As you cruise down the Mother Road, the vintage neon sign of the Rock Cafe illuminates the feeling of the classic American road trip. Located in Stroud, Okla., this historic restaurant has been around since 1939. Originally built by Roy Rives, the owner of H&P Service Station, and other members of the Stroud community, the building used leftover rocks, specifically sandstone, from Route 66’s construction.
Reportedly, Rives purchased the rocks for five dollars, making history truly woven into the “The Rock’s” walls. Introduced in 1940, the neon sign made the cafe pop and beckoned late-night travelers. It was open 24 hours at the time and also doubled as a Greyhound bus stop.
Dawn Welch took over the Cafe in 1993 after calling off her life at sea for a quieter, more intimate town where her mother lived, and she has owned it to the present day. Sadly, in 2008, Welch had the misfortune of watching the Cafe burn down, wondering if this was the end of her new business. Fortunately, within a year, with help from her community, the Rock Cafe was rebuilt and reopened to the public.
Having visited the restaurant in 2024, the building still has a vintage, homely feel, as does the home-cooked food and the welcoming service from everyone working there.
For more information, visit https://rockcafert66.com/index.html.
Scout Haggard is a student at Tulsa Community College and a contributing writer for The TCC Connection.
