The Bristow Historical Museum is located in the former SLSF (Frisco) Railroad depot, constructed in 1923. The Depot & Town Square has been restored to a high standard, with substantial wooden porches. The former depot now houses The Museum & Bristow Chamber of Commerce.
As you trip the Mother Road, you will soon know, that if you can't see tracks, or hear a train, then your probably not on Route 66. As a result lots of the old stations & depots have been turned into museums featuring Route 66 artefacts & memorabilia.
Route 66 was aligned through Bristow in 1926 by incorporating segments of the pre-existing Ozark Trail, & some of the original roadbed which can still be driven along close to Bristow.
The Town Square & Museum is located alongside an old alignment of the Mother road as it twisted & turned through Bristow & then relocated around the Town. The Museum in Railroad Place, is off North Main Street (Old-66) & East 7th Avenue.
The museum displays railroad-related exhibits, as well as information & relics from the city's Route 66 history. Sponsored by the Bristow Historical Society.
The town of Bristow has several Route 66 Historic sites including the Historic 1926 roadbed, the Bristow Motor Company Building, Bristow Firestone Service Station, Beard Motor Company, Bristow Tire Shop and the Texaco Service Station. There is a lot to see and do in Bristow. As far as I can see none have been waymarked yet.
From the Route 66 Web Site:
"The Mother road brought business to town, the travellers along Route 66 needed to be catered to: garages, auto dealers and service stations were built, and many buildings survive until this day.
As Route 66 became overcrowded in the mid 1950s, the Turnpike was built, from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, and it replaced the old road, bypassing Bristow. Business declined." Text Source: (
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Bristow Trivia: Gene Autry:
"Autrey (1907 - 1998) worked as a telegrapher for Frisco Railway at Bristow and also at Sapulpa and Chelsea. It was at Chelsea where he was discovered by Will Rogers and became famous on the radio, TV and movies as a singing cowboy. His career which began in the 1930s and spanned 30 years.
Autrey was the top country-western star of his time, and he played lhis guitar live on the local radio station.
First Radio Station:
The very first radio station in the state of Oklahoma operated in Bristow in January 1925, it was KRFU known as "The Voice of Oklahoma". It moved to Tulsa in 1927.
Brick Roads:
The town has more brick-paved streets than any other town in Oklahoma" Text Source: (
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BRISTOW: From the Oklahoma Historical Society Website:
"Located in central Creek County, Bristow is situated at the intersection of State Highways 16 and 48 and Historic Route 66. Locally known as "the Woodland Queen" of the Creek Nation, Indian Territory, the town developed after 1898 when the St. Louis and Oklahoma City Railroad (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) built a line from Sapulpa to Oklahoma City. A trading post existed at this site prior to the town's settlement. Named in honour of U.S. Sen. Joseph L. Bristow of Kansas, a post office was established on April 25, 1898, with Charles C. Crane serving as the first postmaster. Settlers soon erected a small, wood-frame schoolhouse, and A. H. Purdy opened the first bank. The town had a population of 626 in 1900, one year before it was officially surveyed and platted." Text Source: (
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