Route 66 Roadtrip: Day 2, Tulsa to Oklahoma City

We got on the road at about 1:00 PM and resumed our journey on Southwest Boulevard and began to retrace the original Route 66. The old route 66 is still there but in places it has been covered by the interstate or crosses the newer roads as it goes from town to town. If we were to drive on Interstate 44 it would take about 90 minutes to get from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. By following the old route it took us 4 hours. Of course that includes stops for pictures and an hour break for lunch but if we had not stopped it would still have been a 3 hour drive. I have to admit that in spite of having lived here my whole life, I saw some things for the first time today and we had a great time.

Now I have a minor dilemma. I took a lot of photos today and will be taking more every day for a week. Now I either dribble them out over a long time, or post more material than you may want to see at one time. Well, I guess it is now or never. Please be patient and I hope you enjoy coming along on our trip. If it is too much then I invite you to come back and digest it over time. Please enjoy.


As we pass through West Tulsa the dominant feature on the west side of the Arkansas River is the maze of oil refineries and storage tanks. Tulsa came into being as an oil town and still produces and refines a lot of petroleum products. Granted that this is not the most scenic part of town and occasionally gives off an odor resembling rotten eggs. Long term residents will just laugh and tell you that it's the smell of money.


As we pass through the area known as Red Fork most of the old motels and attractions have disappeared but Ollie's is still here, and still serves great diner food. We have been here before and enjoyed the model trains that move around on tracks suspended from the ceiling.


Just west of Tulsa is Sapulpa, a town of about 20,000. Known for its conservative politics, the Sapulpa Daily Herald gained national media attention in early November 2008 for not reporting the election of Barack Obama as President, instead only writing that John McCain had won Creek County. For many years Sapulpa has been known as the home of Frankoma Pottery.


We stopped at the Sapulpa Trolley and Rail Museum. It is closed on Sunday but we still took a few photos.


I remember that every train had a caboose. Now very few do.




We passed through Bristow and noted that it has a number of elegant Victorian homes. Some have been Restored like this one. It is the office of a Home Health organization.


Others are less fortunate and are looking for someone to love them.


This is Stroud, Oklahoma. The downtown area is very typical of small Oklahoma towns. The prosperity of the 1920s looks frozen in time. These towns derived income from traffic of route 66 passing through. Now they are just exits off of the interstate.


The Skyliner Motel with its elaborate neon sign is typical of busier times.


The stone Rock Cafe was opened in May of 1939 and was a landmark on old highway 66. It burned to the ground in May 2008. The proprietor Dawn Welch rebuilt the cafe with the help of her family and it was reopened in May of 2009.


We enjoyed a very nice lunch there this afternoon and enjoyed meeting Dawn and her daughter Elexa. They are typical of a lot of the good people who live in Oklahoma.


In Chandler is the massive 1937 stone armory built by the WPA during the depression. It is now the Route 66 Interpretive Center with videos and exhibits.


It was not open on Sunday but we may come back another time. The cut stone is native sandstone and is an amazing example of the stone cutter's art. Many towns have these stone armories still standing, although to my knowledge none this large. I want to see the inside.


In Arcadia, Oklahoma is this great Round Barn. Constructed in 1898, it originally served of course, as a home for livestock and also as a place where dances were held for the local townspeople. As traffic slowly declined down Old Route 66, the town of Arcadia declined with it and after suffering decades of neglect, in 1988 the barn's immense 60' diameter roof finally collapsed. A group of local retirees who called themselves the "Over the Hill Gang" raised the money and recruited volunteers who lovingly restored the barn. There is a museum on the bottom floor and the upper "loft" is available for events. They have a website at Arcadia Round Barn.

As the only truly "round" barn (most are actually hexagonal or octagonal), the Barn is 60' in diameter, 45' in height and is two stories high. The upstairs loft has a wooden floor and an architecturally impressive ceiling. The structure was designed with the notion that being round would help it withstand Oklahoma's tornadic conditions. Who knows if it is scientifically accurate, but the barn is still standing after more than 107 years.


Just down route 66 from the round barn is Pops, a service station and restaurant that sells over 400 flavors of soda. In front is a 66 foot (20.1 Meters) statue of a soda bottle that is illuminated at night.






We tried the Peach Soda (fair) and the Vanilla Cream (excellent). It would take some time to try them all.

Well, that is it for the first day. We are hoping for some sunshine tomorrow. It was cloudy and rainy today although we had a very enjoyable day in spite of that. Smokey says he had a good time too. To be continued tomorrow.

Route 66 Roadtrip: Tulsa to Santa Fe, Day 1 in Tulsa

For the next week Susan, Smokey and I will be taking a vacation from our usual routine and will retrace historic Route 66 from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Santa Fe, New Mexico. During this time I will not try to create separate posts for my Historic Oklahoma blog. This trip will be history enough for both. We are armed with several guide books and maps but a minimum of advanced planning. In short, we are winging it. Stay tuned and we will see how it goes.


US Route 66 was opened in 1926 and was one of the original national highways. It ran a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km) from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California. It is well known in popular culture as the Mother Road, and as the Main Street of America. It was the primary migration route for impoverished workers who went west during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, many from the state of Oklahoma.


During its prime the volume of traffic on Highway 66 generated revenue for many towns along its path. Beginning in 1957 a revised system of interstate highways began to replace the older roads, many of which had been pieced together from existing routes and tended to wander. They went through the center of towns along the way bringing revenue to the towns but causing the travel time to increase. The interstate highways tended to bypass the population centers saving time but drying up revenue. Route 66 was officially discontinued in 1985 although much of the original highway remains as state highways.

Many of the attractions along the way have become well known in popular culture. Today Smokey and I visited a few of Tulsa's route 66 icons.


The Blue Whale of Catoosa was built by Hugh Davis in the early 1970s as a surprise anniversary gift to his wife Zelta, who collected whale figurines. The Blue Whale and its pond became a favorite swimming hole for both locals and travelers along Route 66 alike.

Originally, the pond surrounding the massive Blue Whale was spring fed and intended only for family use. However, as many locals began to come to enjoy its cool waters, Davis brought in tons of sand, built picnic tables, hired life guards, and opened his masterpiece to the public.

By 1988, the Davises were not able to continue managing the attraction, so they closed it to the public. In 1990 Mr. Davis died. The park soon fell into disrepair, crumbling from neglect and weather. However, after a decade the people of Catoosa and employees of the Hampton Inn launched a fund-raising and volunteer effort to restore the Route 66 landmark. The Blue Whale was restored and repainted to its original brilliant blue. The adjacent picnic area has also been restored. It is no longer available for swimming but visitors are welcome to take pictures.

All along the highway were many restaurants and motels to provide food and lodging to weary travelers. Tally's is typical of these diners and still serves great food, just the way they used to.



Route 66 traverses Tulsa east to west for 24 miles, running along 11th Street until it crosses the Arkansas River and becomes Southwest Boulevard. in the 1930s a large neon sign was erected on top of a building at 11th and Lewis advertising Meadow Gold milk. It was a beacon that could be seen for miles from both directions, especially at night. Over the years it fell into disrepair and was dismantled some time in the 1970s. Fortunately the sections were preserved and recently it reappeared on a special structure at 11th and Quaker and is again an 11th street icon.

A Blaze of Color

We are enjoying a georgous Autumn. I know you are likely getting tired of all the foliage photos but it is like in the spring when everything is blooming. You have to enjoy it while its there.

Happy Halloween!

It's Autumn and the season for Black Cats and Pumpkins. Trick or Treat!

The Season Changes

The rain is back today and it has been cool and damp. But we are consoled by more and more colorful foliage. Tulsa has 4 seasons and we are enjoying a lovely Autumn. Our friend Renny likes to tell us about the seasons in Norway. They have a longer Winter and we have a longer Summer but we both enjoy the change in weather.

Wordless Wednesday

Are you ready for Halloween?

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Viet Houng - A Favorite Restaurant

There are several Vietnamese restaurants in Tulsa but our favorite is the Viet Houng on 21st Street just west of Memorial. It is a small family owned place with wonderful authentic food and reasonable prices. You will notice that the majority of the clientele is Asian. That speaks well of the place. Susan is enjoying a pork chop.


One of my favorites is this mixed stir fry over crispy fried noodles. It is all good.

Cherokee Removal to Indian Territory

A little history lesson today. The Trail of Tears

Between 1790 and 1830 the population of Georgia increased six-fold. The western push of the settlers created a problem. Georgians continued to take Native American lands and force them into the frontier. By 1825 the Lower Creek Tribe had been completely removed from the state under provisions of the Treaty of Indian Springs. By 1827 the Creek Nation was gone.
Cherokee had long called western Georgia home. The Cherokee Nation continued in their enchanted land until 1828. It was then that the rumored gold, for which De Soto had relentlessly searched, was discovered in the North Georgia mountains.

In his book I Don't Know Much About History, Kenneth C. Davis writes:

"Hollywood has left the impression that the great Indian wars came in the Old West during the late 1800's, a period that many think of simplistically as the "cowboy and Indian" days. But in fact that was a "mopping up" effort. By that time the Indians were nearly finished, their subjugation complete, their numbers decimated. The killing, enslavement, and land theft had begun with the arrival of the Europeans. But it may have reached its nadir when it became federal policy under President (Andrew) Jackson."

The Cherokees in 1828 were not nomadic savages. In fact, they had assimilated many European-style customs, including the wearing of gowns by Cherokee women. They built roads, schools and churches, had a system of representational government, and were farmers and cattle ranchers. A Cherokee alphabet, the Talking Leaves was perfected by Sequoyah.

In 1830 the Congress of the United States passed the "Indian Removal Act." Although many Americans were against the act, most notably Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett, it passed anyway. President Jackson quickly signed the bill into law. The Cherokees attempted to fight removal legally by challenging the removal laws in the Supreme Court and by establishing an independent Cherokee Nation.

Trail of Tears - by Robert Lindneux at Woolaroc

By 1835 the Cherokee were divided and despondent. Most supported Principal Chief John Ross, who fought the encroachment of whites starting with the 1832 land lottery. However, a minority(less than 500 out of 17,000 Cherokee in North Georgia) followed Major Ridge, his son John, and Elias Boudinot, who advocated removal. The Treaty of New Echota, signed by Ridge and members of the Treaty Party in 1835, gave Jackson the legal document he needed to remove the First Americans. Ratification of the treaty by the United States Senate sealed the fate of the Cherokee. Among the few who spoke out against the ratification were Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, but it passed by a single vote. In 1838 the United States began the removal to Oklahoma, fulfilling a promise the government made to Georgia in 1802. Ordered to move on the Cherokee, General John Wool resigned his command in protest, delaying the action. His replacement, General Winfield Scott, arrived at New Echota on May 17, 1838 with 7000 men. Early that summer General Scott and the United States Army began the invasion of the Cherokee Nation. (Map and text excerpted from Oklahoma Historical Society)

In one of the saddest episodes of our brief history, men, women, and children were taken from their land, herded into makeshift forts with minimal facilities and food, then forced to march a thousand miles Some made part of the trip by boat in equally horrible conditions. Under the generally indifferent army commanders, human losses for the first groups of Cherokee removed were extremely high. John Ross made an urgent appeal to Scott, requesting that the general let his people lead the tribe west. General Scott agreed. Ross organized the Cherokee into smaller groups and let them move separately through the wilderness so they could forage for food. Although the parties under Ross left in early fall and arrived in Oklahoma during the brutal winter of 1838-39, he significantly reduced the loss of life among his people. About 4000 Cherokee died as a result of the removal. The route they traversed and the journey itself became known as "The Trail of Tears" or, as a direct translation from Cherokee, "The Trail Where They Cried" ("Nunna daul Tsuny").

This brick capital was built in 1870.

Tahlequah was established as the Cherokee capital by the Cherokee people in 1839 at the close of the Trail of Tears. The county seat of Cherokee County in the eastern section of Oklahoma, Tahlequah is only forty miles from the Arkansas state line at the intersection of U.S. Highway 62 with State Highways 10, 51, and 82.

The town soon became a community that planned for the future through sound government, good schools, prosperous businesses, strong religious entities, and a desire to grow in Indian Territory.

The Cherokee were a vital, progressive people, and the town grew around the capital square, a government complex of log or frame buildings. During the hostilities of the Civil War, the differing Cherokee factions destroyed most of the capital complex.

After the war ended, a brick capitol was built and was first occupied in 1870. After 1907 statehood, this building was used as the Cherokee County Courthouse. It was returned to the Cherokee Nation in 1970. (Excerpts from About North Georgia, Photo is the authors)

We Take a Sunday Drive

After weeks of rain, on Sunday we enjoyed a crisp, clear, sunny day. After church we dropped by the house and picked up Smokey for a nice Sunday drive. We headed east on highway 51 to Tahlequah. About 80 miles south and east of Tulsa, Tahlequah became the capital of the Cherokee Nation in 1839 after the Trail of Tears, the forced migration of the Cherokee people from the state of Georgia. More about that in another post.


Just a few miles east of Tahlequah is the Illinois River. Just beyond that begin the foothills of the Ozark mountains. We drove to the river, than turned north and followed highway 10 along the river until we came to highway 412 which took us back to Tulsa. The leaves have just started to show their fall colors. It was a beautiful day for a drive and will be even more colorful in another week or two.


I love this country. I have been coming over here to hike, fish, camp, and canoe since I was a kid. East of here is Arkansas and the scenic Ozark Mountains.

Sunday Jigsaw Puzzle

Enjoy the puzzle.

Bryant School serves the Dawson area of Tulsa

Wright Elementary in Autumn Colors

The skies are partly cloudy but the colors shine through. This is a nice time of year here in Tulsa.

Tulsa Boy Scout Headquarters

The Offices of the Indian Nations Council of the Boy Scouts of America is located at 4295 S. Garnett Road. The new building was opened in January of 2004 and replaces an older building which was half the size. This houses a Scout Store, training facilities, and offices for paid staff.



Standing outside the entrance of the center is a casting of the 1937 life sized statue of an idealized boy scout. There are a number of these located in many different places. It has an interesting story.

The sculptor was Dr. R. Tait McKenzie. In 1914 at the request of Dr. Charles D. Hart, President of the then Philadelphia Council, Boy Scouts of America, McKenzie created a statuette of the “Ideal Boy Scout”. His model, selected in a competition of Scout parades, was 12 year old Asa Franklin Williamson Hooven. Ten bronze 18 inch-high statuette were cast and subscribed for at $100 each by the founders of Scouting.

Plaster, bronze and epoxy reproductions were also sold, beginning in 1916. Later smaller copies, suitable for desk ornaments, were made available and are now highly popular. In 1930 when then Philadelphia Council opened a new service center, it was hoped Dr. McKenzie would create a life size statue to stand before the new building. He obliged, not by reproducing the small figure but with a restudied one with many changes, including the new Scouting insignia.

Scout Douglas Shannon was the “Model in Chief” with Scout Joseph Straub in reserve, but several other Scouts also served as models for head, body, and various detailed studies. The statue was unveiled June 12, 1937, Dr. McKenzie making the presentation address. Today, many life-sized copies are exhibited throughout the United States and in other countries around the Scouting world.

(History of statue courtesy of the Northern Star Council of central Minnesota and western Wisconsin.)

My Chrysanthemums

The chrysanthemums along my front flower bed are putting on a nice show. The interesting thing about them is that they all come from a single pot of mums I bought at the Walmart about 5 years ago. I put them on the front porch over Halloween and Thanksgiving and they looked nice. When they were spent I pulled them out of the pot and tossed them onto the flower bed. The next spring they leafed out and looked healthy so I split the roots and spotted them along the bed. Now they have crowded out whatever else was there and are blooming up a storm. I never have to do anything to them. Such a deal!

Wordless Wednesday

Autumn comes to Tulsa

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Colorful Tulsa Trees

We can't compete with Canada or New England but we have a few nice trees.

Some Autumn Color

We have had nights down in the 40 degree range and days that stay in the 50s. That has been enough to push a few trees into their autumn color. We have had a lot of rain the last week and it was chilly and still misting rain today so the colors are muted. It was what I understand the Irish call a "soft" day. Nevertheless, here is a nice Sweetgum tree showing orange and yellow.


And here is a Red Oak still green with a frosting of deep red. It will be only a few weeks before they all put on their colors. When the sun comes out again I will take better pictures.

Michael Moschen performs THE TRIANGLE

I very seldom publish anything that is not my own but this is just too amazing not to share. Master juggler Michael Moschen performs his incredibly famous, jaw-dropping piece where three balls and a triangle become a musical and visual work of art.

Sunday Jigsaw Puzzle

Click to enjoy today's puzzle.

My Friend Smokey

Smokey really likes to ride in the car.

A Favorite Place

This piece of waterfront on Lake Fort Gibson is a favorite place for me. I was first here as a young boy by family members to swim and picnic. When my own kids were young we spent many a weekend here. I still come here from time to time to enjoy the memories that seem to fill the air.

Autumn Cannas

Red King Humbert...................Yellow King Humbert



Richard Wallace....................City of Portland

When the weather turns cooler the roses and cannas are refreshed for one last show before frost.
Click to enlarge

Happy Birthday to Me

18 years clean and sober. One day at a time.

Wordless Wednesday

O bury me not
on the lone prairie,
where the coyotes howl
and the wind blows free.

More Wordless Wednesday.

Harwelden Mansion

The Harwelden Mansion at 2210 S Main St, was built by Mary and Earl Harwell in 1926. It is now home to Tulsa's Arts and Humanities Council. This beautiful old home is used for receptions, weddings and numerous civic activities.

A Natural Garden

In the midst of a neighborhood of tidy flowerbeds and manicured lawns is this residence which is landscaped with a "natural garden". The garden is filled with perennial flowers and shrubs that are allowed to grow naturally and reseed themselves. The result is either charming or messy depending on your point of view. What do you think?

(More on this) Even a natural garden requires a little tiding up from time to time. This one has grown from charming to messy and beyond. No, it is not my house nor is it in my neighborhood. If it were, I am enough of an anarchist that I would not object.

A few years ago an elderly lady not far from me had a garden very much like this and a grouchy neighbor complained to the city. The lady was told to mow it all down or the city would mow it and send her the bill.

The Tulsa World got wind of this and ran an article with a photo of the garden. Petitions were signed and phone calls of support poured in to the city in defense of the lady. The city backed off and the natural garden remained.

In point of fact, unless a neighborhood compact forbids something the city only has jurisdiction only if it can be demonstrated to be a health hazard.

Sunday Jigsaw Puzzle

Colonial Building, Cherry Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Dogwoods are Turning Red

We have been having some cooler nights and mild weather. Probably the first thing to show Autumn color is the Sumac, and next is the dogwood. I love dogwood trees. They are beautiful in the spring when they are covered with graceful blossoms, and again in the fall when they turn red.


Besides the foliage they have red berries and gray buds. The berries are the fruit from the flowers we admired in the spring. The buds are formed over the summer and will be the flowers that open next spring. If you have forgotten how beautiful dogwoods are when they bloom, look HERE.

Willy Awarded Student of the Month

Our grandson Willy was awarded the student of the month for his fourth grade class at Wright Elementary in a monthly Honors Assembly. Way to be Willy! We are proud of you!

Up the Arkansas River

Many great cities have a river that runs through them; London, Paris, and of course Tulsa. Looking North across the Arkansas River at south Tulsa. The CityPlex Towers are on the left.