In Bristow, a community of just over 4,200 residents where a busy Main Street is a daily reminder of its presence on the original Route 66 highway, there’s a strong respect for the past – and an optimism about the future. In fact, anticipation is already building for the Mother Road’s centennial celebration, says Mayor Kris Wyatt, who’s at the forefront of a new burst of civic energy.
Wyatt was elected mayor last year after four years on the city council, and says that from her perspective, things in Bristow these days are “crazy busy.”
She continues: “It’s so fun – a lot of work, but I’m enjoying it so much.”
Bristow is in Creek County, about 35 miles southwest of Tulsa taking the Turner Turnpike, and 75 miles east of Oklahoma City. The original Route 66 goes through the heart of Bristow and forms the city’s Main Street.
Wyatt says infrastructure is booming; a new housing development has sprung up near Bristow’s Jones Memorial Airport, where a new terminal was dedicated in 2022. Fifty homes are under construction, and another 50 or so are coming this fall. Work is progressing on two industrial parks, while two convenience stores have recently opened. Developers are planning a groundbreaking for a hotel, as well.
“We have other things in the works,” Wyatt says. “I don’t want to say anything [more] until we have something signed.”
Wyatt is not alone in trying to put Bristow forward, as workers prepare for the Route 66 centennial in 2026 and other community events.
Ralena Groom is one of the organizers of Bristow’s 62nd Western Heritage Days Festival, Aug. 15-17, coinciding with the annual two-day Bristow Roundup Club Rodeo.
To Groom, a lifelong Bristow resident, public service is a requirement – a lesson she says she learned from her father, who was mayor and served on the city council for 28 years.
“It was kind of impressed on us that we’re part of a community, and if you want it to [do well], you have to put some work into it.”
Groom says this year’s Western Heritage Days will be bigger than last year’s festival, which drew about 2,500 to town. Most of the events, including games, turtle races and other attractions, have been moved to Bristow’s city park area, which features an amphitheater and the city’s new Pirate Plunge water park.
The Bristow Historical Museum and Train Depot’s recent Voices and Votes exhibit from the Smithsonian drew several thousand visitors, says museum volunteer Linda Trigalet. The exhibit closed in mid-July, and Trigalet says the influx benefited several local businesses and restaurants.
“We had more people in two days than we’d normally have in a week to ten days,” she says.
Known originally by the Muscogee name “Choska Talfa” (Oak Town), and later renamed Woodland Queen, Bristow began as a trading post, prospered through Oklahoma’s rich oil and gas development, and is now benefiting from today’s burst of economic activity.
An ongoing turnpike expansion to six lanes surely will bring more development to town, Wyatt says, with Bristow in line for a second turnpike gate.
Another draw to Bristow is the Artisans and Gardeners Market. Vivian Taylor, market board member, says all funds from hat and shirt sales at the market are earmarked for community projects.
