Rock Island Block Building - El Reno, Oklahoma
N 35° 31.945 W 097° 57.165
14S E 594941 N 3932592
If travelers along Route 66 in its heyday needed clothes or anything else which could be found in a department store of that day, this is where they would have stopped in western Oklahoma.
Waymark Code: WMEP13
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 06/21/2012
Views: 11
Since this is one of the most photographed buildings in El Reno, Team Blakelylaw can't believe that they are the first to waymark it.
The building was built by Albert Fox Newell, whose name appears on the top, in 1898. Newell arrived in Oklahoma with his family during the 1889 Land Run. He built this building at 114 S. Rock Island Ave. to house th AF Newell Department Store. His name still appears at the top of the building. No idea who F. Kraft was. The building is currently occupied by Lil' Dragon Karate and a barber shop.
In the heyday of large department stores and Route 66, the road ran right next to the building along E. Wade. It would have been one of the last chances for travelers heading west to load up on the type of supplies they could find in the "city." From hear on, the towns dwindled to small, smaller, and none, until they reached Amarillo.
(Some internet sites claim Kraft built the building, but it's just a cut & paste of the sae erroneous information. My information comes from an obituary piece written by Newell's great-grandson: (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=42250795) )
Americana: Store/Curios Shop
Significant Interest: Other Icon
Milestone or Marker: Other Icon
Web Site Address: [Web Link]
Address of Icon:
114 S. Rock Island Ave.
El Reno, OK USA
73036
|
Visit Instructions:
To log a Visit, please make every effort to supply an image of yourself at the site. The standard GPS photo may be used as well, or even just an image that you took when you visited the location. If you do not have the option to provide an image, please provide a detailed description of your visit so we can form a 'mental image'.