author Jim Hinckley. She also counts over 300 published articles and columns (historical, travel, politics) in publications ranging from local newspapers to national magazines and journals, including ROUTE Magazine and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Forum Journal. Her monthly column covering “Along Route 66 and Beyond” in Illinois for the Prairie Land Buzz, a regional Illinois publication, is in its 13th year.

Cheryl holds a graduate degree in history from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and has done additional post-graduate study in arts management and screenwriting. She established the Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference in 2015 with its first event held at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville; it is now an annual Illinois event.

Cheryl is a member of the Extraordinary Women Initiative’s Illinois Task Force. She has previously served on the board of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, was president of Illinois Route 66 Blue Carpet Corridor, and was a founding member of the Illinois Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association.

She has lived in seven Illinois cities, including Route 66 cities Springfield, Litchfield, and Edwardsville. When not researching or writing, she enjoys genealogy, travel, and landscape photography.