Day 22 - Elk City, OK to Weatherford OK 52 Miles

Day 22

6-23-10

Elk City to Weatherford 52miles

ELK CITY

On April 19, 1892, the first white settlers arrived in what was the Oklahoma Territory. Before that many ranchers had driven their cattle over the Great Western Cattle Drive from Texas to Dodge City, Kansas to the present town of Elk City, which as in the direct path of the trail.

Elk City was built along the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad, completed in 1898. There is some confusion about how Elk City got its name. Originally it was thought that Captain Randolph B. March named it in 1892 as during the expedition he saw many elk tracks near the stream they passed. However, the post office was first named Crowe and then Busch. Finally, on July 20, 1907 right before Statehood the Busch Post Office had its name officially changed to the Elk City Post Office.

In 1901 Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad opened up connecting Elk City to the outside world. By 1902 the town had more than 60 businesses and a population of 1,000, making the town the largest in Oklahoma. Even with two devastating fires where many businesses were lost the town still thrived, and grew into a major transportation and commercial hub

Today it boast a population of 10,000 with the principal trade for petroleum, agriculture, transportation and tourism with Route 66 museum as major attraction.

The heat is not giving in, so I am up by four forty five this morning. I packed last night so as not to lose any of my morning riding time after a fast breakfast and coffee. I say my good-byes to the day staff and request that they pass my farewell regards to the evening staff. As the door closes behind me I hear a last “Thank you and be safe” from the desk clerks.

The heat was already penetrating my riding gear and I had not left the car cover yet. I placed my mind in a cool place, put my helmet, gloves and sun glasses on and pushed myself onto the driveway leading me out to the highway. The Clarion is on my left and with one last wave I was wondering if they saw me through the front window as I disappeared onto I-40. The terrain does not change much at first with its fields of hay for the most part. I am glad I started early because what little cool air I had is being replaced with warm humidity. The road was good and traffic low on this Wednesday morning. I got to the top of my first roller, stopped and looked out into the distance ahead of me, reached down inside and set my demeanor for a good day of riding every one of those continual rollers just as the many who have done so before me. Oklahoma land is very red and the color is not just surface. It is deep and reminds me of our source of life, our blood. A land that once was devastated by the lack of water managed to sustain itself to be productive again in sustaining the life above it. Being so accustomed to the color of earth being brown corrects my belief that everything must be like California. The red earth as a background give everything above a rich color of life. I stopped to use the restroom facilities in Canute at a Domino convenient store. I entered the convince store, walked back to the rest room passing a group of old boys sitting around together having coffee and chatting away. They all stopped in unison and looked up at me as I disappeared into the men’s room. When I exited one of them asked, “ Where ya heddin?” I replied “Let me get cup of coffee and I’ll sit an tell ya.” I did exactly that -- returned, took my helmet off and proceeded to answer their questions. I gotta tell you these old boys were as big and tall as Clydesdales with the same kindness. They listened as I explained where I started from and where I will end up with a little of why. I shared with them the commonality of small communities where everyone knows each other and the younglings are called by their first names. They all concur with a pride of ownership and remarked, “Sounds like ya ben havin a good time.” One gentleman even said that If I had time and energy left I could come back and run one of his combines for him. I replied “The first fifteen minutes are yours, after that I’m on the payroll.” We laughed as I got ready to leave. It was a good cup of coffee and excellent company.

My next stop was in Clinton where I find an Adamo’s Italian restaurant to have a plate of delicious spaghetti with sausage for lunch. Across the street is the Route 66 Museum with vintage cars, gas pumps, juke box and coca cola ice box with many pictures on the walls of a time when the pace was slow, with rock-n-roll getting ready to fast roll into the future.

CLINTON

The community began in 1899 when two men, J.L. Avant and E.E. Blake, decided to locate a town in the Washita River Valley. The first businesses were the townsite office, a newspaper called the Custer County Chronicle and the First National Bank. When the post office was ready to open, the Postal Department would not accept the name of Washita Junction, so the town was named after Judge Clinton Irwin. Later the Frisco Railroad turned the town into a major shipping area. Route 66 also helped this town, and the opening of the famous Pop Hicks Restaurant drew many travelers in 1966. It was the oldest restaurant on Route 66 until it burned down in 1999. Like many other stops along Route 66 there were many gas stations, restaurants and motels. Even though I-40 passes the town to the south, Clinton remain a popular stop since it is one of the largest cities in Western Oklahoma.

At one time Clinton was the home of the National Highway 66 Association which was in operation for almost 30 years. Even though the association was disbanded in the 1980s the town still maintains an interest in the Mother Road and it became the home of the first state sponsored Route 66 Museums.

About twelve miles west of Weatherford I got another flat tire and, of course, it was the rear again. I thought maybe I did not check the inside of the tire good enough having left a sharp particle on the last flat as the probable reason for this flat. Instead, it was another strand of wire from tire debris I picked up while enjoying the sights and not paying attention to the road. Oh well, It got fixed and I finally arrived into Weatherford just about the time when the sun begins to intensify getting the best of those who make the mistake of staying out a little longer than needed. This was another one of those days where the land was the main focal point with eyes on the horizons that seem to go on forever.

WEATHERFORD

The night of April 18, 1892, there was a large group of people that assembled on the western border of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Country of the Oklahoma Territory. This was the evening of the third “land run” where settlers literally ran in the morning to stake out their property as their own. As a result, in a matter of three days Weatherford was born. This country was very different than the country that the settlers left behind, The Great Plains was known for its unpredictable weather, and the settlers had to learn to adapt to new ways of dry land farming. This has had a long lasting effect on a community where they have learned to understand that work is essential to survival, and that change is the only thing they can depend on.

Weatherford was another community that benefited from the Rock Island Railroad, and with the beginning of the automobile Route 66 brought many travelers. As with other communities, once I-40 was routed through businesses began to suffer and close as a result.

Take care and luv ya all