 U.S. Highway 66 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Rogers Highway | ||||
 US 66 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byODOT | ||||
| Length | 374.6 mi[2] (602.9 km) (as close as possible to the latest surface alignments, except at Tulsa and Oklahoma City) The length of SH-66 is 192.8 mi (310.3 km) | |||
| Existed | December 7, 1926[1]–April 1, 1985[1] | |||
| Tourist routes |  Historic Route 66 | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 66 atTexas state line | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| East end | US-66 atKansas state line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Oklahoma | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 66 (US 66,Route 66) in Oklahoma ran from west to northeast across the state of Oklahoma, along the path now taken byInterstate 40 (I-40) and State Highway 66 (SH-66). It passed throughOklahoma City,Tulsa, and many smaller communities. West of the Oklahoma City area, it has been largely replaced by I-40; the few independent portions that are still state-maintained are now I-40 Business. From Oklahoma City northeast toKansas, the bypassingI-44 is mostly atoll road, and SH-66 remains as a free alternate.
By 1916, a series of unpaved state roads was laid out fromTexola, just east of theTexas state line, east viaErick toDelhi, north toSayre, and east and north via Doxey toElk City.[3] It became part of US 66 in 1926; this initial alignment ran along the state line from a bit south of the old railroad grade south to E1240 Road, and then ran east through Texola on Fifth Street. After a mile south on N1680 Road, it turned east on E1250 Road to Erick, then south again on N1750 Road, east on E1260 Road, south on N1810 Road, and east on E1270 Road to Delhi. Traffic turned north at N1870 Road (nowUS 283), jogging west on E1250 Road at the mismatch in thesection lines, and entered Sayre on N1870 Road. The bridge over theNorth Fork of the Red River in Sayre was built oftimber in 1924 and upgraded and widened withsteel in 1933. It was bypassed in 1958, and has been demolished; its remains are on private property. The original US 66 passed through Sayre on Main Street (nowSH-152) and Fourth Street, leaving to the east on Benton Boulevard (E1180 Road). It then turned north on N1900 Road, east on E1170 Road (there was a cutoff on the southeast side of the railroad at this turn), north on N1960 Road, east on E1160 Road, and north on N2000 Road into Elk City on Randall Avenue. Short sections of this — a bridge on E1170 Road east of N1950 Road (SH-34) and the crossing ofElk City Lake on N2000 Road — no longer exist.[1]
A new alignment from the state line to Elk City was built in the late 1920s. It only coincided with the earlier route through Texola and through Sayre; the rest was entirely separate. Except in Sayre, where the city had paved the road withPortland cement (PC) in 1926, the state began paving the road in 1928 and 1929 with asphalt over a concrete base from Elk City to several miles east ofHext. It switched to PC in 1929, paving the remainder from east of Hext to the state line from 1929 to 1931. This alignment followed E1240 Road from the state line to Texola, and then the present main road through Erick and Hext to south of Sayre. The old cement lies in the center of the four-lane road through Texola, and then mainly follows the westbound lanes to Erick, through which it again lies in the center. A short abandoned piece of PC, including ruins from a former bridge over a creek, is located to the south of the road, between N1700 and N1710 Roads. Beyond Erick, the PC was again built in the present location of the westbound lanes, but has since been paved over until the I-40 interchange (exit 11). Just past exit 11, the road becomes two lanes, and the original road — mostly built as PC, but later resurfaced in asphalt, and once the westbound lanes of adivided highway - is now abandoned to the north of the open roadway; a 1928 concrete federal aid primary marker lies 0.8 miles (1.3 km) west of Hext. Beyond Hext, where I-40 comes in from the south, the two-lane road crosses to the original roadway; the later eastbound lanes are now the westbound lanes of I-40. The 1929 alignment curved to the north into N1870 Road west of exit 20, following Main Street and Fourth Street as the original route did. However, it continued beyond Benton Boulevard to Sayre Avenue, turning off onto the present four-lane I-40 Bus. towards I-40 exit 25. Just prior to the exit, US 66 curved northeast along the northsidefrontage road. It crossed to the south side after exit 26, crossing Timber Creek on a 1928through truss bridge, and crossed again just east of the N1910 Road overpass. This part of the north frontage road, from east of N1910 Road to exit 32, retains the original 1928–1929 paving, as well as a 1926 box drain. Between exit 32 and Elk City, the original road (resurfaced) is now the westbound lanes of I-40 Bus., where another 1926 box drain still stands.[1]
A second set of lanes was added, mostly on the south side of the two-lane road, from 1955 to 1961, except through Texola, Erick, and Sayre, where the existing road was widened to four lanes. The old road was bypassed in several places: west of Texola, where the new road went diagonally northwest to the state line;[citation needed] between N1700 and N1710 Roads, where a straighter alignment was built to the north; entering Sayre from the south, where it continued on what is now the northside frontage road to Fourth Street (effective July 14, 1958); and at Timber Creek, where the two-lane road used the southside frontage road, and both directions of the four-lane road used the present I-40. Between the Sayre and Elk City business loops, except over Timber Creek, the new eastbound lanes are now the eastbound lanes of I-40; further west, between Sayre and Hext, they are the present westbound lanes.[1]
I-40 was completed in its present state in 1966 between Sayre and Elk City; the bypasses of both cities opened in October 1970, with the Sayre bypass project extending west to the point east of Hext where I-40 curves away from the old road. (The relocation here was made on June 1, 1970.) The rest of I-40 west to Texas opened on September 2, 1975. Except for the bypasses around Sayre and Elk City, US 66 was moved to the new I-40; most of it was given toBeckham County, but the old route through Erick, which hadoverlappedSH-30, became SH-30 Business. When US 66 was decommissioned on April 1, 1985, the Sayre and Elk City business loops were created. I-40 Business through Erick, between exits 5 and 11, replaced SH-30 Bus. in 1987, based on traffic data.[1]
US 66 was signed inOklahoma City by 1929. Its initial routing entered from the west on 39th Street and turned south on Classen Boulevard and east on 23rd Street. SH-7 entered from the south on Robinson Avenue, which also carried SH-4,SH-9, andUS 77. At the intersection of 23rd Street andLincoln Boulevard, just north of theState Capitol, SH-3 and SH-9 continued east, along withUS 266, while the other routes, including US 66, turned north. After leaving the city limits, continuing on Lincoln Boulevard (including the present Beverly Drive), it jogged east on Grand Boulevard (nowI-44) to reach Kelley Avenue.[4] By 1931, traffic was routed via Western Avenue rather than Classen Boulevard, and a newUS 66 Alternate bypassed downtown, turning north rather than south on Western Avenue toBritton and east on Britton Road to Kelley Avenue.[5] By 1935 US 66 used May Avenue rather than Western Avenue; the alternate route continued to use Western Avenue,[6] moving to Classen Boulevard south of 53rd Street on March 18, 1936. The alternate route was eventually moved to May Avenue on May 6, 1947.[1]
On March 2, 1953, about the time theNorthwest Expressway, Northeast Expressway, andTurner Turnpike were completed, US 66 was realigned to make use of this bypass. It turned north from 39th Street at May Avenue to reach the expressways, and followed them to Kelley, where it continued to turn north towardsEdmond. The continuation of the Northeast Expressway to the Oklahoma City Terminus of the turnpike was labeledSH-66A; this route had extended west to May Avenue before March 2.[7] (SH-3 used the Northwest Expressway west of May Avenue.) The old US 66 through downtown, via May Avenue, 23rd Street, and Lincoln Boulevard, becameUS 66 Business, and the alternate route was eliminated. A short realignment was made on August 2, 1954, using the new West Expressway from 39th Street and May Avenue to the Northwest Expressway west of Classen Boulevard.[1]
SH-66A became part of US 66 by 1956, when the new road (nowI-35) was built from the Turner Turnpike north to US 66 east ofEdmond. The old route via Edmond becameSH-66 (andSH-77, since it had replacedUS 77).[8] The business route was deleted on March 5, 1979, and at about the same time the new route of the West Expressway, bypassing Classen Circle, was completed.[1][9]
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By 1929, US 66 had been marked throughTulsa, entering from the southwest on Southwest Boulevard (then Quanah Avenue) to the old11th Street Bridge over theArkansas River, being aconcretearch bridge from 1916 that is now on theNational Register of Historic Places. The route left the bridge on Maybelle Avenue, and turned east on 11th Street, north on Cheyenne Avenue, east on 7th Street, north on Detroit Avenue, east on 2nd Street, north on Lewis Avenue, and east on Admiral Place to the city limits. Outside the city, the original route turned south on Mingo Road and east on 11th Street, turning north on 193rd Avenue to reachCatoosa.[4] A relocation, approved on July 7, 1932, simplified the routing through Tulsa, taking it east on 11th Street all the way from the bridge to 193rd Avenue. (US 75 andSH-11 remained on Admiral Place, the former using the old US 66 alignment through downtown.)[1][10]
US 66 Bypass was established on June 4, 1951, along the proposed Skelly Drive, which was not finished until the late 1950s, when it became part ofI-44.[citation needed] US 66 itself was moved to Skelly Drive on November 3, 1959, and the old route on Southwest Boulevard and 11th Street, west of the Skelly Drive interchange east of downtown, becameUS 66 Business. (The only change in this route was made in the early 1970s,[11] during construction ofI-444, when it was moved to 12th Street west of Denver Avenue.) The business route was eliminated on January 15, 1973, removing all state highways from surface streets indowntown Tulsa, except for a temporary routing ofUS 64 andSH-51 on 15th Street until theBroken Arrow Expressway was completed.[1][12]
As with the rest of US 66 in Oklahoma, the majority of this segment follows SH-66, with a number of older alignments that take US 66 through many of the communities along the way. From the northeast side of Tulsa, at the intersection of 193rd Ave and I-44/SH-66, two routes are available, depending on which sources one considers to be official:
US 66 then follows SH-66 northeast throughVerdigris and intoClaremore. One may either continue on SH-66 all the way through town, or divert one block west and take the older alignment down J.M Davis Blvd. The route re-joins SH-66 via Stuart Roosa Dr., at the north end of town.
US 66 then proceeded north and east via SH-66. Other communities along this stretch of road includeSequoyah,Foyil, and Busyhead. InChelsea, SH-28 briefly merges with SH-66, then diverges north after about 5 blocks, while SH-66 continues towardWhite Oak. After White Oak,US 60/US 69 join the route. Just beyond this intersection, SH-2 joins the route as the road continues toVinita. In the downtown area of Vinita, SH-2 diverges to the north while US 60/US 66/US 69 turn to the right. The highway crosses I-44 just east of the city and intersects with SH-82 and SH-85. At the latter junction, the highway takes a turn to the north and continues throughAfton.
Just east of Afton, there are two possible alignments:
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Shortly after Narcissa, another section of the old US 66 alignment is available, again as a stretch of sidewalk highway:
US 66/US 69 continues north through Miami. As the highway exits to the north, an alternate alignment becomes available:
US 66/US 69 bends to the east as it exits the north side of Commerce. About 1.8 miles (2.9 km) after this bend, US 69 diverts to the north. Alternate US 69 begins at this point, and US 66/Alternate 69 continues east, bending north as the highway enters the south end ofQuapaw, Oklahoma. The route continues through Quapaw and proceeds northeast beyond the Oklahoma/Kansas state line toRiverton, Kansas, where US 66 splits from alternate 69 and heads eastward asK-66.
Ozark Trail | |
|---|---|
| Location | Texola–Baxter Springs, KS |
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The history of US 66 in Oklahoma can be traced back to twoauto trails—theSt. Louis, Missouri–Las Vegas, New Mexico, main route of theOzark Trails network, and theFort Smith, Arkansas–Amarillo, Texas,Postal Highway.[13] In the state highway system, approved in mid-1924, the portions of these in Oklahoma, which crossed atOklahoma City, became SH-7 and SH-3 respectively.[14][15] US 66 was designated in late 1926, and followed these state highways with one exception: a newSH-39 was created to carry Route 66, leaving SH-7 atCommerce and heading east and north to the state line in the direction ofBaxter Springs, Kansas.[16] (The short stub of SH-7 north of Commerce remained until it became part ofUS-69 in the mid-1930s.[17])
Over the years, many portions of Route 66 west of Oklahoma City were replaced withI-40. On the other hand, theTurner Turnpike andWill Rogers Turnpike were built parallel to Route 66 east of Oklahoma City, and Route 66 remained on the old road as a free alternate to the turnpikes. Route 66 was eliminated by theAmerican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials on April 1, 1985. In Oklahoma, the portions west of Oklahoma City that had not been rerouted onto I-40 becamebusiness loops of I-40 throughSayre,Elk City,Clinton, andEl Reno. The still-independent route, starting atUS-81 in southeastern El Reno, becameSH-66, using surface streets except throughOklahoma City andTulsa, where Route 66 had been rerouted onto the freeways. SH-66 ends atUS-60 west ofVinita, where Route 66overlapped US-60 andUS-69 to east ofCommerce. The remaining independent portion to the Kansas state line became part of a newUS-69 Alternate.[1][18]
 | This sectionis missing mileposts for junctions. Please helpadd them. |
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beckham | | 0.0 | 0.0 |  US 66 west –Shamrock,Amarillo | Texas state line | ||
| | 5.7 | 9.2 |   SH-30 south –Hollis | Western end of SH-30 concurrency | |||
| Erick | 7.7 | 12.4 |  SH-30 north (Sheb Wooley Street) –Sweetwater | Eastern end of SH-30 concurrency | |||
| | 21.3 | 34.3 |  US 283 south –Mangum | Western end of US-283 concurrency | |||
| Sayre | 22.9 | 36.9 |   SH-41 east –Sweetwater | Western end of SH-41 concurrency | |||
| 23.2 | 37.3 | SH-41 east –Cordell | Eastern end of SH-41 concurrency | ||||
| 24.3 | 39.1 | US 283 north –Cheyenne | Eastern end of US-283 concurrency | ||||
| | 33.9 | 54.6 |  SH-34 south –Mangum | Western end of SH-34 concurrency | |||
| | 36.2 | 58.3 |  SH-73 west | Western end of SH-34 concurrency | |||
| Elk City | 40.0 | 64.4 |  SH-6 | ||||
| | 42.5 | 68.4 | SH-34 north –Woodward | Eastern end of SH-34 concurrency | |||
| Washita | | 54.5 | 87.7 |  SH-44 south –Foss,Burns Flat,Altus | |||
| Custer | Clinton | 66.1 | 106.4 |  US 183 south (6th Street) –Cordell,Hobart | Western end of US-183 concurrency | ||
| 68.4 | 110.1 | US 183 north (4th Street) | Eastern end of US-183 concurrency | ||||
| | 82.4 | 132.6 |  SH-54 south –Corn,Colony,Mountain View | Western end of SH-54 concurrency | |||
| Weatherford | 83.2 | 133.9 | SH-54 north (West Main Street) –Thomas | Eastern end of SH-54 concurrency | |||
| Caddo | |  SH-58 north –Hydro | Western end of SH-58 concurrency | ||||
| | SH-58 south –Carnegie | Eastern end of SH-58 concurrency | |||||
| Hinton Junction |   US 281 south /SH-8 south –Hinton,Anadarko | Western end of US-281 / SH-8 concurrency | |||||
| Canadian | | US 281 north /SH-8 north –Geary,Watonga | Eastern end of US-281 / SH-8 concurrency | ||||
| |  US 270 west –Calumet | Western end of US-270 concurrency | |||||
| El Reno |  US 81 north (Choctaw Avenue) –Kingfisher | Western end of US-81 concurrency | |||||
| US 81 south –Chickasha | Eastern end of US-81 concurrency | ||||||
| Yukon |  SH-92 south (Garth Brooks Boulevard) –Mustang | ||||||
 SH-4 north (Cornwell Drive) –Piedmont | Western end of SH-4 concurrency | ||||||
| SH-4 south (Ranchwood Boulevard) | Eastern end of SH-4 concurrency | ||||||
| Oklahoma | Warr Acres |  SH-3 (North MacArthur Boulevard) | |||||
| Oklahoma City | Grand Boulevard | Interchange; nowI-44 west /Lake Hefner Parkway | |||||
  US 270 /US 66 Bus. /SH-3 /SH-74 (May Avenue) | Eastern end of US-270 concurrency; interchange | ||||||
| Pennsylvania Avenue | interchange | ||||||
 SH-66A west (Northwest Expressway) | At-grade intersection | ||||||
| Classen Boulevard | Classen Circle (traffic circle) | ||||||
| Western Avenue | interchange | ||||||
| Grand Boulevard west | At-grade intersection | ||||||
 US 77 north (Broadway Extension) –Edmond | Western end of US-77 concurrency; nowI-235 south; interchange | ||||||
| US 77 south /US 66 Bus. west (Lincoln Boulevard) –Downtown Oklahoma City | Eastern end of US-77 concurrency; interchange | ||||||
| Grand Boulevard east | at-grade intersection | ||||||
| Britton Road | Interchange | ||||||
 Turner Turnpike / Sooner Road –Tulsa | Interchange | ||||||
| Memorial Road | Interchange | ||||||
| Edmond | US 77 (2nd Street) –Wichita,Edmond | Interchange | |||||
| seeSH-66 | |||||||
| Creek | | Turner Turnpike –Oklahoma City | |||||
| Tulsa | Tulsa |  US 169 south –Glenpool | Western end of US-169 concurrency | ||||
| US 169 north (West 23rd Street) | Eastern end of US-169 concurrency | ||||||
  US 75 north /SH-33 east (Heavy Traffic Way) | Eastern end of US-75 / SH-33 concurrency | ||||||
  US 64 /SH-51 (South Denver Avenue) | |||||||
| US 169 (South Peoria Avenue) | |||||||
 SH-11 (South Memorial Drive) | |||||||
| Tulsa–Wagoner county line | | SH-33 west (East Admiral Place) | Western end of SH-33 concurrency | ||||
| Rogers | | SH-33 east –Chouteau,Siloam Springs | Eastern end of SH-33 concurrency; nowUS-412; interchange | ||||
| |  Will Rogers Turnpike –Joplin | Interchange | |||||
| seeSH-66 | |||||||
| Craig | |  US 60 west –Nowata,Bartlesville | Western end of US-60 concurrency | ||||
| |  US 69 south –Pryor | Western end of US-69 concurrency | |||||
| Vinita |  SH-2 north (Wilson Street) | ||||||
| | Will Rogers Turnpike | ||||||
| |  SH-82 south –Langley | ||||||
| Delaware | |  SH-85 south –Bernice | |||||
| Ottawa | |  US 59 south –Grove | Western end of US-59 concurrency | ||||
| | Will Rogers Turnpike /US 60 east –Fairland | Eastern end of US-60 concurrency; interchange | |||||
| |  US 59 north /SH-10 west –Welch,Lenapah | Eastern end of US-59 concurrency; western end of SH-10 concurrency | |||||
| Miami |  SH-10 east (Steve Owens Boulevard) /SH-125 south (Main Street) –Seneca, MO,Fairland,Grove | Eastern end of SH-10 concurrency | |||||
| | US 69 north –Picher | Eastern end of US-69 concurrency | |||||
| |  SH-137 south | ||||||
| | 373 | 600 | US-66 east –St. Louis | Kansas state line | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||||
US 66 in Oklahoma is home to manyNational Register of Historic Places sites connected in some way with the historic highway.
Fort Reno served as a US military post from 1874 (long beforeOklahoma attained statehood) throughWorld War II.[19] TheChandler Armory, built under theWorks Progress Administration during theGreat Depression, served as home of the 45th Infantry Division of theOklahoma National Guard during World War II and continued in service until replaced by a modern building in 1971. It was restored in 2007 asChandler's Route 66 information site and convention hall.[20]
Miami'sColeman Theatre, established 1929.[21] has long entertained visitors with everything from live music to cinema. Miami also has the Miami Original Nine-Foot Section of Route 66 Roadbed, which along with the Coleman Theater is on theNational Register of Historic Places listings in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. A drive-in theater,The Tee Pee, is located inSapulpa.
The restored native folk art collection ofEd Galloway's Totem Pole Park inFoyil dates from 1937.[22]
Tulsa landmarks include the giant Meadow Gold neon sign at 11th & Peoria. Originally at 11th & Lewis, this 1934 sign has two 30-by-30-foot (9.1 m × 9.1 m) faces and has been mounted on a pavilion at its new location for visibility.[23]
Arcadia'sRound Barn has served as a de facto community hall since 1898.[24] The distinctive large dome of theBeckham County Courthouse has stood over downtownSayre since 1911.[25]McLain Rogers Park, constructed as aClinton city park as part of aGreat Depression Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Civil Works Administration, and the Works Progress Administration joint project, includes playgrounds, tennis and volleyball courts, miniature golf, picnic areas, a baseball field and a bandstand.[26]
Various Oklahoma road segments[27] are of historical importance, including the11th Street Arkansas River Bridge inTulsa,[28] theLake Overholser Bridge inOklahoma City[29] and theBridge #18 at Rock Creek (which has been restored and is open) inSapulpa.[30]
The 1939 sandstoneRock Café[31] contains a large collection of both local memorabilia and souvenirs fromDisney/Pixar's research ofUS 66 in the area for theanimated film franchiseCars. Proprietor Dawn Welch is the model on which Sally Carrera, theRadiator Springs hotelier who fights to rebuild and restore the town, is based.
AMilk Bottle Grocery occupies a tiny corner ofOklahoma City, Oklahoma near theGold Dome, its small building overshadowed by a huge milk bottle constructed as an advertisement on the store's roof.[32]
A 66-foot-tall neon roadside sign in the shape of a soda pop bottle marksPops restaurant inArcadia. Pops is a modern attraction situated near theArcadiaround barn.[33]
TheChelsea Motel inChelsea[34] andWest Winds Motel inErick,[35] once lured many weary travellers from US 66 but lost their clientele when the road was bypassed. Both are still extant but have been converted to other uses; they are no longer open to the public.
Lucille Hamons operated theProvine Service Station nearHydro, Oklahoma from 1941 until her death in 2000, earning the title "Mother of the Mother Road" for her widely reputed generosity to travellers during hard economic times.[36] After thefreeway bypassed the site, theInterstate highway passed directly in front of old Route 66 and the Hamons' Court but was separated by a fence and provided no easy access to the site as the only off-ramps were in Hydro and Weatherford.
Other historic stations which remain on US 66 in Oklahoma includeAvant's Cities Service Station andJackson Conoco Service Station inEl Reno, Oklahoma,[37] aMarathon Station inMiami,[38] theSeaba Station inWarwick,[39] theThreatt Filling Station inLuther,[40] theVickery Phillips 66 Station inTulsa[41] and theY Service Station and Café inClinton.[42]
The National Route 66 Museum inElk City, Oklahoma, is operated by the Elk City Chamber of Commerce. It includes history and displays about all eight states through which Route 66 runs, fromIllinois toCalifornia.[43] TheRoute 66 museum is part of the larger Old Town Museum Complex which showcasespioneer life inwestern Oklahoma.
TheOklahoma Route 66 Museum inClinton was built on land donated by the lateWalter S. Mason Jr., a retired countryveterinarian who once served as president of theBest Western hotel chain. It is designed to display the iconic ideas, images, and myths of the Mother Road.[44]
Tulsa, Oklahoma, has The Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza, located next to the east entrance of the historic11th Street Bridge. The bridge was one of the large motivating factors in building the Route through Tulsa, avoiding having to build another bridge over the Arkansas.[45] The Plaza contains a giant sculpture weighing 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) and costing $1.178 million[46] called "East Meets West" of the Avery family riding west in aModel T Ford meeting an eastbound horse-drawn carriage.[47] In 2020, Avery Plaza Southwest opened at the west end of the bridge, which features a “neon park” with replicas of the neon signs from Tulsa-area Route 66 motels of the era, including the Tulsa Auto Court, the Oil Capital Motel, and the famous bucking-bronco sign of the Will Rogers Motor Court.[48][45] Other future plans for that area include a Route 66 Museum.[49] Tulsa has also installed "Route 66 Rising," a 70' by 30' sculpture on the road's former eastern approach to town at East Admiral Place and Mingo Road.[50] On Southwest Boulevard, between W. 23rd and W. 24th Streets there is a granite marker dedicated to Route 66 as the Will Rogers Highway which features an image of namesakeWill Rogers together with information on the route fromMichael Wallis, author of Route 66: The Mother Road;[51] and, at Howard Park just past W. 25th Street, three Indiana limestone pillars are dedicated to Route 66 through Tulsa, with Route 66 #1 devoted to Transportation, Route 66 #2 devoted to Tulsa Industry and Native American Heritage, and Route 66 #3 devoted to Art Deco Architecture and American Culture.[52] At 3770 Southwest Blvd. is theRoute 66 Historical Village, which includes a tourism information center modeled after a 1920s-1930s gas station, and other period-appropriate artifacts such as theFrisco 4500 steam locomotive with train cars.[53] Elsewhere, Tulsa has constructed twenty-nine historical markers scattered along the 26-mile route of the highway through Tulsa, containing tourist-oriented stories, historical photos, and a map showing the location of historical sites and the other markers.[54] The markers are mostly along the highway's post-1932 alignment down 11th Street, with some along the road's 1926 path down Admiral Place.[54]
Just west of Tulsa inSapulpa is the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum which opened in August 2016 in an Armory built in 1948. It features the world's tallest replica of an antique visible gas pump, being 66 feet in height.[55] The globe was placed on top and lights turned on July 20, 2017.
TheAfton Station Packard Museum inAfton is a former filling station restored as a privately owned museum, offering souvenirs and Route 66 information.
A Memorial Museum to Will Rogers is located inClaremore, Oklahoma, while his Birthplace Ranch is maintained inOologah, Oklahoma.[56]
 U.S. Route 66 | ||
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