It is not a stretch to say that there is no greater influence on Americana culture than the 2,400 mile road that extends from Chicago, IL to Santa Monica, CA. Of course, it's the "highway that’s the best" - Route 66. Route 66 as a whole can't be traveled anymore as some of the road is no longer maintained, however Route 66 trips are really popular due to Interstate Highways running parallel and the charming, quirky towns that line its route.
One such town is Catoosa, Oklahoma, site of the famous Blue Whale. The Blue Whale was built to attract travelers to enjoy the swimming hole it was adjacent to. Now, it is a welcome site for route 66 travelers. But the Blue Whale is not the only fascinating aspect of the town of Catoosa. There is an interesting museum called D.W. Correll Museum, maintained by the city of Catoosa. The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday. Find varying operating hours here.
The Museum is most known for its two primary focuses (though there is a lot more) - cars and rocks. There are antique cars that were restored and driven by D.W. Correll and there are 1000s of rocks and minerals that he collected from all over the world.
"Mr. Correll was the small town eccentric," Eric Hamshar, curator of the museum, says. "He was originally from Colorado, then moved to California during World War 2 to build aircraft, and eventually settled in Catoosa to work for McDonnell Douglas." Once settled, he started collecting rocks, antique bottles, and cars. "He would travel all over the world and get rocks from every continent and bring them here," Hamshar says. When Correll died in 1999, he gifted the museum to the city, and it has been operating ever since. It is easy to spot, as there is an 8 X 72 feet mural on the side of the building signifying the museum and painting of D.W. Correll.
View of the rockwall at the museum showing DW's amazing collection of rocks, gems, fossils and minerals. [Photo/DW Correll Museum]
Hamshar is a history major who interned at the museum, eventually becoming the curator. "At first, I wasn't that interested in the rocks and minerals, but since I started here I get more and more fascinated by it," he recalls. "Just the history of them; I mean, thinking of all the inventions that have happened as a result of acquiring these rocks and all the wars that were started in pursuit of them." The rocks, gems, fossils, and minerals exhibits are a world class site. There are over 6,000 specimens on display, each piece labeled with its name and where it might be found.
For Hamshar, the most fascinating area is the rocks and minerals found in Northeast Oklahoma, as well as samples of the tools used to mine them. Northeast Oklahoma was part home to the Tri State Mining District, which was one of the foremost lead and zinc mining areas of the country from the 1860s to the 1970s. There is a 600 pound chunk of Galena Lead on display, as well as other minerals found in the area. "Mr. Correll was able to go down into the mines and get some really cool stuff," Hamshar says. There are also examples of the Barite Rose, or Rose Rock. The Rose rock looks like a rose (obviously) and is more abundantly found in Oklahoma than anywhere else in the world - in fact it is one of the only places in the world where it can be discovered.
"Some folks come here to see the extensive rock collection," Hamshar says, "And others come for the cars." The cars occupy an entirely different building. There are cars from the 1900s up until the late 40s. One car on display is the 1898 Locomobile. The Locomobile has a steam powered engine, a technology that never really took off in the auto industry due to its unreliability. However, Locomobile has its place in history as the first automobile to be used in a war (Boer War in South Africa). According to historians, not only was it useful for searchlights and as a generator, but also a means to brew a cup of tea for the English by tapping the boiler.
Another vehicle is a beautiful red 1929 Stutz 8. The Stutz 8's were impressive vehicles - 8 cylinder and basically the race car of its time. They could handle going over 60 miles per hour for an extended period and went for $3,000. Nowadays, finding one on a classic car seller site, they list around $100,000-150,000.
There are several other cars, carriages, and points of interest related to the auto industry, along with photographs of Correll in his cars, which he kept tagged until his death in 1999. “Our theme isn’t really Route 66, but that’s a lot of our draw,” Hamshar says. He explains that many folks from all over the world stop by and check out the cars only to find a lot more, such as decorative whisky bottles from the 60s or the vintage toy collection. And in that way, perhaps it is like Route 66 - a road traveled by car, but the experience is so much more.