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Elk City, Oklahoma is a town filled with history, from tales of the Old West, to Route 66, to the oil boom days of the early 1980s, it provides an abundance of opportunity in sites to see, and sets a shining example of western hospitality.
Up to this point there have been some fascinating towns with a lot of Route 66 history, like El Reno, Hydro that we hope you stopped at.
El Reno provides travelers with a peek at many old icons of the Mother Road as well as a In 1941, the Provine Service Station was sold to Carl and Lucille Hamons. The Hamons lived at the station in quarters located behind and above the business. However, just a few months later, World War II began causing fuel and tire rationing and resulting in lower-traffic on the highway.
Carl began hauling hay to the northern states to support the family and Lucille learned how to pump gas, change headlights, and fix flat tires. In addition to taking care of her three children, she also maintained the cabins, doing the wash in an old wringer washing machine.
Many of the businesses on old route 66 died, but Lucille, who had long tended to travellers of the Mother Road, hung on. She continued to serve mostly a local clientele and the station became known for vending very cold beer from its old cooler at a time when nearby Weatherford was officially a dry town. The last fuel was dispensed in 1986 and the station ultimately became a souvenir shop.
In the 1990s, when Route 66 began to see a revival, Lucille was made famous and dubbed “The Mother of the Mother Road”. In July 1997, Lucille’s station was placed on the National Historic Register and in 1999, Lucille received the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame Award.
The next few miles are the last stretch in Oklahoma, up next Texas – Yee-haw!!!
Once you leave Oklahoma, kick off your journey in Texas with a visit to the U-Drop Inn. Aside from its clever name, it boasts some retro neon nostalgia that will take you right back to the ’50s. This building originated as a hotel, but now it serves as the Chamber of Commerce.
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