U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, was one of the original highways in the U.S. Highway System. US 66 was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in the United States, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before terminating in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km). It was recognized in popular culture by both the 1946 hit song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" and the Route 66 television series, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964. In John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), the road "Highway 66" symbolized escape and loss.
Ottawa County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,285. Its county seat is Miami. The county was named for the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma. It is also the location of the federally recognized Modoc Nation and the Quapaw Nation, which is based in Quapaw.
Miami is a city in and county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom.
Narcissa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 100 at the 2000 census. Narcissa is part of the Joplin, Missouri metropolitan area.
Glenrio, formerly Rock Island, is an unincorporated community in both Deaf Smith County, Texas, and Quay County, New Mexico, United States. Located on the former U.S. Route 66, the ghost town sits on the Texas–New Mexico state line. It includes the Glenrio Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
The historic U.S. Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway after Oklahoma native Will Rogers, ran from west to northeast across the state of Oklahoma, along the path now taken by Interstate 40 (I-40) and State Highway 66 (SH-66). It passed through Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and many smaller communities. West of the Oklahoma City area, it has been largely replaced by I-40; the few independent portions that are still state-maintained are now I-40 Business. However, from Oklahoma City northeast to Kansas, the bypassing I-44 is mostly a toll road, and SH-66 remains as a free alternate.
Ambler's Texaco Gas Station, also known as Becker's Marathon Gas Station, is a historic filling station located at the intersection of Old U.S. Route 66 and Illinois Route 17 in the village of Dwight, Illinois, United States. The station has been identified as the longest operating gas station along Route 66; it dispensed fuel for 66 continuous years until 1999. The station is a good example of a domestic style gas station and derives its most common names from ownership stints by two different men. North of the station is an extant outbuilding that once operated as a commercial icehouse. Ambler's was the subject of major restoration work from 2005–2007, and reopened as a Route 66 visitor's center in May 2007. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
The Coleman Theatre is a historic performance venue and movie house located on historic U.S. Route 66 in Miami, Oklahoma. Built in 1929 for George Coleman, a local mining magnate, it has a distinctive Spanish Colonial Revival exterior, and an elaborate Louis XV interior. It was billed as the most elaborate theater between Dallas and Kansas City at the time of its opening, and played host to vaudeville acts, musical groups, and movies.
Avant's Cities Service Station is a historic service station located at 220 S. Choctaw in El Reno, Oklahoma. The Art Deco building was constructed in 1933 as a service station for Cities Service Company to fuel automobiles traveling on U.S. Route 66. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The Magnolia Service Station is a historic service station located on Old U.S. Route 66 in Texola, Oklahoma. The station, an affiliate of the Magnolia Petroleum Company, opened circa 1930. The station was one of the westernmost in Oklahoma and became one of the first stops for eastbound travelers to buy gas and auto services in the state. The main building of the service station is representative of the "house" style of filling station; such stations resembled small houses in order to fit into residential areas.
The Sayre Champlin Service Station is a historic service station located on old U.S. Route 66 in Sayre, Oklahoma. The station, an affiliate of the Champlin Refining Company, was built in 1934; it replaced an older station which predated Route 66. Its main building has a Streamline Moderne design which features oval pilasters and horizontal sections, plate glass and multi-light windows, and a contrasting color scheme. The station provided both gasoline and automobile services to Route 66 travelers; in addition, the large tanker trucks used to supply the station's gasoline contributed to the highway's traffic. After Interstate 40 bypassed Route 66 in 1958, business at the station declined, and it closed permanently in 1967.
The Jackson Conoco Service Station is a one-story brick structure located in El Reno, Oklahoma. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, it was constructed by the Continental Oil Company in 1934 as a service station to serve the increasing automobile traffic along Route 66. Conoco built and operated many such facilities in the 1930s, all identical except for the positioning of the service bay; one other example is listed on the NRHP in Oklahoma, the Spraker Service Station in Vinita.
The Bridgeport Hill Service Station is a group of three buildings on Bridgeport Hill near Geary, Oklahoma. Originally constructed as a service station on U.S. Route 66, it includes a well house, an auto garage, and the gas station itself. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as an example of a private business constructed to take advantage of the then-newly constructed US Highway 66.
Seaba's Filling Station, on historic Route 66 near Chandler, Oklahoma, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The Threatt Filling Station, at the southwestern corner of the former U.S. Route 66 and Pottawatomi Rd. about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Luther, Oklahoma, is a filling station built around 1915. The station closed in the 1970s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The Miami Marathon Oil Company Service Station, at 331 S. Main St. in Miami, Oklahoma, was built in 1929. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The Spraker Service Station, at 240 S. Wilson St. in Vinita, Oklahoma, United States, is a Tudor Revival-style Conoco filling station which was built in 1927. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The Sinclair Service Station in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 3501 E. 11th St., was built in 1929. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
