Route 66 Across Oklahoma: Quapaw to Texola
About 376 miles of Route 66 from the Kansas line at Quapaw through Miami, Claremore, Tulsa, Chandler, Oklahoma City, Clinton, Elk City and Sayre to Texola.
The Route at a Glance
Route 66 entered Oklahoma from Kansas at Quapaw in 1926, pieced together from existing roads that zigzagged along section lines and railroad right-of-way. This drive follows it about 376 miles to Texola on the Texas line, eight and a half hours without stops. It picks up where the Kansas stretch ends past the Brush Creek Bridge.
In Miami the road runs past the door of the Coleman Theatre, opened in 1929, and in 1937 a stretch dedicated west of town made the highway paved across the state. It follows US-69 and US-60 to Vinita, then OK-66 through Chelsea and Foyil to Claremore and the Will Rogers Memorial Museum. In Tulsa it takes 11th Street and Southwest Boulevard, a mile from Greenwood Rising and the Creek Council Oak.
From Sapulpa, OK-66 is the old road through Bristow, Stroud, Chandler and Arcadia. The Turner Turnpike took its traffic in 1953 over the towns' objections, and a 1933 bypass left Wellston watching cars pass half a mile away. Oklahoma City's stretch crosses the north side on 23rd and 39th streets, a short drive from the National Memorial.
West of El Reno, past the turn for Fort Reno, a 1934 cutoff to Hydro left Calumet, Geary and Bridgeport behind. The drive follows I-40 with the business loops through Weatherford, Clinton and the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, Elk City and Sayre, where the road ran through the courthouse square in 1928. It ends at Texola. Beyond Amarillo, the New Mexico drive takes it on from Glenrio.
The Drive, Stop by Stop
9 stops along the route, in driving order from Quapaw, Oklahoma (Kansas line) to Texola, Oklahoma (Texas line).
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That's the drive. Take your time, pull over often, and let Route 66 Across Oklahoma: Quapaw to Texola do what it does best.
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