Jimmy Carter twice visited the Route 66 town of Elk City, Oklahoma, during the 1970s, including once when he was U.S. president.
Carter, who served one term as U.S. commander-in-chief before embarking on an impactful and dignified post-presidential career, died on Dec. 29 at age 100.
News9 in Oklahoma City recently published a story about a former Elk City teacher’s memories of Carter during his visits. Incidentally, Beverly Jordan and her husband Donnie help run the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City.
During a campaign stop in 1976, Carter visited Jordan’s small town. In a 1979 interview, Carter said he had never visited a place as warm and open-hearted during his campaign as Elk City. Carter promised to return to Elk City and kept his promise in 1979 as commander in chief.
“It was really fun,” Jordan said. “He came back. I think it was good for our town as well as the state of Oklahoma.”
Jordan attended Carter’s speech. Carter also held meetings in Jordan’s classroom. […]
After Carter’s visit, Jordan’s principal called her into the office and gave her an envelope from the White House. The envelope had a photo inside of Carter and his wife Rosalynn. The photo said, “Best wishes Joni Jordan” with Carter’s signature.
“Very excited,” Jordan said. “I’m sure I ran up and down the halls.”
Accounts from Newspapers.com indicate Carter’s first visit to Elk City was in November 1975, not 1976, when he was a dark horse in the presidential race. No contemporary newspaper reports could be found from that first visit.
A report years later stated that about 400 people showed up at Carter’s first appearance in Elk City, back when he was lucky to draw 50.
The greeting he received at that time prompted Carter to promise to make a return trip to the western Oklahoma town if he were elected president.
That encore came in March 1979. A few details from that event:
- The city’s police chief estimated 20,000 people viewed the president’s motorcade.
- Carter held a town hall meeting in a packed and sweltering Elk City High School auditorium. The 1,100 tickets for it were given away by lottery. More than 4,300 applied.
- The Wichita Eagle reported that Carter said: “I have visited more than 1,000 cities and towns in the United States of America. I have never visited a single place that gave me as warm as a visit as you did, and I think you have equaled yourselves this evening.”
- Carter spent a good portion of the town hall answering concerns about high inflation.
- Carter attended a service at the First Baptist Church in Elk City the next morning.
- The White House and Secret Service stayed overnight at a Ramada Inn on the city’s east side.
- The town formed a CCC — or Carter Cleanup Commission — to help it look spiffy before his arrival.
- Volunteers helped put up “Elk City Loves Jimmy Carter” signs and banners. The chamber of commerce sold “Jimmy Carter Came Back to Elk City” bumper stickers and buttons.
- City Hall offered a big basket of peanuts so visitors could munch on them.
- Carter’s appearance drew a few protesters, including a guy who finished dead last in the previous governor’s race and farmers from the American Agriculture Movement.
KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City produced a couple of videos of Carter’s Elk City visit, including archival footage:
(Image of President Jimmy Carter by Georgia Democrats via Flickr)