Oklahoma Route 66 Museum – Clinton, Oklahoma

DATE VISITED:  04/30/2015

SITE:  Oklahoma Route 66 Museum

LOCATION:  2229 W. Gary Blvd, Clinton, Custer Co., Oklahoma

 “The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum opened on September 23, 1995. The museum is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society and focuses on the history of Route 66.

The redevelopment of the museum was funded with federal, state and private funds, with the citizens of Clinton, Oklahoma contributing over $200,000.00.

Will Rogers and Route 66 are symbols of American optimism. They have become internationally known, sharing Oklahoma with the world.

‘We are here just for a spell and then pass on…so get a few laughs and do the best you can. Live your life so that whenever you lose, you are ahead’…Will Rogers”

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS: 

I’m sure each state that Route 66 goes through (Illinois, Missouri Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona & California) has its own museum and originally Dana and I were supposed to visit the “national” one, but after reading some reviews on TripAdvisor, we changed our minds and went to Oklahoma’s instead.

I’m really glad we did. The museum is quite a bit larger than I expected and the layout is easy to deal with. How would you set up a museum to the most iconic road in America? Oklahoma did it by decades. You could see the development and use of the road through pictures, music and memorabilia as each decade passed by. There is as much or as little information as you could want and it would be a great place to bring kids as an introduction.

Route 66 is also known as the “Will Rogers Highway” but more affectionately as the “Main Street of America” and the “Mother Road”.

The U.S. Highway System established Route 66 on November 11, 1926 as one of the original highways. There was some arguing over the numbering with the originators wanting 60 but then decided 66 was a pleasant sound when saying the number. And even realized that in numerology 6 was a good sign.

The U.S. Route 66 Association, based in Oklahoma, was instrumental in ensuring the highway was the first U.S. Highway to be totally paved, having done so by 1938.

While the road had plenty of traffic the entire time it was an official highway, there were 3 periods that sealed it as America’s road…

It was the migration path for those going west during the Dust Bowl in the 1930's, especially with families from Oklahoma and Arkansas; 

It served as the main path of military equipment and personnel during WWII and saw lots of travel from people looking for jobs that supported the military in California; 

And finally, in the 1950's, for vacationing families.

But as American’s fell in love with the car, the demand for bigger, faster and better highways spelled the death of the Mother Road.

Oklahoma was the first state to build an interstate parallel to Route 66, bypassing all the towns…first going west from Tulsa to Oklahoma City and then going east from Tulsa to the Oklahoma/Missouri border. This route basically bypassed all of Kansas.

Other states followed and Route 66 was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System on June 27, 1985.

Parts passing through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona have been now designated as “Historic Route 66” and several states, including Oklahoma, have named former Route 66 sections to “State Route 66”

While you can no longer drive Route 66 uninterrupted, with some planning, you can drive a good portion of it and there is a revival of sorts.

Route 66 is known for all its eclectic motels, diners, gas stations, and just plain oddities. This is one road that is not slinking into obscurity and those tiny towns it passed through and the people who live in those towns are fighting to keep it alive.

The road was memorialized with the smooth voice of Nat KingCole in the 1946 hit song “Get Your Kicks On Route 66” and for the 1960’s TVshow, “Route 66”.

In 2008, Route 66 was placed on the “Worlds Monument” watch list.  This has allowed towns and individuals to apply for grants to rehabilitate those roadside buildings before they are destroyed, either by neglect or development. 75% of the sites listed on this watch list have been saved

One thing that can’t be disputed…Route 66 has had a huge impact on travel in the U.S.

FYI...Dana is too young to have actually been a hippie in the 60's...I love when I can pose her.