Restoration of West Winds Motel sign in Erick among Oklahoma Route 66 Commission grants

The restoration of the neon sign for the closed West Winds Motel in Erick, Oklahoma, is among the $6 million in grants recently awarded by the Oklahoma Route 66 Commission.

A list of the funds given from the state’s Route 66 Revitalization Grant Program was posted in a document on the commission’s website.

Several grant awardees, including those in Chandler, Sapulpa and El Reno, previously have been made public, but the commission’s document clarifies some things about them.

The City of Erick will receive $35,710 to restore the neon sign of the West Winds Motel, “illuminating the past and sparking a vibrant future for our community.”

“By preserving and revitalizing this piece of history recognized in the National Register of Historic Places, the community honors its roots and showcases its commitment to preserving the legacy of the Mother Road,” the grant list states. “This sign will become a tangible link to the bygone era when Route 66 was a bustling highway connecting communities across the nation.”

The West Winds closed about 30 years ago. Anthony Reichardt, during a Route 66 road trip in 1993, shot footage outside and inside the motel shortly before it shuttered.

Other grant awardees:

— Route 66 Alliance, $44,560 grant to print two fold-out maps about the attractions and history of Route 66. The maps will be distributed to all chambers of commerce in Oklahoma and Main Street offices on the route.

— Chelsea Area Historical Society, $325,500 grant, to use the original Bank of Chelsea building to celebrate the living history of Native Americans, settlers, historical figures, area celebrities and Route 66. The historical society “plans to offer an extensive retelling of the lives of the area’s indigenous population as well as the settlers who arrived later, including accounts of how their lives intertwined. Eventually, Route 66 came along to connect them all and transport them in and out of their homeland; the famed highway is a part of the story that remains as alive and vibrant as the people themselves, a fact that will be reflected by its prominence in the museum.”

— Miami Main Street, $36,360 grant, for wayfinding signage along Miami’s Main Street historic district. The signs aim to help tourists find local attractions.

— City of Weatherford, $927,500 grant for signs and a Muffler Man spaceman, a tribute to the Stafford Air and Space Museum and recently deceased local astronaut Thomas Stafford. “The plan consists of one Weatherford Route 66 Entry Sign, one Space Cowboy (honoring General Thomas P. Stafford), one Welcome to Weatherford Route 66 Sign, and four Route 66 Photo Op signs. When traveling on Route 66, you will encounter a 28-foot muffler-type-spaceman that would represent General Stafford, himself. This project would also include four 9-foot Route 66 signs for photo ops along the Route 66 path to encourage traveling down Route 66.”

— Threatt Filling Station Foundation, $858,200 grant, to further preserve and develop the historic Threatt Filling Station near Luther. “The Threatt Family Farm Development Project will provide education and economic development opportunities while sharing the U.S. Route 66 story of perseverance, community, and living on the Mother Road.”

— Town of Luther, $77,000 grant, for Luther on Route 66 Lighted Sign Project. The document states it will be “evoking nostalgia through a wayfinding landmark on land that was part of the original Route 66 at the iconic pecan orchard.”

— Freedom Ranch Inc., dba Wings of Freedom, $125,000 grant, to restore the Saratoga Motor Hotel sign in Tulsa. The sign for the closed motel will modified to advertise the Sober Center in the area.

— City of Chandler, $650,000 grant, to develop McClanahan Park. It will not only will have artwork by Route 66 author and artist Jerry McClanahan but also contain a hardscaped surface in the shape of a baseball field as a throwback to Chandler’s baseball heritage. Chandler for many years hosted the Chandler Baseball Camp, starting in the 1950s.

— City of El Reno, $1.243 million grant, to buy and convert a historic gas station into a visitors center and hot rod museum. The station at Sunset Drive and South Choctaw Avenue (aka Route 66 and U.S. 81) also hosts a famous mural painted by El Reno artist, Chris Small.

— City of Sapulpa, $2 million grant, for a park and other projects. The grant document states some of the money will be used to preserve the century-old Rock Creek Bridge and the roadbed of the nearby Ozark Trail alignment of Route 66.

(Image of the West Winds Motel sign in Erick, Oklahoma, by johrling via Flickr)