Historic Sites along Route 66

Historic Places

gigantic colorful totem pole — World's Largest Totem Pole, Foyil. Abe Ezekowitz

The Historic Sites on Route66

States are listed from East to West, starting in Illinois and ending in California.

The towns within each state are also listed from East to West.

What is the National Register of Historic Places?

Only remaining marsh arch bridge on Route 66

Historic Route 66 Rainbow Arch Bridge.
Riverton KSSource

It is "the" official list of America's historic places that have been considered notable and should be protected and preserved.

An act of Congress from 1966 authorized the National Park Service to manage a nationwide program that pools public and private resources to identify, record and evaluate worthy places and protect them. Tax cuts and benefits ensure private participation in this effort.

However, it doesn't protect the buildings from being torn down. Some have been lost to "progress" along Route 66.

What qualifies a building as historic?

To be listed in the National Register, the site must meet at least one of the following criteria:

(A) Event: it must contribute to local, state or national history.
(B) Person: a significant person of the American history was associated with the property.
(C) Construction and design: that give it some outstanding feature or even an artistic appearance.
(D) Information Potential: it has or can yield useful information on America's history or prehistory.

white building with 2 vintage gas pumps. With signs indicating it is Dotch Trading Post, American flag on mast to the left — Restored Painted Desert Trading Post in 2021. Holbrook AZ. Source

Illinois

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Illinois' Route 66 Historic Sites

Soulsby’s Service Station in Mt. Olive Route 66

Soulsby’s Service Station, Mt. Olive Credits

Historic Motels Hotels in IL

Historic The Eagle Hotel (Wilmington)
Historic Lazy A Motel (Springfield)
Belvidere Café, Motel, and Gas Station (Litchfield)

Historic Service Stations

Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station looks like a cabin

Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station in Dwight, Illinois. Credits

Historical Standard Oil Gas Station (Plainfield)
Historic Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station (Dwight)
Historic Standard Oil Gasoline Station (Odell)
Sprague’s Super Service (Normal)
Soulsby’s Shell Service Station (Mt. Olive)

blue gable roof over 2 bay and office of a white woodframe building, gabled canopy over gas pump: Historic Standard Oil Gasoline Station in Odell Route 66 — Historic Standard Oil Gasoline Station in Odell, Illinois. Source

Historic Diners, Cafes and Restaurants

The Neon Sign of Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket in Willowbrook Route 66

The Neon Sign of the Historic Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket, Willowbrook. Credits

Historic Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant (Chicago)
Historic Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket (Willowbrook)
Historic Streetcar Diner (Gardner)
Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop (Springfield)
Ariston Café (Litchfield)

black and white view brick facade and south side of Ariston Café 1930s, US66 in the foreground — Ariston Café 1930s photo, Litchfield, IL. Source

color view nowadays: brick facade and south side of Ariston Café and neon sign by US66 in the foreground — Ariston Café nowadays, Litchfield, IL. Click for st. view

Buildings, Theaters, Cemeteries and the Route 66 itself

slate hip roof, stone building in a park, lawn, trees

Two-cell Jail in Gardner. Source

Chicago Portage (Lyons)
Plainfield’s Downtown Historic District (Plainfield)
Historic Water Street Shopping District (Wilmington)
Historic two-cell Jail (Gardner)
Historic Frank L. Smith Bank (Dwight)
Historic Pioneer Gothic Church (Dwight)
Historic Railway Depot (Dwight)
Historic Windmill in Dwight (Dwight)

a Round Barn with a dome-shaped shingle roof with gabled windows in it

Historic Raymond Schulz Round Barn, Pontiac, Il. Source

Historic Illinois State Police District 6 Headquarters (Pontiac)
Historic Raymond Schulz Round Barn (Pontiac)
Cayuga to Chenoa Historic section of US 66 (Chenoa)
J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator (Atlanta)
Palms Grill Café (Atlanta)
Historic Route 66 by Carpenter Park (Sherman)
Historic Brick Road (Auburn)

Brick paved surface with yellow median line, corn field, house in the distance. Route 66, Illinois — Brick Paved Route 66 in Auburn. Credits

> Read more about Brick paved sections of Route 66.

enormous mound covered with grass among trees seen from the air, Route 66 next to it

Monks Mound by Route 66, Collinsville. Source

Route 66 Girard to Nilwood (Nilwood)
"Mother" Jones Monument and Union Miners Cemetery (Mt. Olive)
Monk’s Mounds (Collinsville)
Historical Chain of Rocks Bridge (Madison)
Historic Majestic Theater (East St. Louis)

US 66 vintage signs on Chain of Rocks bridge — Chain of Rocks Bridge and Route 66 Madison Il.

Missouri

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Misouri US 66 Historic Spots

1933 newspaper article with a photo of the hideout garage — Article in Joplin Globe (April 15, 1933): Bonnie and Clyde hideout in Joplin MO. Source

Dales Ole 66 Barber shop on US 66 in Joplin

Dale's Ole 66 Barber on Route 66, Joplin MO

Route 66 classic Spots

U.S. Route 66 in Missouri, is a State Historic Scenic Byway
Bonnie and Clyde Garage Apartment (Joplin)
U.S. Filling Station (Webb City)
66 drive-in theater (Carthage)
Wagon Wheel Motel, Cafe and Gas Station (Cuba)
Red Cedar Inn (Pacific)
Chain of Rocks Bridge (St. Louis)

Historic Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba Missouri

Wagon Wheel Motel, Cafe and Gas Station, Cuba, Missouri. Source

Historic Buildings and Districts

The Joplin Union Depot (Joplin)
Fox Theatre (Joplin)
Fifth and Main Historic District (Joplin)
Murphysburg Residential Historic District (Joplin)
Downtown Historic District (Webb City)
Middle West Hotel (Webb City)
Jasper County Courthouse (Carthage)
Woodruff Building (Springfield)

Drive In Theatre screen rear, with red letters

66 Drive-In Theatre, Route 66, Carthage, Missouri. Highsmith, Carol M.

Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque (Springfield)
Gillioz Theatre (Springfield)
Old Jail: Calaboose (Springfield)
Pythian Castle (Springfield)
Historic Rock Fountain Tourist Court (Springfield)
County Jail (Lebanon)
Site of Waynesville Fort (Waynesville)
Historic Stagecoach Stop (Waynesville)
Fort Leonard Wood (St. Robert)

Cuba Jail built in 1908, Source

George M. Reed Roadside Park (St. Robert)
Edwin Long Hotel (Rolla)
Dillon House (1857) (Rolla)
Historic County Jail (1860) (Rolla)
Hotel Cuba (Cuba)
Cuba City Jail (Calaboose) (Cuba)
Harney House (Sullivan)
International Shoe Company Building (St. Clair)
Sappington House (1808) (Crestwood)
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (Crestwood)
Chief Hotel (Wildwood)

log cabin with brick chimney, gable roof, and two cannons next to it — Ulysses Grant's log cabin "Hardscrabble" in Crestwood MO. Source. Click image for street view

>> Book your Hotel in Missouri

Kansas

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Historic Places on Route 66 in Kansas

us flag made with licence plates on a wall — US flag made from license plates on Route 66 (the Tag Flag), Galena Kansas. Source. Credits

Route 66 Historic District (Galena)

red gable roofed on a corner, Phillips 66 Service Station

1930 Phillips 66 Gas Station in Baxter Springs, Kansas. Source

The Williams' Store (Riverton). The oldest continuously operating store on Route 66: Open since 1925
Bush Creek Bridge, (Riverton)
Fort Blair site (Baxter Springs)
Independent Oil & Gas Service Station (Baxter Springs)

the historic store, green lawn, flag, shop, ice machine and old cart — Nelson's Old Riverton Store, Route 66, Kansas
Source.

Oklahoma

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

A list of Historic Sites in Oklahoma along Route 66

Below we list some of the main historic places located on Route 66 in Oklahoma from east to west.

Motels and Hotels

1950s fading flaking motel neon sign next to Route 66

Original 1950s Chelsea motel neon sign. Source. Click for St. view

classic 50s neon sign of Campbell Hotel in Tulsa

The 1927 former Casa Loma Linda, now Campbell Hotel, Tulsa. Source

ancient Coca Cola advert painted on the brick wall of the St. Cloud Hotel

Ghost sign, St. Cloud Hotel, Chandler click for St. view

Riviera Courts Motel (Miami)
Hotel Vinita (Vinita)
the Chelsea Motel (Chelsea)
Historic Will Rogers Hotel (Claremore)
Casa Loma Hotel (Tulsa)
Hotel Lincoln (Stroud)
St. Cloud Hotel (Chandler)
Hotel El Reno (El Reno)

two story building with veranda and flat roof

Historic Hotel El Reno. Click for St. view

Casa Grande Hotel (Elk City)
West Winds Motel (Erick)

Historic Theaters

Coleman Theatre (Miami)
Historic Circle Theater (Tulsa)

Color picture of the Coleman Theatre — Historic Coleman Theatre, Miami, Oklahoma, TheWhitePelican. Click image for St. View

neon sign that reads Rock Cafe — Rock Cafe Sign, Route 66 landmark, Stroud, Oklahoma. Source

General Stores, Trading Posts and Cafes

Mulvey Mercantile, Yukon, Oklahoma, Source. Click for St. view

Rock Café (Stroud)
Engel's Dry Goods Store (Luther)
Mulvey Mercantile (Yukon)
1903 Gillespie Building (Geary)

Route 66 Bridges

steel bridge on narrow road among trees — Pryor Creek Bridge, Chelsea, Oklahoma, Source. Click for St. view

Rock Creek Bridge in Sapulpa
Notice the red brick deck
Click image for St. view

Horse Creek Bridge (Afton)
Little Cabin Creek Bridge (Vinita)
Pryor Creek Bridge (Chelsea)
11th Street Arkansas River Bridge (Tulsa)
Bridge #18 at Rock Creek (Sapulpa)
Captain Creek Bridge (Wellston)
Lake Overholser Bridge (Oklahoma City)
Canadian River Bridge (Geary)

Historic Districts - Rte. 66 Okla.

Sayre Downtown Historic District (Sayre)

color, street leads to domed courthouse, single story buildings, line it, deserted sidewalks

Sayre OK courthouse nowadays.Click image for street view

still from The Grapes of Wrath shot in Sayre, the Joads truck and the Courthouse behind

The Joads ride away from Sayre's Courthouse in The Grapes of Wrath, 1940. Source

Commercial buildings

Historic Bristow Tire Shop gas station, Bristow Route 66. Click for St. view

Randall Tire Company (Vinita)
Beard Motor Company (Bristow)
Bristow Tire Shop (Bristow)
Bristow Motor Company Building (Bristow)
Crane Motor Co. (Chandler)
Historic Tuton's Drugstore (Arcadia)
Citizen's Bank (Edmond)
Hedlund Motor Company Building (Elk City)
First National Bank (Erick)

Round Barn made in wood, painted brown with a hemispherical shingle roof — Round Barn, Arcadia OK., Carol M. Highsmith. Click image for St. view

Miscellaneous historic places

close up view of the red bricks used as paving on Broadway St.

Brick Paving on Broadway, Davenport. Click for St. view

The World's Largest Totem Pole (Foyil)
Brick Paved Broadway Street (Davenport)
The Chandler Armory (Chandler)
Round Barn (Arcadia)
First School in Oklahoma (Edmond)

Czech Hall (the largest dance hall in the state) (Yukon)
Historic Public Water Trough (Geary)
Historic Weatherford Armory (Weatherford)
McLain Rogers Park (Clinton)
Rock Island Depot (Sayre)
Historic Park (Sayre)

Route 66 Service Stations

red brick gas station with pumps from the 1920s — Vintage Seaba's Filling Station on Route 66, Warwick, Oklahoma. Credits

Vickery Phillips 66 Service Station, Tulsa, Oklahoma Source

Marathon Oil Service Station (Miami)
McDougal Filling Station (Vinita)
Sinclair Service Station (Tulsa)
Phillips 66 Station (Tulsa)
Cities Service Station #8 (Tulsa)
Vickery Phillips 66 Station (Tulsa)
Bristow Firestone Service Station (Bristow)
Texaco Service Station (Bristow)

Phillips 66 Station (Chandler)
Historic Seaba's filling staton (Warwick)

Vintage Phillips 66 Gas Station and pick up, Chandler US66 — Vintage Phillips 66 Gas Station on Route 66, Chandler, Oklahoma. Source

current view old 1920s red gable roofed gas station

Historic Marathon Oil Service Station, Miami. Source
Click image for St. view

Threatt Filling Station (Luther)
Avant Service Station (El Reno)
Jackson Conoco Service Station (El Reno)
Bridgeport Hill Service Station (Geary)
Provine Service Station - Lucille's Place (Hydro)
Y Service Station (Clinton)
Canute Service Station (Canute)
Champin Service Station (Sayre)
Magnolia Service Station (Texola)

Two story gas station, hipped roof and vintage gas pumps — "Lucille's Place" also known as "Provine Station", Route 66, in Hydro OK. Source

Archaeological and Native American Sites

postcard showing the Claremore mound among flowers in a field

1930s postcard Claremore Mound

picture of the mound, trees, cows in a field

Claremore mound, an Osage Heritage Site, Source

Claremore Mound (Claremore) Historic OK Marker
Fort Reno (El Reno)

Homes and Houses

Hogue Home (Chelsea)
Belvidere Mansion (Claremore)

narrow strip 9 feet wide of paved 1920s Ribbon Road

The 9 foot wide 1920s Route 66 "Ribbon Road", Miami, Narcissa, Afton, Credits

Historic Segments of Route 66

Some segments of US 66 in Oklahoma are Listed in the National Register of Historic Places:
Ribbon Road - Nine-foot section (Miami to Afton)
Original roadbed of 1926 (Sapulpa)
Historic 1926 roadbed and Original Ozark Trail (Stroud)
Original 1928 Route 66 roadbed (Arcadia)
Bridgeport to Hydro (Bridgeport)

Texas

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

Historic Sites in Texas

Route 66 Conoco service station at Shamrock — Historic Place: Art-Deco Conoco service station and diner, Shamrock, Texas.
Clinton Steeds

brick walled cottage style Phillips 66 Service Station with gabled roof

Phillips 66 service station at McLean, TX Source

CONOCO Tower Station (Shamrock)
Route 66 Bridge over the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railroad (Shamrock)
Lela Elementary School (Lela)
McLean Commercial Historic District (McLean)
WWII POW camp (McLean)
The Oldest Cemetery in Texas (Alanreed)
First Baptist Church (Alanreed)
Jericho Cemetery (Jericho)

colorful Route 66 road shield with welcome sign

Welcome Sign. Amarillo 6th St. district. Click for street view

Historic segment of US Highway 66 (Conway)
U.S. Route 66-Sixth Street Historic District (Amarillo)
Amarillo Helium Plant (Soncy)
Ranchotel Motel (Amarillo)
Triangle Motel (Amarillo)
Glenrio Historic District, Glenrio, Texas & New Mexico (Glenrio)

1950 gas station, canopy, pumps, garage and office, on Route 66 — Texaco gas station, c.1950, Glenrio Texas. Credits

New Mexico

California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas ¦ Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

A list of New Mexico's US 66 Historic sites and places

Below we list the main historic places located along Route 66 in New Mexico. They are listed from east to west along the main alignment, followed by the "Santa Fe Loop" (1926-37 alignment).