The RedFork Main Street program in west Tulsa will change its name to Route 66 Main Street as a subtle way to expand its boundaries, reported the Tulsa World.
A bit of detail from the article:
Beginning Jan. 1, RedFork Main Street will call itself Route 66 Main Street, a nod to the nearly four-mile stretch of the famous road it straddles between the Arkansas River and 33rd West Avenue.
“The first thing it does is it stops the question of ‘Where’s Red Fork?'” said Gail Rose, a Realtor who sits on the program’s board of directors. “We can simply say, ‘Just west of the river on Route 66,’ and everybody knows where we are.” […]
“The Red Fork thing had become confusing over time, particularly as we got so active outside the old Red Fork area,” Percefull said.
The impetus for the change is that part of west Tulsa has seen a lot of recent activity well beyond Red Fork’s traditional epicenter of West 41st Street and Southwest Boulevard (aka Route 66). So local organizers saw wisdom in making the name more inclusive of West 23rd Street and the portion of Southwest Boulevard closer to the Arkansas River.
As a longtime west-side resident, I understand the logic of the move. I always liked the name of Red Fork, but the area includes only a small part of west Tulsa. And except for residents, the Red Fork name has become lost in the sands of time since the town was annexed into the city of Tulsa more than 80 years ago.
However, I think changing the name simply to “Route 66” is too inclusive. Tulsa County contains more than 17 miles of Route 66, and the southwest part includes maybe one-third of that. Plus, Route 66 is more than 2,200 miles long. A name such as “Route 66 Main Street” could be anywhere in those eight states the route crosses.
I think a name like “West Tulsa” or “Southwest Tulsa” would have been a lot more precise.
(Image of the historic downtown Red Fork neighborhood of Tulsa, at West 41st Street and Southwest Boulevard)
Ron, I totally agree with you about this new name being the wrong name. I have been a volunteer at Red Fork Main Street events since becoming aware of its existence four years ago. Here’s a copy of the letter I wrote to Gary Percefull, the president of Red Fork Main Street expressing my specific concerns, which, I believe, echo yours :
Dear Gary, .
I would like it on record that I think this name change is not a good idea. I expressed my concern about this change to Dianne Bileck, in June.
Route 66, the Main Street of America is used in signage, advertisements, books, t-shirts, and souvenirs of all kinds all along the 2,400 plus miles of Route 66. The name Red Fork Main Street defines exactly where this project is. Route 66 Main Street could be in any of the eight states where the highway runs. Changing the Red Fork Main Street to Route 66 Main Street seems a bad idea. It muddles the identity of an area already in danger of disappearing forever into the broader Tulsa community while confusing it with Route 66 Main Streets all along the Route that have nothing to do with this revitalization project. A very bad idea.
I am copying this note to Route 66 authority and founder of the Route 66 Alliance, Michael Wallis. I am interested to know what he thinks of this.
Susan Yates,
I should have included the fact that Gary Percefull, President of Red Fork Main Street, did reply to my letter: He was his usual courteous self but made it clear that the decision was final As you’ll see in his note below, he did not address the matter of confusing these few miles of Route 66 that run through Tulsa west of the Arkansas River with the entire rest of the Route. Appreciate your comments … and your service to our community as a volunteer. The decision has been made but we are identifying “districts” that will celebrate places or zones along SW Blvd. One will be designated RedFork so it is not entirely disappearing. GP