The Route 66 Historical Village in West Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Main Street of America is a 2,448-mile long road going from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California; you probably know it as Route 66. This road goes straight through Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I live and has been elected to be the capital of Route 66. Here in Tulsa, you will find many of the historical landmarks such as the Blue Whale Swimming Hole, Vickery Phillips 66 Station, and the Circle Theater. You will also find a few new places sharing the history of this road.
Mapping on the Wall.
Tulsa has so many landmarks and activities for Route 66, we decided to do a little bit at a time and really get to know and enjoy the venue. On this day, we visited the Route 66 Historical Village located in West Tulsa along the old Route 66 highway. Built in 2010, it shows off the different modes of transportation during the heyday of this amazing road. Here you will find the Meteor 4500 steam engine that was once located at Mohawk Park from 1954-1991, the business lounge car that traveled between Tulsa and Sapulpa, an oil tanker and the caboose. You will also find a display of an antique pump-jack that was used to get crude oil from a well just under the tallest oil derrick in North America.
The actual engine that traveled between St. Louis and Oklahoma, passing through Tulsa.
We decided to visit the open air museum in West Tulsa, the Route 66 Historical Village. This was opened in 2010 and has so many wonderful bits of history. Here you will find the Frisco 4500 engine that traveled through Tulsa between St. Louis and Oklahoma City from 1942 until 1947. In 1954 the Engine was moved to the Mohawk Park and Tulsa Zoo where it stayed until 1991 when it was moved to another location to be renovated and finally found it's home in 2009 at this location. Not only was the engine placed here, but there is a business lounge car, oil tanker, and caboose (former boxcar). All of these were operated in Oklahoma.
The Meteor 4500 next to the tallest oil rig in North America.
Here you can see the early 1900's style pump.
Tulsa Skyline seen in the near distance.
Tulsa is known as the Oil Capital of the World and it is here at the location of the Route 66 Historical Village where oil was supposed to have been first oil strike on June 25, 1901. The derrick and pump are not the original, but they are built exactly as they were. The derrick is the tallest in North America is 194 feet tall and can be seen from the highway below with the Tulsa skyline in the background.
The visitor center and restrooms in the style of the old Phillip 66 gas stations.
Because the new highways have bypassed the towns where old Route 66 passed through, many of the old gas stations are falling apart or have completely disappeared, the museum creators decided to build their visitor center and bathrooms in the style these buildings were built in. They had a buy-a-brick fundraiser to help with the cost of the buildings and upkeep of the museum which was used to pave in front of the building. Here you will find plenty of information about Route 66.
Scott and I taking a selfie in front of a Route 66 memorial area.
We had a wonderful day visiting the Mother Road through Tulsa. It was a way to view history that was not boring or outdated. I can't wait to see what else Tulsa will do with the Route 66 Vision 2025. With Tulsa being elected the Route 66 Capitol, I am sure there will be some amazing things created.
Thank you so much for traveling with us.
Scott & Ren
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