The Active Historian

Hey, friend! Welcome back to another post. Today, I want to show you around the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma. Let’s get started!

*The Route 66 Museum letters on the header photo for this post are neon lights! You can see really cool pictures on the internet if you search for this museum.

About the Museum

The Route 66 Museum in Clinton takes you along a journey down Route 66 in Oklahoma. The museum talks about the beginning of Route 66, its evolution, how interstates impacted it, and the preservation efforts being made today.

The transcription of the “Will Rogers Highway” marker reads:

“The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum opened on September 23, 1995. The museum is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society and focuses on the history of Route 66.

The redevelopment of the museum was funded with federal, state, and private funds with the citizens of Clinton, Oklahoma contributing over $200,000.

Will Rogers and Route 66 are symbols of American optimism. They have become internationally known, sharing Oklahoma with the world. ”

“We are here just for a spell and then pass on… so get a few laughs and do the best you can. Live your life so that whenever you lose, you are ahead.”

Will Rogers

I loved this photo station above, but didn’t have my tripod so I couldn’t hop in and use it… Take your tripod or go with a friend! 🙂

Photos Inside the Museum

You can see a selection of photos from inside the museum below!

The museum walls are lined with photos from across Oklahoma along Route 66. I loved seeing photos of several places I have already visited like the Arcadia Round Barn!

TRAVEL TIP: You’ll want to pack a pair of headphones for the interactive listening portion of the museum. This museum has QR codes you can scan which contain more information through narration and songs.

The cars in this museum are so cool!

I loved these mini-model cars on exhibition throughout the museum. The graphic design of the museum panels was so cool with the retro vibe – I loved it!

This room in the museum was probably my favorite! I loved the old school 1950s diner and neon lights!

Outside the Museum

There was also Route 66 memorabilia outside of the museum! The diner, truck, and various markers were super cool.

Route 66 Diner transcription from the photo above:

“The Valentine Manufacturing Company in Wichita, Kansas built Valentine Diners between 1938 and 1974. They were the only significant diner manufacturer outside the Northeast. The Valentine Diner was a small, box diner, which was radically different than any other manufacturers. The company produced the vast majority of factory-built diners west of the Mississippi. They had from five to ten stools around an L-shaped counter and often featured a take-out window. There were no tables and lots of time it was ‘standing room only.’

In order to pay the $5,000 that these diners sold for, the owners were to place 10% of their daily gross income in a lock box which was situated by the front door of the diner. Each month a man from the train would come by, open the box, and send the payment to the manufacturer. The trainman was the only person that had a key to that lock box.

This diner was opened for business on Route 66 in 1956 at Shamrock, TX by M.L. Porter and his wife, Alta, and was known as the Porter House Cafe. It was closed in 1964.”

Concluding Thoughts

I enjoyed visiting the Route 66 Museum in Clinton. The photos along Route 66 across Oklahoma were my favorite part of this museum. I hope you’ll stop in and visit next time you’re traveling through Western Oklahoma!

Happy Traveling! I’ll talk to ya soon 🙂

TRAVEL TIP: This museum is a stop on the Oklahoma Route 66 Passport and is an Oklahoma Historical Society site.

Visit

2229 West Gary Boulevard

Clinton, OK 73601

TRAVEL TIP: Make sure to check the Oklahoma Historical Society website for this museum’s hours. They change throughout the year.

Sources

Oklahoma Route 66 Museum – Oklahoma Historical Society website