The long-dark Western Trail Motel neon sign was recently restored and will be put on display at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
The Billboard Museum reports the sign is on loan from the Oklahoma Historical Society and eventually will become part of a neon park at a yet-to-be-announced location.
The sign will be part of the museum’s “Route 66: From Trails to Truck Stops” exhibit from Feb. 6 to May 4.
Here’s a look at the refurbished sign:
GS Signs Services did the restoration. Jim Gleason, owner of the company, is vice president of the Billboard Museum. The neon tubing was fabricated by master neon bender Katherine Reynolds.
The Western Trail Motel was once located six blocks north of the Oklahoma Capitol at 3122 N. Lincoln Blvd. (aka Route 66) in Oklahoma City.
After the motel closed, the sign was moved to John Dunning’s Western Trail Trading Post, which operated from 2001 to 2014 at 9100 N. Western Ave. in Oklahoma City, a Route 66 alignment.
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a popular destination for Route 66 travelers, especially foreigners traveling in the West for the first time.
The museum also sits near two alignments of Route 66.
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