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Oklahoma Route 66

Central
OK Route 66

Oklahoma Route 66

		Sapulpa, Oklahoma Sapulpa was named in honor of Chief Sapulpa of the Kashita Tribe from Alabama. He settled the area in the 1850s and established a trading post about a mile south of present day downtown. The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad came to the area in 1886 and named the new line Sapulpa Station in honor of the chief. In 1905 the Glenpool oil field was discovered insuring Sapulpa's future. Route 66 passes through this beautifully preserved historic town. In the downtown district you can find a number of beautifully restored "ghost signs" ~ replicas of original wall signs painted on the sides of brick buildings.

Sapulpa is located a few miles west of Tulsa on Route 66. Sapulpa has some great old buildings that just beckon to the photographer. The town is proud of its Route 66 heritage too. I just couldn't resist snapping a picture of this old "ghost sign" advertising art on one of the vintage buildings.

Stroud's Rock Cafe		Stroud, Oklahoma Stroud has been a party destination even before Route 66 passed through. In the years before Oklahoma Statehood it boasted nine saloons and was a popular hangout for the cowboys passing through with their herds. In fact trader James Stroud who recognized the potential profit to be made by selling illicit whiskey smuggled to the Indians founded Stroud in 1892. This was a "hell-raising" town in its early years. Oklahoma Statehood brought all that to an end in 1907 when the town went "dry." After Statehood Stroud's economic base became agriculture and oil.

		The famous Rock Cafe has been serving Route 66 travelers since 1939. The rocks the building is made from came from the construction of Route 66. These rocks were unearthed with the paving of the old Mother Road.

Chandler, Oklahoma Chandler was founded in 1891 and has some picturesque old buildings in the downtown area. Well, the ones you see today are the survivors from a tornado that ripped through the town in 1897. This old pillared building is a rather unique structure (pictured below) that was built in 1926. It is still being used as a one-screen movie theater too.

		The Chandler area harks back to the days of the wild west. Cromwell, Oklahoma, a nearby town, was the scene of the last gunfight of the Wild West. Celebrated lawman Bill Tilgman lost his life in a gun battle with Wiley Lynn, a federal prohibition agent in 1924 and is buried in the Chandler cemetery. The Lincoln County Museum is a great stop off for some of the local history of the pioneers and Route 66.

Chandler is the home to a classic cottage style "B" type Phillips 66 station built in the late 1920s. This old filling station is being restored by Bill Fernau and has been featured in the Native America poster series for Oklahoma. This beautifully restored station provides a glimpse back to yesteryear.


Chandler, Oklahoma is a beautiful old town located on old Route 66. The morning drive was a delight. This old desert rat was very impressed with the green rolling hills and trees. I must admit I'm quite taken with Oklahoma - apart from the humidity and tornadoes that is.

Photographs Taken May, June 2003

Click on an area or city of Route 66 on the map below to take a cyber tour of that section of the Mother Road

	NAVIGATION NOTE: Buckle up and hold on to your mouse! These pages are arranged like the map above, from the western state border to the eastern state border. I have set up this site as if you were traveling from EAST to WEST, much like the Joad family in *The Grapes of Wrath*. You can click on the Route 66 shields to "travel" the Mother Road in either direction though. Or you can select any shield below to take you to that specific state.
To Warwick & Seaba Station		To Tulsa Town

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