In 1925 the Oklahoma Highway Commission instituted a system of numbering state highways crisscrossing the state. Oklahoma designated 31 routes considered to be "good roads". Highways 1 through 6 were the "six great crossings", 7-12 the "secondary crossings" and 13-31 were known as the distribution network.

Perry Oklahoma was indeed fortunate to have two of the "six great crossings" intersecting in the heart of our young city. Route 1 and Route 4 intersected at what we know today as 6th and Fir.

Route 1 began at the Arkansas line near Ft. Smith and ended north and west of Alva at the Kansas border. Route 1 traveled through Perry along the present day route of HWY 64. Route 1 only existed two years before it was overlaid by US 64 in 1927.

Route 4 began at the state line near Arkansas City, Kansas, traveling south through Perry on it's way to the Texas line, ending at Thackerville. Route 4 was an important and heavily traveled connector between Dallas and Wichita. In 1927 Route 4 became US 77, the early day version of todays Interstate 35. US 77 Carried travelers from Sioux City, Iowa all the way to Brownsville, Texas making it a genuine "interstate highway".

Perry's historic US 77 corridor begins one mile north of Perry at the former site of the Chief Drive In theater. Traveling south one mile you encounter Daniels Field, a WPA built sports complex that still functions today as the home of the Perry Maroons. Just a block south of Daniels Field is the North boundary of Perry's once bustling "Gasoline Alley".

The small building at the northwest corner of 77 and Locust street was once a Sinclair station. As US 77 carries you south you see the remnants of Texaco, Phillips and Shell stations still standing today. Along 6th and 7th streets in Perry there were many auto dealerships, mechanic shops, parts stores and body shops. Those buildings still standing are a testament to the power of the early day automobile industry's influence on small towns in America. Crossing the old Frisco tracks on south 7th street you start to leave Perry's Gasoline Alley, but don't miss the star of the show directly on your right at 109 S. 7th, DAIRYLAND HISTORIC COMMUNITY CENTER.

 

Leaving Perry on US77 were some of the most notable and colorful occupants of the Historic US77 Corridor. In 1937, while still in the grip of the Depression, Perry was selected to be the location of a State Highway Department Headquarters. Located on the curve south of Dairyland, the site was an obvious choice to construct this facility along one of Oklahoma's most important highways.

Thompson's BBQ was a world renown restaurant operated by a larger than life man named Homer Thompson. Torn down in the 1980's, the site of this famous BBQ restaurant is now the home to an unusual round glass building formerly known as Taber's Octoplex.

There are so many places not mentioned in detail here but are still important to the history of US 77 in Perry. The original Ditch Witch plant, the Corner Lunch Cafe and Corner Motel, the Frisco Depot, the Silverthorne and Highland Motels and the Smith Trucking Company to name just a few. But, no list would be complete without Tamac Pottery, near the south end of the Historic US 77 Corridor.

Began in 1946 as a backyard garage based business, Tamac grew to the point it needed to be relocated to a new quonset building plant built along US 77. Tamac Pottery was sold all over the US and the world and every piece has stamped on it, "Tamac Pottery, Perry USA". Tamac Pottery is regarded as one of the most important mid-20th century modern dinnerware designs and has been featured in film and art shows.

The Historic US 77 corridor in Perry truly was a home to businesses and individuals who created influence that has reached around the planet.