Route 66 - Tulsa Highlights (Day 3 - Part 2 - Catoosa to Elk City)

Late last summer, Alan and I spent 22 nights on the road in a dedicated effort to travel Historic Route 66 from start to finish, Chicago to Santa Monica.  Eight states, three time zones and 2,448 miles.  The journey continues.

Oil was discovered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the turn of the century, and the city transitioned from a small frontier town to a boom town - even becoming known as “The Oil Capital of the World” at one point.  Thanks to the oil barons who made Tulsa their home, the city now boasts one of the largest collections of art deco structures in the United States, mainly in the downtown area.  Tulsa’s population was 1,390 in 1900 and 141,258 in 1930.  By 2020, Tulsa had grown to over 413,000 people.  And every one of them must have been on the road the afternoon we were there.

Alan and I had a pretty intriguing list of Route 66 attractions to locate in Tulsa, but we didn’t know the city at all.  I couldn’t figure out a way to optimize the efficiency of our stops in Google Maps, and our RV-specific GPS unit didn’t help either.  So, after arriving in mid-afternoon of Day 3, we spent a LOT of time driving around the city.  There was one stop – and I’m pretty sure it was Union Depot – that was really tricky to get to due to construction, and we ended up with only drive-by photos.

Despite the annoying amount of traffic we dealt with – there really is a street in Tulsa called “Heavy Traffic Way” – we were happy that we had exerted the extra effort required to find all of our scavenger hunt items.  A number of them were rather unique and quite memorable!

DAY 3 Scavenger Hunt Highlights:

And you thought I was kidding.

The iconic Meadow Gold neon sign

There's Buck Atom!

And Space Cowgirl Stella Atom!

Say, "Howdy!" to Cowboy Bob!

And, "Hello!" to Mack, the Friendly Lumberjack!

The Golden Driller at Expo Square

Vickery Phillips 66 Station

Union Depot Railway Station

Another view of Union Depot

Cain's Ballroom

"East Meets West" at Cyrus Avery Plaza

All that's left of the Will Rogers Motor Court

Circle Cinema

Isn't the Blue Dome Building adorable?!

I love these old neon signs!  ("Boozy Gifts?")

Arcadia's Round Barn

That's a BIG soda bottle!

Here we are - back at Pops!

SODASGUSTING!

Random Comments, Observations and Bits of Info

We hit a jackpot of really cool Route 66 attractions in the Meadow Gold area of Tulsa.  Meadow Gold Dairy is a farmer-owned brand of Dairy Farmers of America.  The cooperative mainly services the Mountain West, but it was founded in Topeka, Kansas, in 1901 and is 125 years strong.

Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios is home to the 20’ tall Muffler Man “Buck Atom” and his colorful companion, 19’ tall Stella Atom, Space Cowgirl.  How can you not have fun on a Route 66 adventure when you meet characters like this along the way?

In addition to Buck and Stella, Cowboy Bob and Mack, the Friendly Lumberjack, can also be found in the Meadow Gold area.  Bob resides at Buck’s Vintage; Mack can be found at the Route 66 Outpost.

The Golden Driller, located at the entrance to Expo Square, is a 76’ tall statue built in 1966 as a monument to honor petroleum industry workers.  The Driller is resting his arm on a real oil derrick, and rumor has it that he can withstand 200 mph tornado winds.  Not that I’d want to be around to find out.

The Vickery Phillips 66 Station was built in 1931.  By the early 1930’s, Phillips Petroleum Company had 6,750 cottage-style stations like this one in 12 states.  Unfortunately, only a few remain, and none of them are operational.  At least this one houses an auto-related business – it’s an Avis Car Rental location.

Tulsa’s Union Depot railway station was built in 1931 at a cost of $3.5 million dollars and is an impressive example of Art Deco architecture.  In its heyday, 36 trains passed through the station every day.  Sadly, its last passenger run was in 1967, and the station was abandoned.  Today, however, it’s back in use, serving as the home of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.

Cain’s Ballroom was built in 1924 and boasts a maple, spring-loaded dance floor designed in a concentric square (or log cabin) pattern.  From 1935 until 1942, it was known as “The Home of Bob Wills” and the Texas Playboys.  Wills and his band, as well as the venue itself, became known for helping to popularize the new genre of music known as western swing.  Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan and U2 are among the music artists who have played at Cain’s.  The venue is still booking live performances to this day, more than 100 years after its doors first opened.

The sculpture “East Meets West” by Robert Summers is located in Tulsa’s Cyrus Avery Plaza.  This large piece of artwork depicts Avery, known as the “Father of Route 66,” climbing out of his Model T to help a farmer carrying oil barrels in a horse-drawn carriage.  Avery strongly supported the construction of highway systems to promote regional development.  Eventually, he was appointed as Chairman of the State Highway Commission.  He was one member of a five-person committee appointed to create and develop a highway system in America.  Also located in Cyrus Avery Plaza are flags representing the eight states through which Route 66 passes, as well as several old neon signs from defunct businesses – including the sign for the Will Rogers Motor Court, which is believed to have been demolished in the 1990’s.

The Circle Cinema opened in 1928 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  Back in those days, a ticket was a dime, and a nickel would buy you some orange juice and a cup of peanuts.  The Circle is the oldest theater in Tulsa, and, yes, it’s still in operation.

The Blue Dome Building was built in 1924 as a Gulf Oil gas station.  It was open 24 hours a day, and the attendant lived upstairs.  This little building is so beloved, that the surrounding area became known as the Blue Dome District.  Very. Very. Cute.

The Blue Dome represented the last of the Tulsa attractions on our scavenger hunt, and we waved goodbye to the city and its traffic as we headed west.  We would spend the night in Elk City, Oklahoma but, before then, we had two more stop to make.

First, the Round Barn in Arcadia.  William Odor built this 60’ x 45’ barn in 1898 by soaking lumber, then carefully bending each piece in a rounded shape.  The barn hosted all sorts of community events, including dances.  When Route 66 came through Arcadia in 1926, the Round Barn became one of its most photographed attractions.

Finally, Pops.  Like the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Pops in Arcadia was an attraction we had visited before, but one we absolutely needed to include on our official Route 66 expedition.  Pops was built in 2007 and offers customers a variety of over 700 sodas to choose from.  The giant size soda pop bottle in front stands 66 feet tall in homage to the shop’s location on Historic Route 66.  At night, the bottle’s LED lights make it visible for miles.  It may not be traditional neon, but that bottle is definitely a Route 66 classic.

In an effort keep up with our self-imposed schedule, Alan and I missed a LOT between Arcadia and Elk City.  If you’re going to make a Route 66 pilgrimage, I’d recommend that you don’t skimp on the time.  We hit the hay in Elk City, Oklahoma, knowing that Day 4 would find us crossing the Texas Panhandle and ending up in Tucumcari, New Mexico, at one of the two historic motels on Route 66 that were on our “Must Do” list.  Stay with us!  We’re making slow, but steady progress.