Follow the Remnants of OK Route 66, North and East

Created by: Roger Hanes, 918-549-1599

We start our little journey at the Route 66 Historical Village, 3770 Southwest Boulevard in West Tulsa.

Drivers are invited to go as far, or as short a distance as they choose. For the truly hardy souls, the remains of Route 66 take us as far North as the Kansas border and Baxter Springs, KS. We leave the village and turn left onto an original 1926 segment of Route 66, heading into downtown Tulsa. Follow SW Blvd North across the new 11 th Street Bridge, noting that the original Route 66 Bridge is still standing, but is now not driveable. Originally conceived on November 11 th , 1926, Route 66 was one of the first national highways for motor vehicles in the United States and the one that became an icon in American culture. It originally ran from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, and it was only in 1938 that the road was completely paved. This drive shares the history of the Mother Road in Northeast Oklahoma. For those wanting to see the entire route of travel today, we will finish the drive at Baxter Springs, KS, just over the border, and about 125 miles one way. Everyone should at least make it to Chelsea, OK. The obvious Route 66 sites will be largely ignored today. It is recommended that drivers either bring a picnic lunch, or more likely, dine in one of the fifteen restaurants in Vinita, OK. Seems like a lot of restaurants for a town of only 5,200 people. After crossing the Arkansas, turn right onto West 12t Street before being led to West 11 th Street just West of Denver. It then becomes 10 th Street between Cheyenne and Boulder. This 1926-1932 section of Route 66 to Cheyenne Avenue was the original route. Follow 10 th to the round about at 10th, 11th and Elgin. Make sure you leave the circle on 11 th. Where we continue East through downtown Tulsa. While we will NOT follow the 1926 to 1932, route that snaked through 1

Tulsa North on Cheyenne to 7 th street, then East to Detroit, North then East on 2 nd Street to Lewis, then North to Admiral Place all the way to Mingo Road where it reconnected going South to 11 th Street again. This was just too confusing… and we are avoiding this mess altogether. So, instead, we will be following the 1932 - 1959 leg down East 11 th Street about seven miles to Mingo Road, where we cross back onto the original route, 1926-1959. The next six miles brings us to Catoosa, where things start to get interesting. Turn left (North) onto 193 rd E Avenue. It is a little tricky because of I-44 and the Hard Rock Cafe, but we are close to the original 1926 - 1932 original road way. Go straight under I-44 before exiting right onto Cherokee Street, heading Northeast. Follow Cherokee to East Rice Street, before it becomes East Apache or E 570 Road. At the traffic light, cross US Route 66 and swing left onto US Bicycle Route 66 for the years 1926 - 1963. The old storefront with all the old car bodies on the left used to be Arrowwood Trading Post Indian Store, and a souvenir shop. After maybe a mile, the Bicycle Route 66 merges with North 255 th East Avenue, (when the road forks, stay on the right branch), which leads us right back to US Route 66 going Northeast. Because of current construction we will not cross over US Route 66 here, we would be on another driveable section of Route 66, that leads to the old Molly’s Landing and a dead end on the newly dug, (1971), Verdigris River channel to Port of Catoosa.

The original Route 66 was taken over by the SE lanes of US Route 66, but since we don’t want to be driving headlong into traffic, we will get on the NW lanes instead.

1 Turn right and continue Northeast on US Route 66 until you arrive in Claremore. Well past Walmart on the right, you will approach a separation of Old Route 66, if you turn left at the QuikTrip, you are on the two lane Truck Route, JM Davis Blvd, a two lane road aligned with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks, home to the Mother Road from 1926 thru 1958. The little block and brick building at the corner of Will Rogers Blvd and JM Davis Blvd was for decades the Rogers County Highway Patrol Headquarters. If on the other hand, you choose to continue straight as opposed to turning off left, you are on the 1958 realignment after the widening of US Route 66 thru Claremore. Continue Northeast on US Route 66 until you pass Sequoyah and later, approach the little town of Foyil. Slow down, look, and turn right at the Foyle First Assembly of God Church onto US Bicycles Route 66. When the road forks, the left Lane is US Bicycles Route 66 and right lane is named after local running hero, Andy Payne, and then they merge again before we return to US Route 66 on the north side of Foyle. The realignment here gets fuzzy here, so either take East 4 th Street back to US Route 66. The realignment bypassing Foyle occurred in 1962. Continue Northwest to Chelsea. You will pass by Bushyhead, and probably not know it, but when you just get past Chelsea, and immediately after crossing Pryor Creek, just out of town, hook a right onto South 4260 Road. Take a minute and enjoy the Pryor Creek Iron Bridge, on Route 66, from 1926 to 1929. Go ahead and follow this little road back into Chelsea, and get back onto Route 66 going SW for less like half mile, and park out of the way in the Chelsea Pharmacy Parking Lot. Walk towards the traffic light. It is advertised as being the only known underground pedestrian crossing of the 'Mother Road'.

Go down into the recently restored passageway with a magic marker to sign the NE Wall and see the fresh murals. Leaving Chelsea, get back on Route 66 going East and Northeast to the town of White Oak. This part of the “Mother Road between Chelsea and White Oak was the route continuously from 1926 thru 1960.

Just past White Oak couple of miles, Route 66 takes an Easterly track, picks-up the moniker of US 60 and US 69 on its way to Vinita. Be careful here. As the highway narrows, just after passing the Praise Center on the left, leave US 60 and US 69 and get on East Euclid Ave, also known as East 0270 Road, where you pass by the Green Country Ford dealership. As you cross South 4400 Road, you leave East Euclid getting on South Wilson Street heading Northeast which leads you back to US 60 and US 69, also called Willis Avenue. Turn right on to Willis for about six blocks, where you turn right at McDonalds onto US Bicycle Route 66, also known as US Hwy 60 and US Hwy 69, and we pass under I-44. Just after you pass South 4420 Road, you will see the remains of the Little Cabin Creek Iron Bridge. Stay on the route another six or seven miles going East to the highway where it takes a ninety degree turn and heads North about four miles towards Afton, OK.

About a mile outside of Afton, you will for some reason encounter a granite Will Rogers Highway Marker. A Couple of miles past that, US Hwy 59 joins US Hwy 60 going North before encountering a double clover leaf which you continue through going North. In about six miles, you will encounter the remains of a town known as Narcissa. About a mile and a half past the Narcissa there is an Ottawa County water tower, and in a half mile, turn right onto East 140 Road, which is a Granite monument marking the start of Route 66 Ribbon

1Road/Sidewalk Highway. CAUTION: THE PAVEMENT IS ONLY 9 FEET WIDE, WITH GRAVEL SHOULDERS SO THAT FARM MACHINERY CAN TRAVERSE THIS IMPORTANT ROAD. This road was paved in 1922, well ahead of the Route 66 designation. This road goes East as 140 Road, then North as South 540 Road until you encounter UA Hwy 59. The “Ribbon Road” continues East as 130 Road until it gets lost again. This two mile section brings you back to US Hwy 59 and Bicycle Route 66, and US Hwy 69. At this point in your travel, you are about three miles West of Miami, OK. You will pass through Miami on US Hwy 69 going North past North Miami and GET OFF OF THE HIGHWAY ABOUT NEWMAN ROAD. This takes you into the town of Commerce on North Main Street, where you pass the boyhood home of Mickey Mantle about a block off Main on “C” Street. Back on Main Street, go North to Commerce Avenue and turn right to follow Route 66 thru town, not around it. At the intersection of Commerce Avenue and US Route 66, turn Left to arrive back on the Route 66 Hwy bypass. Tricky again, you will leave US Hwy 69 about a mile and a half past Commerce continuing East and take ALTERNATE US Route 69 and Route 66 East and then North through Quapaw. You are now about three miles South of the Kansas State Line,

and Baxter Springs, KS.

You didn’t come this far to stop

A driving trip that follows RT 66 starting in W. Tulsa and ending as far north as the Kansas border. This DRIVE includes rest stops, and lunch stops.

Drive for as much, or as little of the TOTAL route as you'd like

Follow the Remnants of OK Route 66, North and East

Roger Hanes, 918-549-1599

We start our little journey at the Route 66 Historical Village, 3770 Southwest Boulevard in West Tulsa.

Drivers are invited to go as far, or as short a distance as they choose. For the truly hardy souls, the remains of Route 66 take us as far North as the Kansas border and Baxter Springs, KS. We leave the village and turn left onto an original 1926 segment of Route 66, heading into downtown Tulsa. Follow SW Blvd North across the new 11 th Street Bridge, noting that the original Route 66 Bridge is still standing, but is now not driveable. Originally conceived on November 11 th , 1926, Route 66 was one of the first national highways for motor vehicles in the United States and the one that became an icon in American culture. It originally ran from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, and it was only in 1938 that the road was completely paved. This drive shares the history of the Mother Road in Northeast Oklahoma. For those wanting to see the entire route of travel today, we will finish the drive at Baxter Springs, KS, just over the border, and about 125 miles one way. Everyone should at least make it to Chelsea, OK. The obvious Route 66 sites will be largely ignored today. It is recommended that drivers either bring a picnic lunch, or more likely, dine in one of the fifteen restaurants in Vinita, OK. Seems like a lot of restaurants for a town of only 5,200 people. After crossing the Arkansas, turn right onto West 12t Street before being led to West 11 th Street just West of Denver. It then becomes 10 th Street between Cheyenne and Boulder. This 1926-1932 section of Route 66 to Cheyenne Avenue was the original route. Follow 10 th to the round about at 10th, 11th and Elgin. Make sure you leave the circle on 11 th. Where we continue East through downtown Tulsa. While we will NOT follow the 1926 to 1932, route that snaked through 1

Tulsa North on Cheyenne to 7 th street, then East to Detroit, North then East on 2 nd Street to Lewis, then North to Admiral Place all the way to Mingo Road where it reconnected going South to 11 th Street again. This was just too confusing… and we are avoiding this mess altogether. So, instead, we will be following the 1932 - 1959 leg down East 11 th Street about seven miles to Mingo Road, where we cross back onto the original route, 1926-1959. The next six miles brings us to Catoosa, where things start to get interesting. Turn left (North) onto 193 rd E Avenue. It is a little tricky because of I-44 and the Hard Rock Cafe, but we are close to the original 1926 - 1932 original road way. Go straight under I-44 before exiting right onto Cherokee Street, heading Northeast. Follow Cherokee to East Rice Street, before it becomes East Apache or E 570 Road. At the traffic light, cross US Route 66 and swing left onto US Bicycle Route 66 for the years 1926 - 1963. The old storefront with all the old car bodies on the left used to be Arrowwood Trading Post Indian Store, and a souvenir shop. After maybe a mile, the Bicycle Route 66 merges with North 255 th East Avenue, (when the road forks, stay on the right branch), which leads us right back to US Route 66 going Northeast. Because of current construction we will not cross over US Route 66 here, we would be on another driveable section of Route 66, that leads to the old Molly’s Landing and a dead end on the newly dug, (1971), Verdigris River channel to Port of Catoosa.

The original Route 66 was taken over by the SE lanes of US Route 66, but since we don’t want to be driving headlong into traffic, we will get on the NW lanes instead.

1 Turn right and continue Northeast on US Route 66 until you arrive in Claremore. Well past Walmart on the right, you will approach a separation of Old Route 66, if you turn left at the QuikTrip, you are on the two lane Truck Route, JM Davis Blvd, a two lane road aligned with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks, home to the Mother Road from 1926 thru 1958. The little block and brick building at the corner of Will Rogers Blvd and JM Davis Blvd was for decades the Rogers County Highway Patrol Headquarters. If on the other hand, you choose to continue straight as opposed to turning off left, you are on the 1958 realignment after the widening of US Route 66 thru Claremore. Continue Northeast on US Route 66 until you pass Sequoyah and later, approach the little town of Foyil. Slow down, look, and turn right at the Foyle First Assembly of God Church onto US Bicycles Route 66. When the road forks, the left Lane is US Bicycles Route 66 and right lane is named after local running hero, Andy Payne, and then they merge again before we return to US Route 66 on the north side of Foyle. The realignment here gets fuzzy here, so either take East 4 th Street back to US Route 66. The realignment bypassing Foyle occurred in 1962. Continue Northwest to Chelsea. You will pass by Bushyhead, and probably not know it, but when you just get past Chelsea, and immediately after crossing Pryor Creek, just out of town, hook a right onto South 4260 Road. Take a minute and enjoy the Pryor Creek Iron Bridge, on Route 66, from 1926 to 1929. Go ahead and follow this little road back into Chelsea, and get back onto Route 66 going SW for less like half mile, and park out of the way in the Chelsea Pharmacy Parking Lot. Walk towards the traffic light. It is advertised as being the only known underground pedestrian crossing of the 'Mother Road'.

Go down into the recently restored passageway with a magic marker to sign the NE Wall and see the fresh murals. Leaving Chelsea, get back on Route 66 going East and Northeast to the town of White Oak. This part of the “Mother Road between Chelsea and White Oak was the route continuously from 1926 thru 1960.

Just past White Oak couple of miles, Route 66 takes an Easterly track, picks-up the moniker of US 60 and US 69 on its way to Vinita. Be careful here. As the highway narrows, just after passing the Praise Center on the left, leave US 60 and US 69 and get on East Euclid Ave, also known as East 0270 Road, where you pass by the Green Country Ford dealership. As you cross South 4400 Road, you leave East Euclid getting on South Wilson Street heading Northeast which leads you back to US 60 and US 69, also called Willis Avenue. Turn right on to Willis for about six blocks, where you turn right at McDonalds onto US Bicycle Route 66, also known as US Hwy 60 and US Hwy 69, and we pass under I-44. Just after you pass South 4420 Road, you will see the remains of the Little Cabin Creek Iron Bridge. Stay on the route another six or seven miles going East to the highway where it takes a ninety degree turn and heads North about four miles towards Afton, OK.

About a mile outside of Afton, you will for some reason encounter a granite Will Rogers Highway Marker. A Couple of miles past that, US Hwy 59 joins US Hwy 60 going North before encountering a double clover leaf which you continue through going North. In about six miles, you will encounter the remains of a town known as Narcissa. About a mile and a half past the Narcissa there is an Ottawa County water tower, and in a half mile, turn right onto East 140 Road, which is a Granite monument marking the start of Route 66 Ribbon

1Road/Sidewalk Highway. CAUTION: THE PAVEMENT IS ONLY 9 FEET WIDE, WITH GRAVEL SHOULDERS SO THAT FARM MACHINERY CAN TRAVERSE THIS IMPORTANT ROAD. This road was paved in 1922, well ahead of the Route 66 designation. This road goes East as 140 Road, then North as South 540 Road until you encounter UA Hwy 59. The “Ribbon Road” continues East as 130 Road until it gets lost again. This two mile section brings you back to US Hwy 59 and Bicycle Route 66, and US Hwy 69. At this point in your travel, you are about three miles West of Miami, OK. You will pass through Miami on US Hwy 69 going North past North Miami and GET OFF OF THE HIGHWAY ABOUT NEWMAN ROAD. This takes you into the town of Commerce on North Main Street, where you pass the boyhood home of Mickey Mantle about a block off Main on “C” Street. Back on Main Street, go North to Commerce Avenue and turn right to follow Route 66 thru town, not around it. At the intersection of Commerce Avenue and US Route 66, turn Left to arrive back on the Route 66 Hwy bypass. Tricky again, you will leave US Hwy 69 about a mile and a half past Commerce continuing East and take ALTERNATE US Route 69 and Route 66 East and then North through Quapaw. You are now about three miles South of the Kansas State Line,

and Baxter Springs, KS.