Before Route 66…
Before the country’s system of numbered highways was established in 1926, the Good Roads Movement had helped establish a number of named roads across the country. The Ozark Trail was one of those named roads.
The Ozark Trail (or “OT”) was only around from from 1915 to 1926 but in that short time it made quite a mark in communities between St. Louis, Missouri and Las Vegas, Nevada. Cyrus Avery, who later became known as the Father of Route 66, was one of the men that helped organize the OT path through Oklahoma.
All along the Ozark Trail you would find tall obelisks, which served as precursors to the mile-marker signs we are used to seeing today. Only two of these original obelisks stand today — one of those is along Historic Route 66 in Lincoln County.
Photo of lost obelisk in Miami, Oklahoma courtesy of Jim Ross
Before the obelisk was restored
Over the years, this marker near Stroud has been defaced. In 2019, a traveling Route 66 advocate generously took time out of their trip to repaint the obelisk its original bright white color. Since then, our Association has worked with the community of Stroud to keep this marker clean.
We are currently working through more ideas to help give this site more of an impact to travelers, such as an interpretive marker or zero-scape plants. If you would like to assist us, please reach out to the Association directly.
After the initial restoration in 2019