The troubled Brookshire Motel in Tulsa was torn down Monday after four fires decimated what was left of the Route 66 property. A body was found in one of the fires in May, prompting local officials to abandon plans to save the motel. Route 66 advocates in the city were saddened by the teardown but … Continue reading Troubled Brookshire Motel in Tulsa is torn down
Category: History
Fifteen years
Today marks the 15th anniversary of the founding of Route 66 News.
Cash register from Threatt Filling Station to be part of Smithsonian exhibition
The original cash register used in the historic Threatt Filling Station on Route 66 near Luther, Oklahoma, is on display as part of the Smithsonian's "The Negro Motorist Green Book" exhibition at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. According to The Luther Register, the cash register is on loan during a three-year national tour … Continue reading Cash register from Threatt Filling Station to be part of Smithsonian exhibition
AAA Oklahoma to launch early celebration of Route 66’s centennial
AAA Oklahoma will get an early start on the 2026 centennial of Route 66 by launching the U.S. 66 Road Fest event from Tulsa to Oklahoma City next year. According to a news release from AAA, the festival starting in mid-June 2021 also will include all the communities along Route 66's 420 miles in the Sooner … Continue reading AAA Oklahoma to launch early celebration of Route 66’s centennial
Box Car BBQ building in Sapulpa may become a pot dispensary
The building that housed the now-closed Box Car BBQ restaurant in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, may soon become a medical marijuana dispensary. The Sapulpa Times reports an application for a special use permit has been filed with the city to convert the building at 918 W. Dewey Ave. (aka Route 66) into a dispensary. Sapulpa's planning commission … Continue reading Box Car BBQ building in Sapulpa may become a pot dispensary
Route 66 in Wheeler County, Texas, added to National Register of Historic Places
About 30 miles of Route 66 in Wheeler County, Texas, from the Oklahoma border to the Gray County line has been designated to the National Register of Historic Places. The listing was effective Sept. 22, according to an email from the National Park Service. The email states the historic designation covers the south outer road … Continue reading Route 66 in Wheeler County, Texas, added to National Register of Historic Places
Latest RoadTripOK video focuses on Oklahoma City
The latest RoadTripOK video this week features two museums and an annual memorial sporting event in Oklahoma City. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/l6C986buRS0 Here are the three places the video covers: Oklahoma City Memorial and MuseumOklahoma City Memorial MarathonOklahoma History Center Note: The annual marathon went virtual this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Oklahoma … Continue reading Latest RoadTripOK video focuses on Oklahoma City
Criollo cattle once grazed in California’s Mojave Desert
It's hard to believe now, but Criollo cattle that were brought with Christopher Columbus more than 500 years ago to North America once roamed the harsh Mojave Desert of Southern California. That nugget came from John R. Beyer, a columnist for the Victorville Daily Press, in a feature about the depleted Route 66 town of … Continue reading Criollo cattle once grazed in California’s Mojave Desert
‘Archaeological dig’ scheduled in Illinois barn to find Bob Waldmire artifacts
Longtime Route 66 enthusiast Jim Conkle is scheduling a so-called "archaeological dig" at a barn in Rochester, Illinois, to find artifacts that belonged to late Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire. The barn belongs to Buz Waldmire, Bob's brother. Bob also spent time there off and on during his lifetime, and he died there in 2009 … Continue reading ‘Archaeological dig’ scheduled in Illinois barn to find Bob Waldmire artifacts
Latest RoadTripOK video concentrates on sites in and near Claremore
The latest RoadTripOK video this week features a restaurant and museum in Claremore and a unique park in nearby rural Foyil. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/MgNAkg_WBkw Here are the three places the video covers: Will Rogers Memorial MuseumHammett House restaurantEd Galloway's Totem Pole Park Oklahoma Tourism and Broken Arrow-based Retrospec Films announced last fall they … Continue reading Latest RoadTripOK video concentrates on sites in and near Claremore