Beckham County: Route 66, History and Nature
Accommodation in Beckham County
In Beckham County, Route 66 history, distinctive buildings, and varied landscapes come together. Families can choose from historic sites, museums, and nature experiences. When looking for a vacation rental, it helps to consider which part of the trip you want to focus on: Route 66 and its stories, or the landscapes of the Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area.
Route 66 and Historic Places
Historic Route 66 runs through the center of Sayre. In town, it originally turned west onto Main Street, continued south on 9th Street, crossed the Red River, and then headed toward Erick. This former alignment gives the road a specific place in the county’s history. In Sayre, the Downtown Historic District in the Original Townsite covers almost three city blocks, with most of the historic commercial buildings retaining their historic integrity. Thirty-six of the district’s 39 buildings were constructed between 1903 and 1952, the period of its historic significance.
The Beckham County Courthouse is also part of Sayre’s history: it was built in 1911 and appears in the 1940 film classic “The Grapes of Wrath.” Neoclassical and Renaissance Revival styles shape the building, which is crowned by a large dome. Visitors interested in architecture and film history can find a different way to experience the Route 66 region here than at its museums or roadside attractions.
Museums and Discoveries in Elk City and Erick
The Elk City Museum Complex comprises five museums on pioneer and Route 66 history. At the National Transportation Museum, exhibits take visitors through the eight states crossed by Route 66. The Farm and Ranch Museum features an extensive collection of tools from the early days of farming and ranching. The Blacksmith Museum demonstrates how blacksmiths made iron or steel objects by hammering, bending, and cutting them with tools. The Old Town Museum uses a Victorian-era house and exhibits to illustrate the lives of early settlers in western Oklahoma.
In Erick, the First National Bank Building is another piece of local history: this substantial, two-story brick building was one of the first completed in town. An official Gennett Survey benchmark from 1927 to 1929 is set into its eastern foundation wall. The building is also known as the 100th Meridian Museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Roger Miller Mural offers a different subject: it shows the singer-songwriter in five poses, with a Route 66 road sign behind him. In Elk City, the Casa Grande Hotel also opened along historic Route 66 in 1928 and was designed in the Spanish Eclectic style.
Weighing Landscape and Travel Interests
The Sandy Sanders WMA spans Beckham and Greer Counties. Its hilly to rugged terrain extends north from the Elm Fork of the Red River. Three creeks and several ponds attract wildlife including deer, bobcats, and golden eagles. Visitors looking to add scenery and wildlife viewing to their trip can also enjoy wildflower and bird watching, as well as hiking. The trails are noted as being open for use from April through August.
A 250-acre lake is located within a 750-acre park and is regularly stocked with fish. Another Route 66 stop is the One Room Jail in Texola: the late-19th-century brick building has one entrance and iron-barred windows, and its exhibits focus on notorious outlaws. In Elk City, the Whited Mill operated from 1903 to 1944 and was moved to Ackley Park in 1985.
You can choose your base according to whether you want to prioritize Sayre’s historic road alignment, the museums in Elk City and Erick, or wildlife viewing in the Sandy Sanders WMA. Sayre and Erick are two of the places to consider when exploring Beckham County: Elk City, Erick.
For the broader travel overview: Oklahoma.
More Destinations
More places within the same destination:
