Oklahoma

Hugh Davis built the Blue Whale of Catoosa, a waterfront structure, in the early 1970s as an anniversary gift to his wife, Zelta, a collector of whale figurines. Since then, the whale has become one of the most recognizable attractions along Route 66. The pond surrounding the whale was initially fed by a spring and intended only for family use. However, it was later a popular swimming spot for locals and passersby, though today, swimming is prohibited. The Davis family closed the landmark to the public in 1988, but it has since been restored and re-opened.

Boston Avenue United Methodist Church is a historically significant church in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. Established in 1893, our congregation comprises more than 7,500 members from various backgrounds. The church building was built in 1929 and is recognized as one of the most exceptional examples of Art Deco architecture for ecclesiastical purposes in the United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark.

Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios is a souvenir shop celebrating Route 66. Visitors often visit the shop, housed in a renovated 1950s PEMCO gas station, for a chance to see Buck Atom, a 21-foot-tall space cowboy-themed “muffler man.” Buck Atom debuted in Tulsa in 2019.

Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza is named in honor of the “Father of Route 66.” Avery, a Pennsylvania native, created the route while serving on a federal board tasked with creating the Federal Highway System. He pushed for establishing the U.S. Highway 66 Association to pave and promote the highway. n late 2012, artist Robert Summers unveiled a sculpture titled “East Meets West.” The detailed 135 percent-scale bronze depicts Avery stopping his Ford on the 11th Street Bridge as the vehicle startled a pair of horses pulling a wagon loaded with oil barrels.

Highland Cemetery was established in 1908 and is the final resting place of many early Okemah, Oklahoma, leaders. It also contains the family burial plot of the family of legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie. Although he is not buried here, a cenotaph is located in Highland Cemetery in his honor. Guthrie’s mother, Nora Belle Sherman Guthrie, and father, Charley Guthrie, are buried here, as is his sister, Clara Edna Guthrie, brother, Lee Roy Guthrie, and one of his sons, Bill Roger Guthrie.

Route 66 Historical Village is an open-air museum highlighting Tulsa’s oil, refining and transportation history. The Visitor’s Center replicates a 1920s Phillips 66 gas station, and the museum is also home to the tallest oil derrick in North America, a Pullman passenger car commissioned in 1929 and Frisco 4500, a 4-8-4 steam engine that pulled the the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway’s Meteor passenger train. In 1901, oil was discovered on former Creek land, which led to Tulsa becoming known as the “Oil Capital of the World,” and the derrick sits on the southeast corner of the Sue Bland No. 1 oil lease. The Route 66 Village was created as part of a partnership called Vision 2025, which, in part, aims to rebuild the Historic Route 66 Highway, through Tulsa County.

The Woody Guthrie Center, opened in 2013, is dedicated to spreading Woody Guthrie’s message of diversity, equality and justice to a new generation who can create their own ripples of change. The center honors Guthrie’s life and legacy by educating visitors, teachers, students and scholars about his relevance today and his important role in American history through on-site programming, classroom materials, youth music programs, artist-in-residence programs, school outreach, internships, fellowship opportunities and the Woody Guthrie Archives.