Sinclair Refinery on Southwest Boulevard (Route 66) in west Tulsa, two miles from the starting point on my quest to photograph Route 66 across Oklahoma, mile by precious mile.
Tulsa’s history is inextricably linked with that of Route 66. Cyrus Stevens Avery — the federal bureaucrat known as the “Father of Route 66″ for his role in bringing the road into being and establishing the path it would follow — was from Tulsa, but beyond that, the road and the city both grew out of the popularity of the automobile.
Tulsa is, to a large extent, the town that oil built; many of the downtown area’s fabulous Art Deco skyscrapers and ornate churches were funded by oil barons, and the area’s “black gold” derives much of its value from its use in fueling the internal combustion engine. The Sinclair refinery is one of several in Tulsa. This particular image was shot from the parking lot of Goodwill Industries.
Emily
