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Route 66: Oklahoma

A round building with a rounded roof, surrounded by flowers. A sign reads "Arcadia Round Barn".
Arcadia Round Barn in Arcadia, OK

Photo courtesy of Rhys Martin

Miles: 400 (approx.)

Oklahoma is centrally located on Route 66, it is here where east meets west and the lush, green rolling hills and rivers give way to open plains. Oil pumps bow with hypnotic regularity, while cattle chutes and holding pens are next to the railroad tracks that serve them. It is also here that the arc of Route 66 flattens out to a straight east-west line.

Scenes of the Wild West and Will Rogers are frequently seen on signs, place mats, and postcards promoting the region. Such handmade wonders as the Blue Whale in Catoosa, and Galloway’s Totem Poles in Foyil represent automobile-scale folk art, reflecting the ingenuity and imagination of their makers. Oklahoma also boasts of being home to Cyrus Stevens Avery, a resident of Tulsa who is attributed to being the Father of Route 66.

Preservation

Since 1989, advocates within the Oklahoma Route 66 Association have been working statewide to promote economic development, preservation, and recognition of Route 66 in Oklahoma. In the late 1990s, it was designated a National Scenic Byway. Numerous Route 66 properties in Oklahoma are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has assisted more than 23 cost-share grant projects including the restoration of the Firestone Station in Bristow, the Rock Cafe in Stroud, the Meadow Gold sign in Tulsa, Vickery Phillips 66 Station in Tulsa, and others.

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Last updated: December 3, 2021