Three more towns in Lincoln County have received grants from the Route 66 Commission for improvements before the Route 66 Centennial in 2026. Stroud was awarded $999,600, Wellston received $792,506, and Davenport was awarded $395,500, according to the Commission.
Stroud submitted a proposal called the Stroud Historic Route 66 Business Neon Light Project. A total of 49 businesses have signed up, creating a 15-block stretch down Stroud’s Main Street. The neon signs will be illuminated every night from dusk to 1 a.m.
The Commission’s press release said the Stroud committee had several ideas but chose neon lights after speaking with Route 66 travelers. The town already has two iconic neon signs - the Skyliner Motel and the Rock Cafe.
Wellston plans to build the Route 66 Splash Pad and a buffalo statue with its grant. The town also has an in-kind donation of $200,000, bringing the total to $992,506 for the project. The idea is that it will become a community gathering spot for residents, visitors and tourists. There will also be a StoryBook Walk and Trading Post that will offer the history of the Town of Wellston and the original Route 66, now Route 66B, according to the press release.
Davenport will use its grant to renovate the historic gas station in town and turn it into a visitor’s center.
In round one of the grants, awarded in April, Chandler received $650,000 to build McClanahan Park, also known as the “Field of Dream.” With the City putting in $150,000, the project’s total cost will be $800,000. The park will feature artwork by local Jerry McClanahan— whom the park is named after. McClanahan is wellknown among Route 66 tourists for authoring the “EZ66 Guidebook.”
Round two grants were decided on at the third quarter meeting of the Oklahoma Route 66 Commission on Aug. 15 at the JM Davis Arms and Historical Museum in Claremore. The commissioners received over 83 grant applications totaling more than $59.8 million, a major increase from round one applications, which were completed in April.
Of those 83 applications, 49 were considered by the commissioners, and 13 were awarded for $6.612 million.