The Will Rogers Highway: Route 66 Exhibit Opening

A dynamic new exhibit on US Route 66 opens on Friday, February 27, at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore. Visitors will be immersed in the highway’s unique history and its ties to Oklahoma’s favorite son, Will Rogers.

The exhibit launches with the 1880s, illustrating America’s push for better roads beyond rough wagon trails, which spurred the rapid Good Roads Movement. Through Oklahoma’s Cyrus Avery—a Route 66 visionary—visitors trace the highway’s creation in 1925–26, its naming in April 1926, inauguration in November, and final paving by 1938.

The installation also features the history of how Route 66 became a lifeline for “Okies” heading to California during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. Later, the highway served as a main route for the movement of soldiers and civilians during World War II. It carried people and equipment to military bases, while ordinary citizens traveled west to take jobs in war factories.

In the 1930s, people wanted to rename the highway for Will Rogers, who enjoyed national fame. After he died in 1935, efforts to honor him grew, and the US Highway Association designated Route 66 as “Will Rogers Highway” later that year.

The exhibit also displays images from the 1952 Will Rogers Highway rededication caravan, which coincided with the release of Warner Bros.' film The Story of Will Rogers, starring Will Rogers Jr.

The exhibit opens February 27 at 5 p.m. and will conclude with a screening of the Disney/Pixar film Cars, at 7 p.m. Admission to the exhibit and the movie is free.