Page 70 Custer & Washita Counties

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1 Page 70 Custer & Washita Counties

2 Beckham County Page 71

3 Page 72 Custer & Washita Counties FOSS continued from page 69 different Route 66 pathways brought trade and traffic. The drought and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s prompted many residents to move away. The interstate bypass forced businesses to close and caused the population to decrease. Foss City Hall, open Wednesdays only. (580) Things to do and see Kobel s Place. Foss Lake/State Park, approx. 5 miles north of Foss on Highway 44. (580) Schoolhouse Hill: On the north side of town, the School Alumni Association has created a park and monument on the site of the old school. It is north on Hwy. 44. Watch for signs. In town: 1894 church, west of Highway 44; City Park, north side of post office on Highway 44; pioneer jail in city park on west side of Highway 44; a twisted chimney; small round brick building. CANUTE For such a small community, Canute has a lot to offer the Route 66 traveler: a 1930s WPA Park, a group of historical markers near a median turnoff, and a Catholic cemetery with a 1928 grotto and Calvary Hill. All these sites are on the east side of town, on the old strip of Highway 66. Canute also has a 1918 jail (1/2 block west of Main on Scheidel), the Holy Family Church, the circa 1910 Hattie Walters Home (Main and Scheidel), and the old Cotton Boll and Washita Motels. At the intersection of Main and 66, there are some nice old service station buildings. Just east of Canute on the north side of I-40 is Clinton Lake, which was built in the 1930s by transient workers and the CCC. Canute City Hall, 6th and 66: (580) Things to do and see * KOA Kampground, I-40 at Exit 50, between Canute and Foss. * Route 66 Association member. 4

4 Beckham County Page 73 DID YOU KNOW? The giant kachina doll in front of the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City is named Myrtle.

5 Page 74 Beckham County Signage General Information Business 40 will take you through the towns of Erick, Sayre, and Elk City. Bus. 40 is also what part of the open country between Sayre, Erick, and Texola is called. The rest of it may or may not have county numbers. Don t follow Business 40 blindly, however. It will dump into I-40, particularly at either end of Sayre and Elk City. Between Erick and Texola, Bus. 40 turns north off Route 66, so be sure to continue straight. Street names of Route 66 in towns (east to west) Elk City: North frontage road State Highway 34 Airport Blvd. Bus. 40/East 66 Bus. 40/Van Buren Bus. 40/Third Sayre: Bus. 40/Hwy 66 Bus. 40/Fourth Erick: Roger Miller Blvd. Texola: Fifth Street Road Facts Between Elk City and Sayre you have two jogs across I-40 with a pretty yellow through truss bridge in between them. There aren t many locations on Oklahoma Route 66 that still have these erector-set-type bridges with the overhead structure. In Beckham County, much of 66 was originally paved in asphalt over a concrete base. Toward the western end, however, Portland cement was used.

6 Beckham County Page 75 ROADSIDE HIGHLIGHTS See if you can find the following landmarks: Older strip of 66 between Texola and Erick. Site of the Reptile Village. Abandoned north lanes between Erick and Sayre. Timber Creek through truss bridge. Old Queenan Trading Post, 66 and State Highway 6. Look for the building with the bell. Sayre Brine Station/Oklahoma Salt Works. Hint: two miles west of the jog from Business 40 onto the old road south of Sayre, then four-tenths of a mile north. ELK CITY Elk City or is it Busch? Both names have been applied to the town, especially when some enterprising folks tried to lure a brewery here, but after years of bitter debate, the name Elk City finally won out. A large elk sculpture was dedicated in It stands on the corner of Third (66) and Washington. Like Clinton, Elk City has Route 66 roots. In 1931, the U.S. Highway 66 Association held its annual convention here. More than 30,000 people attended. The site of the convention was the Casa Grande Hotel. In its heyday, the hotel was advertised as the only fireproof hotel between Oklahoma City and Amarillo. It is an easy building to spot: Just look for the 179-foot-tall oil derrick in its parking lot. The Old Town Museum on the west side of town keeps growing and growing. The complex includes an authentic turn-of-the-century gingerbread style home, a pioneer church, a one-room school, a railroad depot, a blacksmith shop, a farm and ranch museum, a creamery, a filling station, a funeral home, a Native American tepee, and, of course, the National Route 66 Museum. Further west is the Queenan Trading Post. Its name on the brick see ELK CITY, page 76 DID YOU KNOW? Children can join the Oklahoma Route 66 Association at a special discounted rate of just $10 per year.

7 Page 76 Beckham County RogeR MilleR MuseuM King of the Road Elk City continued from page 75 is faded, and the store is no longer in business, but both of the famous oil drum kachinas that once graced the front have been restored and stand proudly in front of the National Route 66 Museum. Wanda Queenan herself can often be found at the Museum. Along the Van Buren leg is an old cottage-style gas station. During the oil boom of the early 80s, Elk City underwent a flurry of building activity. Many classic Route 66 sites were lost, but the Van Buren stretch was spared. Elk City, like many towns in central and western Oklahoma, also has an older alignment of the Route. This one will lead you down a brick street. For more information, please consult Oklahoma Route 66 by Jim Ross. * Elk City Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 972. (580) elkcitychamber@ itlnet.net or visit Elk City Convention and Visitors Bureau. (580) Things to do and see Elk City Park, West 3rd and Pioneer. A WPA park. * National Route 66 Museum/ Old Town Museum, 66 and Pioneer Road. Summer hours 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1 to 5 p.m. Sun. After Labor Day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. and 2 to 5 p.m. Sun. (580) Old cottage-style service station, west side of North Van Buren. * 66 Association member. DOXEY Doxey is a ghost town. A cemetery is all that remains of the community, which was named after local rancher Sam Doxey. Doxey residents worked to promote the Postal Highway. When the Postal was changed to U.S. 66 in 1926, local boosters were excited to be part of the new highway system. Their excitement was shortlived: A newer alignment bypassed Doxey to the north in I-40 Exit 7 Route 66 Erick, Oklahoma (Located at stop light) Hours: Wed. - Sat. 10:00 to 5:00 Sun. 1:00 to 5:00 (580) Roger Miller memorabilia, music, photographs, videos, instruments, clothing, and more. Browse our gift shop!

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9 Page 78 Beckham County SAYRE Sayre is the county seat of Beckham County, and its courthouse is quite impressive. If you have watched the movie The Grapes of Wrath recently, it may look familiar to you. It appeared in the montage of shots depicting the beginning of the Joad family s westward journey along Oklahoma Route 66. It is out of geographic context, however: It shows up before the family reaches the Pony Bridge near Bridgeport. Keep an eye out for the 66 building mural on the east side of town; Sayre Park s rock swimming pool; the WPA pedestrian tunnel; and the Art Deco Post Office with its 1930s mural of the Land Run. Sayre s downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places. * Sayre Chamber of Commerce, 117 N. Fourth. (580) * Sayre Main Street, 117 N. Fourth. (580) www. sayremainstreet.com. Things to do and see Beckham County Courthouse, E. Main. (580) RS & K Railroad Museum, 411 N. 6th. Open daily 9 to 9Groups welcome. Call first, or by appointment. Free. (580) Short Grass Country Museum and Historical Society, 106 E. Poplar. Located in Rock Island Depot. Open 2 to 4:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri. Free admission; donations welcome. (580) * Stardust Restaurant, 611 NE Hwy. 66. (580) * The Odd Shoppe, W. Main St. The Brick Coffee House/Treasures, 109 E. Main. (580) * Western Motel, 315 NE Hwy. 66. (580) Delhi From 1926 to 1928, Route 66 passed through the tiny community of Delhi, which is located southwest of Sayre, west of the municipal airport. The Delhi School Alumni Association and local citizens donated money for a monument to the town and school, showing its connection to 66. Erick As you drive the stretch of fourlane Mother Road between Sayre Photo by Emily Priddy Harley and Annabelle Russell, the Mediocre Music Makers, perform at the Sandhills Curiousity Shop for members of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association. and Erick, you will notice that it has been named the Roger Miller Memorial Highway, and 66 through town is called Roger Miller Boulevard. Miller cited his small-town upbringing in Erick as the inspiration for much of his music. At the stoplight, the cross street is named for Sheb Wooley, another native son, who played Pete Nolan on Rawhide and wrote the novelty song The Purple People Eater. * Erick Chamber of Commerce, 118 Roger Miller Blvd.: (580) oklahomawildlifetrails.com THINGS TO DO AND SEE * C&K Quick Stop, 306 Roger Miller Blvd. (580) * Oleta s Gift Shop, 801 S. Elm. (580) * Roger Miller Museum, SE corner of Roger Miller and Sheb Wooley. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; 1 to 5 p.m. Sun. (580) www. rogermillermuseum.com SandHills Curiousity Shop. Downtown on Sheb Wooley. (580) th Meridian Museum, Sheb Wooley and Roger Miller. Tours by appt. (580) West Winds Motel, 619 W. Roger Miller Blvd. Classic tourist court. On the National Register of Historic Places. Oklahoma Visitor s Information Photo by Emily Priddy Myrtle the oil-drum kachina doll stands sentinel outside the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City. and Welcome Center, on I-40 9 miles east of the Texas border. Open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Box 419, Erick, OK (580) TEXOLA Over the years, the 100th Meridian has been surveyed eight different times. As a result, some people in the Texola area have lived in both Texas and Oklahoma without ever having moved. One block north of 66, on the easternmost street in town just before the road becomes a divided four-lane, you will see the Old Territorial Jail. Rumor has it that crime in Texola diminished during the witner months due to the jail s inhospitable conditions. Near the Texas-Oklahoma border is a Will Rogers Highway marker. Texola has no city hall, but you can call Double D at (580) or contact the Erick Chamber of Commerce for more information.

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