Tour the colorful murals, sculptures and roadside art transforming Kansas' 13.2 miles of Historic Route 66
Photography by Kenny Felt
Local artists and city planners in Kansas have been busy this past year, racing to welcome the 100th anniversary of Route 66. Even though the Mother Road runs just 13.2 miles through Cherokee County, it packs a stunning amount of history in these few miles. To honor the highway’s centennial, Galena has unveiled several new murals and public works of art. Each piece invites visitors to slow down, pull over and take a closer look.
Sitting on the Kansas-Missouri border with fewer than 3,000 people, Galena has steered Route 66 tourists toward its town through art for more than a decade. Pamela Mitchell, president of the Kansas Historic Route 66 Association, credits Renee Charles as the driving force behind these efforts. Charles is a former association president and a current partner in Cars on the Route, a popular Galena tourist attraction. Her work began long before the road’s centennial.
“Galena has done so much, mostly because of [Charles],” Mitchell says. “She has really been the inspiration in the last 20 years to get these murals done.”
One of the newest works of art—and a perfect photo op—is a large Route 66 shield that motorists can actually drive through.
“There were not any drive-through shields on this end of Route 66,” Charles explains. “There was only one in Kingman, Arizona, and one in Grants, New Mexico.”
Standing 16 feet tall with a 10-by-10-foot opening, the shield sits on Front Street—widely considered “old Route 66.” Traffic first followed this street before the highway redirected onto Seventh Street in 1961. On one side, a stunning field of sunflowers spreads across the surface, and a rusty tow truck, reminiscent of the one that inspired the beloved character in Pixar’s 2006 film Cars, faces the sunset.
On the other side, the words “Kansas” and “US” stand alone against a white background. This side serves as a blank canvas, designed to display projected images of Galena’s history during special occasions.
Near the drive-through, a new centennial arch welcomes Route 66 travelers into Galena. Built for the anniversary, the metal semicircle structure measures 100 feet wide and features reclaimed barrel trusses. Straddling Front Street, the arch includes 16 painted murals that adorn the base of each leg and the sides.
Beyond these centennial displays, Galena boasts several other new and noteworthy works of art, including Kansas’ newest Muffler Man. Big A, the Texaco Giant, stands outside Gearhead Curios, another popular Galena attraction. Muffler Men are large fiberglass statues, prominent in the 1960s, that promoted many U.S. businesses. In 2024, this 22-foot-tall, 1,200-pound figure took its place outside the restored 1939 Texaco service station. Donning a bright green Texaco uniform and sporting a friendly white beard, he resembles the shop’s owner, Aaron Perry.
Perry has placed two more vintage fiberglass figures outside his shop: Rock-a-Betty, a Betty Boop figure dressed in a Texaco uniform with roller skates and a tray of motor oil; and Big Boy, a popular marketing mascot from the 1950s, dressed in green and white checkered overalls while hoisting a stack of car tires.
On the west side of the building, 169 Kansas license plates form an American flag. Inside, the establishment has become internationally known for its restrooms, constructed entirely from repurposed car parts.
Along Main Street, the words “Greetings from Galena on Historic Route 66” have welcomed visitors since 2013. The massive postcard-style mural consists of more than 400 ceramic tiles, each 15 inches wide. It features a powder blue 1957 Chevrolet cruising through Galena. At another nearby Route 66 installation, tourists can peek through two sixes in a Route 66 shield sculpture. Two additional vintage-style murals feature Route 66 shields—one advertising Pepsi, the other Coca-Cola.
These are not the only public works of art in Galena, or even along Kansas’ stretch of Route 66. But Mitchell says the best part about the iconic thoroughfare’s centennial is waking people up to these beloved Kansas towns.
“We are getting so much press coverage from people who haven’t even heard of Kansas Route 66,” she says. “It’s driving people here in droves, which is what these small towns along the route need to survive.”
more artwork along route 66
Metal Route 66 Shield Sculpture
Riverton
Members of the Riverton Future Farmers of America designed and constructed this Route 66 shield in 2018. Standing 20 feet tall, the metal sculpture uses repurposed tire rims to form the two sixes.
Historical Mural
Baxter Springs
Revealed in 2024, this vibrant 100-foot-long mural depicts major moments in Baxter Springs’ history: the Indigenous people who lived here, the city’s beginnings as a cattle town, the Baxter Springs Massacre during the Civil War, the birth of the railroad, and Mickey Mantle playing for the Whiz Kids, the local semi-pro team.
Bas-Relief Mural
Baxter Springs
Carved into the south side of a bank, this bas-relief mural features iconic Route 66 images alongside scenes from Baxter Springs’ cowtown days, its mining history and more.
Route 66 Sunflower Sign
Baxter Springs
A nod to the Sunflower State, two large sunflowers flank a swinging Route 66 shield at this roadside park. Visitors can learn more about Baxter Springs at one of the nearby kiosks.
