This is a Photo of the Rose Bowl Bowling alley located on 11th street (Route 66) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After the bowling alley sold a few years back, the new owner painted it these ugly colors. It’s doors were closed on March 12, 2005 and the contents sold at auction.
It was originally pink, but I actually liked the pink better than the red, white, and blue.
On August 3, 2004, Michael (Mickey) K. Sparks was arrested and booked into the Tulsa County Jail for setting fire to the Rose Bowl which he had previously owned. At the time of the fire, Sparks owned another bowling facility at the Eastland Mall. Sparks claimed he did it because “his business was suffering from competition with the Rose Bowl Bowling Alley.”
Altogether, attempts to burn down the Rose Bowl were made three times.
In the late 1990’s, my grandson bowled on a league for children for two bowling seasons. It saddens my heart that so much misery has come from such a great Tulsa Icon.
The name of the building was originally the “Rose Bowl” but as it changed ownership, the name became “AMF Rose Lanes.”
The Meadowgold Milk and Ice Cream sign was constructed in 1934 and was located on the corner of 11th street (Route 66) and Lewis in Tulsa.
The dismantling process began June 16, 2004 and was complete on June 17, 2004. I wanted to photograph the sign before dismantling began but was unable to find the time. I did manage to get there to photograph the sign while the work was in progress though.
Here are two photos taken during the dismantling process. They were both taken with a Canon Rebel 2000 but were slightly underexposed. A little saturation with Adobe Photoshop was added.
They were taken on June 17, 2004. I took some photos on June 16, 2004, but it began to rain and dismantling was halted. I returned the following day and that is when these were taken. I can tell because of the bright sky.
“I added guitar tracks to this brief self-guided tour I took of the beloved Blue Whale on historic Route 66 in Catoosa, OK (northeast of Tulsa), in April of 2005. It was once a slide and diving apparatus for kids at the local swimming hole, and has long since been preserved as a historical landmark.” from: TFAtv
If you enjoyed my Blue Whale snapshot photos, then you’ll enjoy watching this short 43 second video tour of Catoosa’s Blue Whale.
The Blue Whale is one of the most recognizable attractions on old Route 66 in Oklahoma. Hugh Davis built it in the early 1970’s as an anniversary gift to his wife Zelta loved whales and had a whale figurine collection. The Blue Whale and its pond became a favorite stop and swimming hole for both locals and travelers alike. Over the years this park became a destination in itself.
Hugh’s property not only included this fanciful blue whale, but picnic tables, concessions, a couple of boats and a wonderful zoo housed in a wooden ark. The Blue Whale, pond, and zoo were closed in the late 1980’s and fell into disrepair. A decade after the Blue Whale was closed citizens of Catoosa along with Hampton Inn employees cleaned up the grounds and gave the whale a fresh coat of paint. Today the Blue Whale lives again as an attraction worth seeing.
In the full view of the whale, two of my grandchildren are on the whale, but it’s so far away you can’t really see them unless you know they are there. Jeremy is on the ladder and Melissa is on the whale’s back. In the other photo you can see Jeremy in the whale’s nostril.
These were taken during the summer of 2004. Jeremy is 17 now and he has taken several road trips with us (me and my husband). When he was little I gave him lessons about the “Mother Road” while we were in the car for long periods of time. I also took both Melissa and Jeremy to the Route 66 Festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The National Historic Route 66 Federation selected Tulsa, OK as the site for the 2004 International Route 66 Festival held Jun 10 - 13, 2004.
This photo of Melissa running was taken on Route 66 at 11th street near Lewis. Jeremy and Melissa (two of my eight grandchildren) run with me at many of the local races and they both ran the Route 66 CPA 5K at the time of the Route 66 Festival in 2004. Most recently Jeremy ran the Tulsa Run.
This is a photo of Jeremy at the Route 66 Festival held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was 15 years old at the time and Melissa was 12. They are first cousins.
Below is a photo taken on 11th street during the Route 66 CPA 5k Run. The people in the photo are unknown. If you look close enough, you can see the Meadow Gold sign in the background.
This is a Photo of the Rose Bowl Bowling alley located on 11th street (Route 66) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After the bowling alley sold a few years back, the new owner painted it these ugly colors. It’s doors were closed on March 12, 2005 and the contents sold at auction. 
