RonnieAdventure #0503 - Oklahoma 2021 Part VI

Ronnie Driving a 1958 Corvette

Canute (population 541) was a popular stopping point on Route 66 because the town contained a number of tourist related businesses - service stations, motels, and restaurants. The Cotton Boll Motel was one of the most popular motels in the area. Even though it is now closed, the sign is still a favorite photo stop along Historic Route 66. 

Interstate 40 bypassed Canute in May 1970, causing the town's economy to start declining. However, it was the closing of nearby Clinton-Sherman Air force Base that caused most retail establishments to go out of business. When in operation, the air base was the site of the first crash site of a C-5 Galaxy aircraft.

Along Historic Route 66 as it passes through Canute there are now a number of buildings that have been abandoned or repurposed. Also, on the east side of town there is a nice veterans memorial. 

In 1899 Clinton (population 9,033) was a railroad junction on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma. At that time Indians were only allowed to sell one-half of their 160-acre land allotment, so a group of investors purchased 80 acres of land from each of four different Indians to obtain 320 acres around the railroad junction to form a town. The community of Washita Junction quickly developed; but the post office would not accept the town's name. After considerable debate, the town's name was changed to Clinton, in honor Judge Clinton F Irwin. 

After World War II Clinton was the largest city between Amarillo (Texas) and Oklahoma City (Oklahoma) and the economy relied heavily on tourist business. Pop Hick's Restaurant was a popular stopping point and considered to serve the best food along the entire length of the "Mother Road." Pop Hick's had the distinction of being the longest running restaurant along Historic Route 66 until it was destroyed in a fire several years ago. 

To promote tourism, Clinton's Chamber of Commerce started referring to Route 66 as the "Main Street of America." The slogan caught on quickly and it was used extensively into the 1990s by all businesses along Route 66. 

The first state-sponsored Route 66 museum is located in Clinton and it is now operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society. The Oklahoma museum is the largest state-sponsored Route 66 Museum between Chicago (Illinois) and Santa Monica (California). 

Located outside of the museum are a number of exhibits, which include flags from every state that Route 66 passes through, a period-era hamburger stand, Phillips 66 gas delivery truck, and other period-era related items. Within the museum are exhibits that were used by travelers and are supported by images and sounds that remind one of traveling down Historic Route 66. The museum is similar to the National Route 66 Museum complex in Elk City (Oklahoma), but on a smaller scale.

 

The Trade Winds Inn is directly across the street from the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum and is the motel that Elvis stayed at on several occasions. Guests can still rent one of the rooms that Elvis rented. 

Shown below is a picture of Room 215 (Elvis's favorite room) from the Roadside America website. Trade Winds Motel has kept the room decorated as it looked when Elvis stayed there. 

Unknown Photographer

Weatherford (population 10,833) is the location of Kodak's 50-year old manufacturing plant that now produces flexographic packaging plates. I did not know what "flexographic packaging plates" were, so I looked it up on Wikipedia,

Flexography is a form of printing process which utilizes a flexible relief plate. It is essentially a modern version of letterpress, evolved with high speed rotary functionality, which can be used for printing on almost any type of substrate, including plastic, metallic films, cellophane, and paper, It is widely used for printing on the non-porous substrates required for various types of food packaging..

On display at the Weatherford Wind Energy Center is an actual wind turbine blade. An informational sign stated that just outside of town there are 98 1.5-megawatt GE wind turbines. Each turbine is 262 feet tall, weighs 225 tons, and each blade is 122 fee long. The rotation speed is 18-22 revolutions per minute and the turbines can operate in winds up to 56 miles per hour. The 98 wind turbines (when they are all working) can produce enough electricity for more than 44, 000 homes. 

Lucille's Route 66 Gas Station in Hydro (population 969) is often featured in Route 66 tourist brochures. The two-story over-the-drive design building was constructed in 1929 and later a small motel was added for overnight stays. Lucille lived over the gas station and operated the business for 59 years.  

There is an Indian Trading Post at the southeast corner of junction Route 66 and I-40 Exit 108 that sells tourist trinkets, and other items. 

Located at the same junction, but on the northeast corner, is the Cherokee Trading post, restaurant, gas station, and KOA camp ground.