The Historic Rock Cafe - Stroud, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 44.937 W 096° 39.271
14S E 712079 N 3958640
Serving hungry travelers since 1939
Waymark Code: WM9Y3V
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 10/14/2010
Views: 9
Located at 114 W. Main in downtown Stroud, the Rock Cafe opened in 1939. An older man named Roy Rieves was looking for some retirement income. Roy was from the Stroud area, and knowledgeable in construction. He was able to buy this property in downtown Stroud in April 1936 for $100. Route 66 was being paved across the country, and business along the route was booming. He began work on his rock café in 1936, working mostly by himself. The rocks were salvaged from the building of Route 66 through Kellyvile at a cost to Roy of $5.00.
Roy had no desire to actually run the business himself. He leased the building out first to Miss Thelma Holloway, who opened the cafe on August 4, 1939. It was a success from the beginning. It served the travelers going back ad forth on Route 66, and later during World War II, fed the servicemen going to and from the war. It also became a Greyhound bus stop.
Roy remained owner of the building, but a series of tenants came and went over the years, with none staying more than 2 or 3 years Then, Mamie Mayfield opened the Rock Cafe under her management in 1959. She was a single Mom and lived in the building next door. She kept the cafe open 24 hours a day.
Mamie took a motherly interest in the truckers who came and went from the café, and in the days before CB, pagers and cell phones, the Rock Café was a place where families could call and leave messages and truckers would find these messages tacked to the wall when they next came through Stroud. Mamie operated the Rock Café till 1983. Business had begun declining with the construction of the nearby Turner Turnpike which bypassed the town.
The current owner and operator of the Rock Café is Dawn Welch, who bought it in 1993. It continues to be a favorite stop for travelers and truckers along The Mother Road. In 2001, the builidng was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. A devastating fire gutted the building in May of 2008. Closed for a year for repair and renovation, the Rock Cage re-opened in May of 2009. The cafe is open 7 days a week. It is a popular stop for folks driving the Mother Road, and you can always see cars and motorcycles parked out front.
The menu is varied, serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. You'll find everything from burgers, sandwiches and salads, to nachos, steaks and good old chicken fry. The prices are very reasonable.
Hours:
Mon-Fri: 6:30 am to 9:00 pm
Sat-Sun: 6:30 am to 10:00 pm
Website: Not listed
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