FREDERICK HITTING A ONE-OFF ASSIGNMENT TO PHOTOGRAPH ROUTE.

66 TURNED INTO A YEARS LONG LABOR OF LOVE.

AND AWARD-WINNING PHOTOJOURNALIST KEATING ALSO HAD A DEEP PERSONAL CONNECTION TO THE FAMOUS ROADWAY.

NOW HIS WORK HIGHLIGHTING MORE COMPLICATED SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY MEMORIALIZED IN THAT FAMOUS TOMB IS BEING SHOWN AT UPTOWN CHICAGO CENTER FOR PHOTOJOURNALISM CHICAGO.

TONIGHT'S NICK BROMBERG HAS THE STORY.

WHAT COULD BE MORE CLASSIC AMERICANA THEN ROUTE?

66, ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S ORIGINAL HIGHWAYS, STARTING IN ILLINOIS AND RUNNING THROUGH THE MIDWEST, SOUTHWEST AND INTO CALIFORNIA.

BUT PHOTOGRAPHER EDWARD HEATING DIDN'T TAKE SUCH A ROSY VIEW OF THE ROADWAY.

THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR HIM.

NOT JUST A DOCUMENT THAT THIS DOES NOT A BACKDROPS OF ROUTE.

66 FROM CHICAGO TO LA REALLY DOCUMENT THE PEOPLE THAT MANY FORMER LEFT BEHIND PEOPLE THAT MOVED HERE FOR, YOU KNOW, WITH SO MANY HOPES AND DREAMS AND A LOT OF THOSE DREAMS WERE SHATTERED.

HE WANTED TO DOCUMENT REALITY OF THIS HIGHWAY, NOT JUST GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE.

66.

AND FOR CHEATING ROUTE.

66 WASN'T JUST A HIGHWAY.

IT WAS A PLACE TO HEAL WHILE HE WAS ON THE ROAD DURING A CHAOTIC TIME IN HIS LIFE.

HE WAS ABOUT 21 YEARS OLD WITH A MAJOR DRINKING PROBLEM, JUST FINDING HIMSELF ON ROUTE 66.

AND IT WAS THE PLACE THAT HE REALLY HIT ROCK BOTTOM.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, NOT TOO LONG AFTER THAT ROUTE.

66, HE PUT HIS LIFE BACK TOGETHER.

HE GOT SOBER AND MADE A CAREER AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.

KEATING SPENT YEARS ON THE STAFF OF THE NEW YORK TIMES.

HE WORKED FOR WEEKS AT GROUND 0 AS PART OF ITS PULITZER PRIZE WINNING PHOTOGRAPHY.

TEAM.

HE WAS NICE TO HAVE THAT ACKNOWLEDGMENT, BUT THAT'S NEVER WHY HE DID IT.

YOU KNOW, HE COVERED THE COAST OF A WAR.

HE WAS ALWAYS RUNNING AFTER TOUGH THINGS IN LIFE BECAUSE HE JUST FELT LIKE SOMEONE HAD TO DOCUMENT IT AND HE FELT LIKE IT HAD TO BE HIM.

ONE OF THOSE THINGS, KEATING FELT CALLED TO DOCUMENT WAS THE REALITY OF ROUTE.

66 FROM 2000 TO 2011, KEATING MADE MULTIPLE TRIPS TRAVELED THOUSANDS OF MILES AND TOOK TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PHOTOGRAPHS.

ACTUALLY DIDN'T EVEN DEVELOP A LOT OF THE WORK.

HE ALWAYS SAID THAT THE BEST PART ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY FOR HIM WAS JUST ACTUALLY TAKING THE PICTURE, NOT EVEN ACTUALLY SEEING THE IMAGE IN THE END.

IN 2018, KEATING PUBLISHED THE BOOK MAIN STREET, THE LAST DREAM OF ROUTE.

66.

HE DIED IN 2021 AT AGE 65 OF CANCER.

HE BELIEVED WAS FROM EXPOSURE TO TOXIC DUST AT THE RUINS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

BEFORE THAT, HE STRESSED HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS FOR HIM TO SHOW THIS WORK, ESPECIALLY ALONG ROUTE 66 BECAUSE THIS WORK HE SAID WHEN HE PUBLISHED IN THE BOOK HE DIDN'T OWN IT ANYMORE.

THE CHICAGO STOP IS ONE OF SEVERAL EXHIBITIONS ALONG ROUTE.

66 ORGANIZED BY KEATING'S DAUGHTER, CAITLIN, A DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER AND HIS WIFE, KERRY.

ALSO A PHOTOGRAPHER, CAITLIN SAYS BRINGING HER FATHER'S WORK TO GALLERIES ALONG THE HISTORIC HIGHWAY OFFERS A CHANCE TO SHOW THE REALITIES OF LOST JOBS, LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES, STRUGGLING SMALL TOWNS AND THE SENSE OF HOPE AND HUMANITY THAT PERVADES EVEN THE MOST CHALLENGING PICTURES.

SOME OF THESE IMAGES ARE REALLY HARD TO LOOK AT.

AND I JUST HOPE THAT PEOPLE REALLY STILL TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK AND DON'T TURN AWAY BECAUSE IF WE DO, WE'RE GOING TO FORGET ABOUT THE PAST.

SO HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE HERE AND SEE OTHERS WORK UP ON THE WALLS?

YEAH, I MEAN, IT MAKES ME FEEL SO EMOTIONAL.

I GOT FULL CHILLS WHEN I WALKED IN BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED JUST MEANS SO MUCH TO MY ENTIRE FAMILY.

AND THE ONLY PART IS THAT HE'S NOT HERE, BUT WE KNOW THAT HE WOULD BE SO SO HAPPY WITH HOW IT TURNED OUT FOR CHICAGO TONIGHT.

I'M NICK BLOOMBERG.

MAINSTREET THE LAST THROUGH THE LAST DREAM OF