A city of about 20,000 people today, Sapulpa started out as a railroad station in 1886, was chartered as a town in 1898, then had the good fortune of being just 6 miles away when the Glenn Pool oilfield was discovered, in 1905. Apart from the oil boom, Sapulpa is known for its glassware industry and for the manufacturing of brick and clay products. Frankoma Pottery was a longtime 66 attraction, established in Sapulpa in 1938 where it benefited from being located on the main highway that 66 served as for many years. The pottery factory closed down in 2011, another unfortunate break for those who delayed taking that 66 trip. George William Miller, the 65th Secretary of the Treasury, was born in Sapulpa, but you already knew that.
These images from the outskirts of Sapulpa conjure up what I originally expected to find all along modern day Route 66 - narrow country lanes, crumbling concrete and brick roadways, and long abandoned antiques like the Rock Creek Bridge and Tee Pee Drive-In. Of course, my original expectations came from all the 66 literature and photography that tends to focuses on such vintage stuff. And rightly so that it does. But we all know better now. Log Book: 744 miles motored on old 66.
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