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All the United States Oklahoma Miami Route 66 Sidewalk Highway

Route 66 Sidewalk Highway

When you can afford only half a road, you build only half a road.

Miami, Oklahoma

Added By
Allison
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Been Here
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The one-lane Sidewalk Highway south of Miami, Oklahoma.   retroalli / Atlas Obscura User
The one-lane Sidewalk Highway south of Miami, Oklahoma.   retroalli / Atlas Obscura User
The old Sidewalk Highway (a/k/a the Ribbon Road) starts in Miami, OK   Tony Hisgett
Mostly pin-straight, the road takes a few 90-degree turns between Miami and Afton   Mike Sisk
Marker at the corner of the Sidewalk Highway (E 140 Rd) and Hwy 59   Tony Hisgett
The remaining sections of the old road are in red   Google map data
A section of the road still relatively intact   Tony Hisgett
1927 Rand McNally map - the road is shown in solid red between Miami and Afton   David Rumsey Historic Map Collection
  Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
In front of service station in Afton   Our Mobile Journey / Atlas Obscura User
  SemiruralYeti / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
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About

Historic Route 66—America’s Main Street—has 2,451 miles of stories to tell. From one of the last remaining “Muffler Men” in Wilmington, Illinois, to the End of the Trail in Santa Monica, the Mother Road runs through eight Midwest and western states, weaving a dreamy and transient roadside past.

One story of thousands is tucked in a corner of Ottawa County, where Oklahoma meets Kansas and Missouri. A couple of tenacious old sections of the Sidewalk Highway, also known as the Ribbon Road, cut through quiet farmland with a nickname from its unusual proportions. While impeccably constructed, it’s only nine feet wide—just about the width of an average sidewalk.

The original Ribbon Road was laid out in 1921-22. It was 15 miles long, zig-zagging between Miami and Afton, with pin-straight stretches between six 90-degree turns. The story goes that Oklahoma, barely a state in the early 1920s (they entered the union in 1907), was short on cash, and highways are expensive. They needed a solid roadbed, so to cut costs they cut width. The result was one perfect lane, with a concrete base, Topeka asphalt top, and gleaming concrete curbs.

The old road predates the designation of Route 66 in Ottawa County, and in 1926 it was absorbed into the historic route to the West. It stayed on the job until 1937, when the route was realigned. Much is now hidden under OK-59, but there are two remaining nine-foot-wide pieces: one heading into Afton, and the other outside of Miami.

Tracing the Sidewalk Highway has become a draw for tourists and Route 66 aficionados, but there is concern that the nine-foot quirk is disappearing under road graders and tons of gravel. Some sections have even been paved over by private landowners. But with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places and some preservation funds applied for, there is hope for the old Ribbon Road to stick around for another 95 years.

Related Tags

Route 66 History Roads

Know Before You Go

Miami, Oklahoma is in the far northeastern corner of Oklahoma. You can find sections of the remaining Sidewalk Highway along E 140 Rd (there is a marker at the corner of OK Hwy 59). You'll want to drive slowly - the road is pretty rough.

Community Contributors

Added By

retroalli

Edited By

raymondwinn1941, Darrell Powers, Our Mobile Journey, SemiruralYeti...

  • raymondwinn1941
  • Darrell Powers
  • Our Mobile Journey
  • SemiruralYeti
  • bobbieoakley
  • smileyme81

Published

December 30, 2016

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Sources
  • http://www.travelok.com/article_page/off-the-beaten-path
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11SzvsMqXuo
  • http://www.theroute-66.com/ribbon-road-us66.html
  • http://www.theroute-66.com/ribbon-road-us66.html
Route 66 Sidewalk Highway
E 140 Rd
Miami, Oklahoma
United States
36.815553, -94.927036
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Coleman Theatre

Miami, Oklahoma

miles away

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miles away

Picher

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Miami

Miami

Oklahoma

Places 2

Nearby Places

Coleman Theatre

Miami, Oklahoma

miles away

Home of Mickey Mantle

Commerce, Oklahoma

miles away

Picher

Picher, Oklahoma

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Miami

Miami

Oklahoma

Places 2

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