Route 66 in Oklahoma: Where the Mother Road Still Feels Alive

Some roads simply take you somewhere.

Route 66 tells you where you've been.

Across Oklahoma, the old highway passes through towns, farmland, city streets and stretches of open country where remnants of another era are still visible beside the road. Vintage signs, old filling stations, diners, motor courts and roadside attractions preserve pieces of a time when getting there was part of the adventure.

And Oklahoma occupies an especially important place in that story.

U.S. Highway 66 was established in 1926, connecting Chicago with the West. Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Averyplayed a major role in the creation and promotion of the highway, helping earn him the nickname “Father of Route 66.” The road went on to profoundly shape Oklahoma communities during the twentieth century.

The Road Through Oklahoma

Route 66 did more than carry travelers across the state.

It connected Oklahoma towns to one another and brought customers to businesses that sprang up to serve people on the move.

Gas stations appeared.

Cafés served hungry travelers.

Motels promised a night's rest.

Bright signs competed for the attention of motorists passing through town.

Over time, those businesses helped create the visual language we now associate with Route 66—neon, roadside architecture, hand-painted signs and unusual attractions designed to make travelers slow down.

The highway also carried people during much harder chapters of American history. During the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, Route 66 became one of the principal paths west for families seeking new opportunities. Later, postwar automobile travel transformed it again into a road associated with vacations and freedom.

The Towns Are Part of the Story

One of the best ways to experience Oklahoma's Route 66 today is not to hurry.

The old highway passes through communities including Miami, Claremore, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, El Reno and Clinton, along with many smaller towns.

Each contributes something different.

Historic buildings.

Old bridges.

Neon signs.

Restaurants.

Museums.

Roadside oddities.

And sometimes simply an old piece of pavement disappearing toward an Oklahoma horizon.

Near Arcadia, for example, portions of original Route 66 roadbed survive from the highway's earliest years.

That is part of Route 66's appeal: the history doesn't exist in one location.

The road itself is the museum.

Why Route 66 Still Matters

Route 66 was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985, but it never disappeared from America's imagination.

In Oklahoma, preservation efforts have helped keep much of its story visible.

The Oklahoma Historical Society operates the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton and maintains resources documenting historic Route 66 sites throughout the state.

Today people travel the road for many of the same reasons people once did.

To see what is around the next bend.

To find a place they have never visited.

To stop somewhere they hadn't planned to stop.

And perhaps to experience a little of the America that existed before every journey was measured by the fastest possible route.

Explore Oklahoma

When traveling Oklahoma Route 66, look beyond the famous attractions.

Watch for:

• Original highway alignments and bridges
• Vintage neon and hand-painted signs
• Former service stations and motor courts
• Historic downtown buildings
• Diners and cafés
• Small museums
• Old roadside architecture
• The communities that grew alongside the highway

Handmade Oklahoma Tip: Sometimes the most interesting Route 66 photograph isn't the famous attraction. It may be an old sign, abandoned filling station, faded wall advertisement or stretch of two-lane pavement.

Route 66 Oklahoma is part of Handmade Oklahoma's Visual History of Oklahoma—a continuing collection preserving the road, landmarks and communities that helped shape our state.