Gribblenation

Just to the south of Interstate 40 between Elk City and Sayre, an old alignment of US 66 crosses Timber Creek.  Over the creek is a 99-foot-long Pratt through truss bridge built in 1926.  The bridge carried US 66 from its inception until the highway was twinned in the late 1950s.  When the new 66 was built, the Timber Creek bridge was bypassed by a new alignment just to its north.  The dual highway would eventually become Interstate 40. The bridge is easily seen from I-40.  It can be accessed via Exit 26. Josh loves Lauren. All photos taken by post author - April 2010. Site Navigation: East - Oklahoma Route 66 Museum - Clinton West - Conoco Tower Station & U-Drop Inn - Shamrock, TX Return to Gribblenation's Route 66 Homepage Sources & Links: Old US 66 Bridge over Timber Creek ---Oklahoma Bridges Timber Creek Bridge ---Route 66 Times Timber Creek Bridge ---Bridgehunter.com How To Get There:

One of Oklahoma's storied bridges - the Pony Truss Bridge over the South Canadain River is a US 66 landmark.  Officially known as the William H. Murray bridge, the over 3,900-foot-long bridge consists of 38 100-foot-long Warren Trusses. The distinctive pony trusses of the William H. Murray Bridge. Bridge construction started in 1932 and finished in 1933.  The following year, a re-aligned US 66 was routed over the span.  The new bridge and highway alignment allowed 66 to bypass the towns of Bridgeport, Geary, and Calumet.  Before 1934, US 66 crossed the South Canadian over the " Key Bridge," a suspension bridge that carried a toll until 1930 .   The 25-foot wide bridge carried US 66 until Interstate 40 opened to the south in the late-1950s.  Today, US 281 utilizes the Pony Bridge over the river.  In 2022, the bridge closed for a total rehabilitation project.  The bridge will be widened from 25 feet to accommodate modern traffic.  However,...

During my cross-country trip in November 2018, I spent some time following historic US Route 66, following portions of the Mother Road between Oklahoma City and Barstow, California. While I spent some time visiting some of the various sites on or around this iconic highway, I also decided that it would be appropriate to spend a little time learning about the history of Route 66 as well. So on a windy, chilly November afternoon in the prairies, I stopped at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma, on historic US 66, not far off of I-40. The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum is open year-round and showcases the Mother Road by bringing you the social history and an impressive amount of related artifacts of Route 66 through the decades from the early days of motoring to the modern day. You can learn what Route 66 in Oklahoma was like during periods of American history, such as the Dust Bowl era, World War II, and the 1950s. This will give you a feel of what it was like traveling Route...

One of the more notable attractions along historic US Route 66 are the service stations that dotted the landscape along the length of the route. It may be due to the allure of the old road, or the classic roadside architecture, nostalgia for days gone by, or even the cast of characters who worked at the old service stations. Just east of Weatherford, Oklahoma in the small town of Hydro is the Provine Service Station, more famously known as Lucille's Service Station. The Provine Service Station was built by Carl Ditmore in 1929 in a rural area about a 1/2 mile south of Hydro along historic US Route 66. Rural service stations like the Provine Service Station began springing up across the country in the late 1920s in response to increasing automobile travel. The building style of these rural stations was convenient for the traveler to get gasoline, pay the attendant, and go on their merry way.  Like other rural mom-and-pop owned and operated service stations of the time, this one...

IMG_5042 , a photo by Adam's Journey on Flickr. Over on my flickr site, I got an inquiry as to what the sign at the bottom of this assembly in Sayre, OK is for. I'm guessing it is for some type of Scenic Route but have had no success in finding anything at this time. If you know what the bottom sign is for, please leave a comment! UPDATE: The lower shield is for the Cheyenne Heritage Trail . (h/t: rte66man ) Thanks!

Steve Alpert, the webmaster of Alps' Roads and friend of the blog, has been blogging his own road trip vacation, which has taken him from San Diego to Texarkana, by way of old US Route 66. Feel free to check out his blog entries by following this link .

Just this evening, Bill Manning sent me over a photo of this classic overhead sign scene in Edmond, OK.  (You are able to click the photo to enlarge to a full size view) This button copy overhead complete with US 66 shield would have been located on US 66 W (East 2nd St) at I-35 Ext 141 in Edmond.  It was taken in August 1978. Thanks again for sending this shot along, Bill!

The second day of the trip took us from Lonoke, AR to Albuqueque, NM.  The route along Interstate 40 was overcast and rainy though the sun did poke out around Amarillo, TX.  We made a number of stops in Oklahoma and in Texas, though not as much as we would have liked to because of the rain and cloud cover. For the entire set on flickr (115 photos), head here : We did see the sun first thing in the morning at Lonoke, but as you can see from this photo heavy clouds loom towards the west. After a stop at a scenic view on I-40 West at Lake Dardanelle and one at the Oklahoma Welcome Center.  We approached Oklahoma City, where these interesting Interstate shields were found at the junction of I-35 and I-40. We took exit 136 to access Old US 66 in Yukon.  11th St through Yukon has been renamed for Garth Brooks . The first town we hit on old 66 is El Reno.  This handsomely done mural was recently created. I'm wondering if there was something else (pe...