Route 66 roadside park coming behind welcome center in Baxter Springs

A Route 66 roadside park soon will be installed behind the Baxter Springs 66 Welcome Center in Baxter Springs, Kansas.

According to an op-ed by resident Duane Lyon in the Cherokee County News-Advocate:

This includes a mural wall, LongHorn Statue plaza, a green space, sitting areas at the sitting wall, focal point sitting area and picnic tables. It wouldn’t be a Roadside park without picnic tables! Bus parking, car & handicap parking will be designated.
On site they have a banner blueprint of the upcoming project. Look for the Original Founders Walk. […]
Built on land generously donated by Mr. Roger McCallister, the park creates a public space where people will enjoy spending time and have a chance to learn about the significance of our community. […]
The significance of Route 66 will be recognized with a large map where visitors can trace the path of the Route across the United States. Green space will beautify the area and provide a location where guests can relax and enjoy an afternoon.

The park will include a statue plaza to commemorate Baxter Springs’ importance as the first cowtown in Kansas, with a Texas longhorn statue.

The Baxter Springs Historical Society, in association with Team 6 LLC, is behind the project. Major sponsors are the Hartley family’s philanthropy fund, the estate of John L. Paul and the American Bank of Baxter Springs.

The Historical Society will host a naming contest for the park on behalf of the Hartley family, which will select from the three finalists. To submit a suggestion, send an e-mail with the subject line “Baxter Park Name Contest” to heritagectr@embarqmail.com.

The Phillips 66 station where the visitors center resides was built in 1930 by Independent Oil and Gas, which merged with Phillips Oil Co. later that year. The station was purchased by the Baxter Springs Historical Society in 2006 and restored in 2008 through a National Park Service grant.

(Image of the Baxter Springs 66 Welcome Center via Facebook)

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