Stroud Oklahoma Route 66 Photography
Stroud was founded in 1892 and named for James Stroud, a trader. Early in its history, Stroud had a reputation as a “wild” town due to its many saloons and other businesses catering to thirsty cowboys and travelers arriving from “dry” Indian Territory. These days were short-lived, however, because Oklahoma statehood forced Stroud to become “dry” as well.
On March 27, 1915 Stroud became the victim of a legendary outlaw: “Henry Starr, along with six other men, decided to rob two banks at the same time… The robbery would prove… disastrous for Henry Starr. Proceeding to rob the Stroud National Bank and the First National Bank, word of the holdup spread quickly and the citizens took up arms against the bandits. Henry and another outlaw named Lewis Estes were wounded and captured in the gun battle.
The town became quiet until about 1926 when U.S. Route 66 was built. When construction of the highway was completed, Stroud became a rest stop with amenities such as motels, gas stations and restaurants. The Rock Café, built during the Great Depression using local sandstone removed during the construction of Route 66, operated 24 hours a day during its 1950s heyday.
In 2001, Pixar crews visited to research US 66 for the animated film Cars, at a time when the town economy was still attempting to recover from the 1999 tornado, and the Rock Café was undergoing historic restoration. The character of Radiator Springs hotelier Sally Carrera is heavily based on Rock Café proprietor Dawn Welch and her efforts to promote and rebuild the town. A fire gutted the restaurant on May 20, 2008 but the grill and the original stone walls survived. The Rock Café was rebuilt by historic preservationist David Burke; Dawn Welch reopened the business on May 29, 2009.
Stroud Oklahoma Route 66 Photo Gallery
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Oklahoma Route 66 Photo Galleries
My name is Greg Disch and I am a freelance photographer with a passion for taking photos of Route 66. I have been photographing Route 66 for the past several years and have accumulated one of the largest collections of contemporary Route 66 photography. My images are all available online for immediate sale and download or may be ordered as photographic prints. If you need photos from Route 66, or just want to take a virtual tour of the “Mother Road” you can travel from town to town using the interactive map or search by subject.
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view. Click on a pushpin for more information about the Photographic Destination, then click on the title to go to the location page.
