Take a nostalgic ride through the heart of northeastern Oklahoma as we follow a lesser-known but truly iconic stretch of Historic Route 66 from Commerce to Afton. This 21-mile drive guides us through one of the most unique remnants of early American highway engineering—the famed “Sidewalk Highways,” a narrow ribbon of Portland cement that once carried Model Ts and dust-choked travelers on their westward journeys. What we see today is both a glimpse into the past and a quiet tribute to the enduring spirit of the Mother Road.
Our journey begins just outside the Dairy King in Commerce, an old Hole-in-the-Wall Conoco station turned Route 66 snack stop and photo op. From here, we wind back toward U.S. 69, where the modern Route 66 alignment cuts a southerly path. But rather than follow the crowds to Miami, we instead veer southeast on Oklahoma Highway 125, tracing the 1923 alignment that predated even the official Route 66 designation. This road, quiet and rural, feels like it hasn’t changed much in the past century—only the vehicles have. It’s not long before we reach the first of two historic ribbon roads, a surreal strip of narrow concrete barely wide enough for a single car. Originally paved to save costs during the Great Depression, this segment is one of the rarest types of pavement still in use, and it offers a uniquely intimate driving experience.
As OK-125 turns eastward, we keep our westward course along a quiet county road. This brief connector leads us to the first preserved segment of the “Sidewalk Highway,” a stretch of narrow, one-lane pavement flanked by fields and the occasional leaning fencepost. Just before reaching Narcissa, this concrete thread rejoins U.S. 69 for a short jaunt of modern pavement. While the landscape opens up into gently rolling farmland, billboards and roadside commerce give way to tree-lined drives and barn-dotted vistas—this is the land where Route 66 grew up before it became a pop-culture icon.
About five miles down US-69, we make our final detour—an unassuming right turn onto 190 Road. This is the better-known of the two sidewalk highway segments, more photogenic and regularly visited by Route 66 purists. It’s also the more dramatic: the road seems to shrink beneath the windshield, and you’re suddenly hyper-aware of the tactile edge between concrete and soil. Here, the ghosts of jalopies and 1930s road trippers feel especially close. The stretch continues over Interstate 44, a symbolic crossing from old to new. Where once a gravel shoulder served weary travelers, now the Turner Turnpike rumbles below with high-speed anonymity. Our route concludes where this timeless concrete meets U.S. Highway 60 just east of Afton—a fitting end near a town still proud of its ties to America’s highway heyday.
Though short in distance, this drive offers a powerful sense of continuity. From the quaint shopfronts of Commerce to the agricultural hush of the Sidewalk Highway, the route reminds us that history is not just something preserved in museums—it’s alive in pavement, painted signs, and roadside whispers. There are faster ways to get from Commerce to Afton, but none better. To drive this stretch is to slow down, to look closely, and to travel not just through Oklahoma, but through time.
🎵 Music:
Dirt Road Traveler, Marathon Man, and Piano March by Audionautix; licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
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