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 |  | Oklahoma Route 66 Fall 2012 Trip - Part 1 - Afton
< on 11/27/2012 8:58 PM >
|  | | | Although not specifically Urban Exploring, I thought you all might be interested in my journey that does involve lots of abandoned structures, roads, and bridges. I am a huge fan of Route 66 and love researching the dying road. The weekend before last, the family and I headed up to Oklahoma to take Route 66 from Afton, OK to Shamrock, TX. We had to cut our trip from 3 to 2 days so we weren't able to go all the way to Kansas to start out or make as many stops as we would have liked.
History
Before I begin my Oklahoma adventure, a little bit of history and back story are on the menu. Route 66 was the first number highway traversing multiple states that was paved from end to end. It was officially established on November 11, 1926 and it's 2,448 miles cut diagonally from Chicago, IL to Los Angles, CA, crossing the states of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona along the way. To expedite its completion, as many existing roads as possible were utilized. Many of those roads were left over wagon trails from the Gold Rush in the 1800's. A lot of Route 66 through Oklahoma uses an old trail called the Ozark Trail.
During its life, Route 66 was constantly evolving. As roadway engineering improved, so did the route and the roads that killed it. In 1953, the first major bypassing of US 66 occurred in Oklahoma with the opening of the Turner Turnpike between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The new 88-mile toll road paralleled US 66 for its entire length and bypassed each of the towns along 66. The Turner Turnpike was joined in 1957 by the new Will Rogers Turnpike, which connected Tulsa with the Oklahoma-Missouri border west of Joplin, Missouri, again paralleling US 66 and bypassing the towns in northeastern Oklahoma in addition to the entire state of Kansas. Both Oklahoma turnpikes were soon designated as Interstate 44, along with the US 66 bypass at Tulsa that connected the city with both turnpikes.
When the highway was decommissioned on June 27, 1985, sections of the road were disposed of in various ways. Within many cities, the route became a "business loop" for the interstate. Some sections became state roads, local roads, private drives, or were abandoned completely. Although it is no longer possible to drive Route 66 uninterrupted all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles, much of the original route and alternate alignments are still drivable with careful planning.
What would have been the demise of most routes just entered Route 66 into the next phase of her life. She had survived the depression, dust bowl, war and baby boomer years and would also survive being decommissioned. Due to the dedication of individuals, state associations and the National Historic Route 66 Federation, Route 66 remains an exciting and wonderful way to spend a few days or weeks of road trip adventure!
The Ribbon Road
Our first stop is a rare glimpse at the early stages of Route 66. Near Afton, OK is a small stretch of the original alignment of Route 66. This 9-foot wide section is often called the "Sidewalk Highway" or "Ribbon Road". Only two sections of this road exist in Oklahoma with the other being more North near Miami, OK. As mentioned earlier, this is an original alignment. It was only used from 1926-1933 when it was realigned a short distance away.
Here is a map showing the last/current alignment in Red and the 9 foot wide original alignment in Yellow:
One of many photos I took on this stretch of road:
Larger Image: http://lostroute66...7-2-2_filtered.jpg
One of many markers along Route 66:
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Afton
The first town on the road was Afton, OK. Originally a farming and railroad community, it had a period of growth when Route 66 came to town. Businesses which formerly served US 66 travelers in the town's heyday included the Palmer Hotel, Rogers’ Motel, Rest Haven Motel, Green Acres Motel and Avon Motor Court, Baker’s Cafe, Clint’s Cafe, Smith Store and Barrett’s Food Store, Mack’s Place and Fred’s 66 Bar. It was bypassed by I-44 in 1957. Since then it has all but disappeared However, during the late 90's/early 2000's it saw a rise is population due to the nearby towns of Picher, Cardin, and Treece being permanently evacuated under a mandatory order from the EPA and the Superfund (A short 66 side trip and a great read for those who don't know about it).
Larger Image: http://lostroute66...9-5-2_filtered.jpg
Larger Image: http://lostroute66...4-4-2_filtered.jpg
Mostly relics remain in Afton, but the 1937 D-X gas station has survived and has been restored. The Afton Station Packard Museum is housed in a former D-X filling station, built in 1937 and restored in 1999 to house Packard and U.S. Route 66 memorabilia. I didn't get a chance to look inside but hope to on my next 66 trip. More info on the Afton station here: http://postcardsfr...ad.net/afton.shtml
Afton DX station now:
Larger Image: http://lostroute66...2-3-2_filtered.jpg
Avon Motor Court
On the outskirts of Afton is the only Avon Motor Court. All that is left is a decaying sign and three of the seven units. I couldn't find much about it other than it was built in 1936 by John Foley. It's amenities promoted in prewar advertising included panel ray heat and a modern trailer park.
Larger Image: http://lostroute66...6-7-2_filtered.jpg
Sources: The Route 66 Encyclopedia by Jim Hinckley, http://www.route66.../study/history.php, http://en.wikipedi...wiki/U.S._Route_66, http://postcardsfr...ad.net/afton.shtml
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