Chandler, Oklahoma: Mural

For those driving between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Chandler probably is the biggest city along the way. It has a little history, and there are enough people around to make it all work as a town.

You may know a little about how people lined up on the borders of parts of Oklahoma to get free land. Chandler had its own land run in 1891. A mere six years later, a tornado ripped through the town and caused all sorts of damage. There are 12 buildings still upright from that day, and they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The scene pictured above is something of a welcome to travelers coming in from the West. There's a mural of the Route 66 sign painted on the wall a few dozen feet west of the scene shown. There are some old signs still on brick walls in town, including a hotel (the space is now partially filled by a karate school). And in the middle of town, work is progressing on fixing up an old Phillips 66 cottage-style filling station. The shell looks good, but there's nothing inside yet. Might be a good stop for tourist information some day.

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