The Sinclair Travel Stop near Interstate 44 in east Tulsa, which included a Route 66 Diner, recently closed and eventually will make way for a QuikTrip travel plaza, according to KOKI-TV in Tulsa.
The station reported that tenants at the property at I-44 and 161st East Avenue moved out Monday.
The closed Sinclair truck stop housed a Fiesta Mart, a restaurant and a trucking mechanic shop. All of those businesses are closed.
The Fiesta Mart employees have been transferred to other locations, and the mechanic shop is building a new facility behind the property. The Route 66 Diner will not relocate. They are having an auction Tuesday.
The Route 66 Diner there received good reviews from Yelp users.
The site was next to Route 66 from 1959 to 1985, when U.S. 66 was decommissioned.
A tornado that killed several people struck what was Bruce’s Truck Plaza there in 1993 and inflicted a lot of damage in nearby Catoosa, Oklahoma. More about the tornado may be read here and here.
A tombstone-like memorial dedicated to those who died during the tornado was placed in the parking lot. KOKI said there was no word what will happen to the monument.
The truck stop never quite recovered from that disaster. The property went through several iterations over the years.
Some may complain about another QuikTrip sprouting up in Tulsa. However, the company is based in the city, and it receives high marks for customer service and treating its employees well.
(Image of the Sinclair Travel Stop in 2010 by Tulsa Beasley via Flickr; image of the memorial via screen capture from KOTV report)
So sad to see Dino the dinosaur and Sinclair vanish from R66. I remember seeing Sinclair gasoline all over the place. I guess it’s just another victim of progress. At least there’ll be a truck stop via kwik trip to take its place and once again, R66 road warriors can refuel while enjoying the mother road.
I think thats sooooo sad to make this a Quick Trip!! This was one of our favorite places to eat!! Why is EVERYONE tearing down all the Ma & Pa’s truck stops!! This place was very well known for the Elvis Presley,Blues Brothers and all them neat things in the restaurant. We would always go there because of the history of it. We will not be stopping into the Quick Trip when its built. Just cant beleave it got shut down! Was ALWAYS busy,!! So sick of being on the road and going to the same crap. My opinion there making a huge mistake by tearing this down!!!
Christina, it’s ALL about the almighty dollar. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that the property owner wanted higher lease rent & started scouting out “bigger players”. Most just gripe, but patronize the new business anyway. Those that are TRULY upset become a thorn to the property owner &/or legally picket the new business for months.