Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, recently acquired a 1964 home movie that shows Buffalo Ranch near Afton, Oklahoma, during its Route 66 heyday and digitized it.
Martin said in follow-up comments on Facebook he acquired the nearly 60-year-old 8mm home movie after it appeared for sale on eBay.
“… I appealed to the seller to let me buy it at a reasonable price, which was accepted!” Martin wrote. “No information is known about the family, unfortunately. I am donating the original reel to the Association.”
In the description of the video, Martin wrote this concise history of Buffalo Ranch:
Buffalo Ranch was a trading post and tourist attraction in Afton, Oklahoma along US Highway 66. Russell and Aleene Kay opened the doors in 1953 and survived the interstate bypass that happened just four years later.
In fact, Buffalo Ranch lasted until Aleene died in 1997. Everything was auctioned off and the place was torn down in 2002. Today the site is home to a convenience store and travel center that bears the same name, a tribute to what once was.
The aforementioned convenience store is Buffalo Ranch of Woodshed. The Woodshed is a small regional chain.
More than five years ago, Anthony Reichardt began uploading video footage he shot along Route 66 from the early to mid-1990s. That included the original Buffalo Ranch when it still was operating and the adjoining Dairy Ranch.
(Screen-capture image from 1964 home movie of Buffalo Ranch near Afton, Oklahoma)
Very cool! Thank you to Rhys for acquiring this film and sharing it. And thanks to Ron for letting us know about it. Reminds me of a lot of family vacations back in the day.