OKLAHOMA (Route 66 Mother Road s Glory Days)

Transcription

1 OKLAHOMA (Route 66 Mother Road s Glory Days) Little Rock to Fort Smith 159 mi. / 2 hr. 30 min. / I-40 Fort Smith to Oklahoma City miles / 2 hr. 53 min. / I-40 Oklahoma City to Erick (last city before New Mexico border), OK 145 miles / 2 hrs. 13 min. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum 620 N. Harvey Avenue, Oklahoma City (Allow at least one and a half hours to visit the memorial grounds; additional for museum. Memorial Grounds open 24 hr.; Museum 9-6 Mon.-Sat. / 1-6 on Sunday - FREE) The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured more than 650. Includes Field of Empty Chairs, monumental bronze clad Gates of Time, reflecting pool, promontory, Survivor Tree, Rescuers Orchard. 24,000 square-foot Museum tell story of bombing. Milk Bottle Building ( ) 2426 N. Classen Boulevard, (Just N or 23 rd ) Oklahoma City (Asian District) (2 miles / 5 min. from Memorial) Famous Route 66 icon sits atop small triangular building. Originally site of small grocery. The building on the National Register of Historic Places. Now a French- Vietnamese bakery serving hearty sandwiches. Jack s Barbeque at (4418 NW 39 th Expwy) has a good neon sign; while Ann s Chicken Fry House at (4106 NW 39 th Expwy since 1971) serves up retro décor along with meals.

2 Yukon, Oklahoma (Town is trail-happy honoring the old cattle drive days) Chisholm Trail Watering Hole and Historic Marker 2200 S. Holly, Yukon, OK Wall Mural at 4 th and Main (Oklahoma City to Yukon - 15 miles / 18 min. - Via I-40 W) Livestock were moved by cattle drive in 1800 s. Take a gander at an old water hole on famous Chisholm Trail. El Reno, Oklahoma El Reno Hotel Wade Street & Choctaw Avenue, El Reno (Yukon to El Reno 14 miles / 21 min. OK-66 W) Constructed 1892, two story hotel remains oldest commercial building in El Reno. On the National Register of Historic Places. A rare example of wood-frame commercial building dating to opening of Cheyenne & Arapaho lands. Robert s Grill 300 S. Bickford Avenue, El Reno (El Reno to Robert s Grill.12 miles / 23 seconds) Specializing in original fried onion burgers & coneys the sort of food that makes travel along old Rt. 66 so much fun for Roadfooders. Robert s dates to 1926 and a 14-stool counter. Fort Reno 7107 W. Cheyenne St., El Reno (El Reno to Fort Reno 7 miles / 13 min. I-40 BR W) Established 1874 to provide security in Cheyenne and Arapaho lands, home to buffalo soldiers, 9 th & 10 th Cavalries. Also served as German prisoner of war camp in World War II. Fort has been restored and more than 25 structures on National Register of Historic Places. One of the BEST drives on all of 66 is the 1930 s concrete west to HYDRO. The pristine curbed concrete heads arrow-straight for much of the way, interrupted by charming curves (and ugly SPUR 281) as it crosses field and woods, and bridges deep gullies on long concrete-post spans. Watch for scattered roadside remnants. The long Pony Bridge (1933) uses 38 pony small trusses to cross the South Canadian River

3 Geary, Oklahoma Pony Bridge U.S. 281, Geary (El Reno to Geary, OK 25 mi. / 27 min. I-40 W) Built in 1933, bridge contains 38 pony trusses & is the longest truss bridge in Oklahoma. Classic film scene where grandfather dies & is buried in 1939 classic film, The Grapes of Wrath was shot at west end of bridge. Hydro, OK (Just N of Route 66 and worth a detour for downtown for Route 66 Soda Fountain) Lucille s Service Station One mile south of Hydro (Geary to Hydro, OK 23 mi. / 26 min. I-40 W) Classic historic gas station built in On National Register of Historic Places. Weatherford, OK Lucille s Roadhouse Lounge (May be closed now.) 1301 N. Airport Road, Weatherford, OK (Hydro to Weatherford, OK 9 mi. / 10 min. I-40 W) 50 s-style diner features wide-range of diner food & is part of next generation of Rt. 66 road culture. (West of town and north of EXIT 71 is the Cherokee Training Post (their billboards promise Buffalo Burgers.)

4 Clinton, OK Oklahoma Route 66 Museum (Must Visit) 2229 W. Gary Blvd., Clinton, OK (Weatherford to Clinton, OK 17 mi. / 16 min. I-40 W) Oklahoma s official Rt. 66 Museum focuses on transportation and Oklahoma s portion of Route 66. Six decades of Route 66 history. See vehicles & hear music while experiencing history and culture of each decade. Drive-in theater replica, curio gift shop featuring signs, books, videos, clothing, toys, games & other mementos. A restored Route 66 Diner sits on the grounds. Across from the museum is the Trade Winds Motel (Elvis stayed here). Mohawk Lodge American Indian Store (First Trading Post in OK, est. 1892) Route 66 N. Clinton, OK (Museum to Store 4 mi. / 7 min. I-40 BL E) Established in 1892 during American Indian Territory era, first and oldest American Indian trading post in Oklahoma. Indian artifacts blankets, moccasins, beads, hides, etc. Original antique photos of Cheyenne. Elk City, OK (Photo Op: Take your picture with a statue of an Elk at Washington Ave. and 3 rd ) National Route 66 Museum (Must see) W. Hwy. 66, Elk City (Clinton to Elk City, OK 28 mi. / 30 min. I-40W) Journey through all eight Rt. 66 states at museum featuring numerous artifacts and antique cars, rare historical documents and collections, realistic murals and exhibits, vintage autos and antiques. Gift store stocked with intriguing memorabilia. Old Town Museum (Must see) 2717 W. Third, Elk City, OK (Route 66 Museum to Old Town Museum 3 mi. / 5 min.) National Route 66 Museum part of this complex. Includes, chapel, doctor s office, rock school house, grist mill, two sections of buildings featuring early day businesses, depot with miniature train, replica of Elk City in the 50 s, life-sized buffalo and longhorn handcrafted in iron. Carousel.

5 Sayre, OK Owl Drug Fourth and Main State s largest antique soda fountain Cheyenne, OK (Side trip) Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Two miles west of Cheyenne (Elk City to Cheyenne, OK - 29 mi. / 44 min. US-283 This national historic site marks the site of Lt. Col. George A. Custer s Nov. 27, 1868, early morning attack on the Southern Cheyenne village of Peace Chief Black Kettle. The battle remains controversial because many people viewed Custer s attack as a massacre. This site is a unit of the National Park Service. Texola, OK (Ghost Town many inhabited buildings) (Elk City to Texola, OK - 82 mi. / 1 hr. 15 min. I-40W) There is a tiny jail (one cell) just a block or so off of Route 66. This is the last town before TEXAS. On the east side is the old Territorial Jail. West of town are the Will Rogers Marker and Welcome to TX or OK signs (Photo Op). Original Route 66 Roadbeds and Bridges El Reno. The business route of Interstate 40 through town is an original section of Route 66. Clinton. Old 66 sections are found on Opal and 10 th Streets, as well as on Neptune Drive heading south out of town. Sayre. A stretch of early four-lane 66 can still be driven from here to the state line at Texola. Texola, OK to Amarillo, TX miles / 1 hr. 43 min. / I-40W