Sayre residents say their town is looking good

By David Zizzo

Published: October 1, 2006

SAYRE — The Russell family was living near Los Angeles, with its gangs and violence, when what was left of the old Western Motel came up for auction back home in Oklahoma.

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"I was seven months pregnant, and I had two children," Renee Russell recalled. "It seemed like a good opportunity."

So 13 years ago, this Okie and her Okie husband bought the classic motel on old Route 66 in Sayre. They moved their family back to Oklahoma to a town used in the filming of "The Grapes of Wrath," John Steinbeck's tale of Oklahomans fleeing a dusty land for California.

"It is kind of ironic," Renee Russell said.

But to people who love Sayre, it's not surprising. Sayre — one of several towns The Oklahoman is taking a closer look at — is a good place to be, they say.

"Friendly little old town," as Andy Humble describes it.

Born and raised in Lawton, Humble came here five years ago to become director of the Western Technology Center. Humble, 59, a lifetime educator whose wife, Kerri, teaches elementary school in nearby Burns Flat, is a western Oklahoma kind of guy. While some prefer mountains, he'll take these open prairies and open skies, where "it takes a while for quail to get out of range."

"I've tried it over in the Eastern part of the world," Humble said. "There's too many trees over there."

This spot on a major route to the West almost exactly halfway between Oklahoma City and Amarillo, Texas, was once known as Riverton, an outpost on the North Fork of the Red River. When the Rock Island Railroad came through, suddenly Sayre — renamed in 1901 for railroad developer Robert H. Sayre — became a player.

"That was a real crucial part in making it the county seat," said Joan Ellison, director of the Shortgrass Country Museum here. And when Sayre became the center of Beckham County's government, the town was on its way.

Finished in 1910, Sayre's courthouse was built on the same design — and the same latitude — as the Washita County Courthouse about 30 miles due west on State Highway 152. Today, it's being refurbished and finally receiving the four clocks originally intended for its tower.

In the early decades of the 20th century, Sayre was a hub of trade and shipping for western Oklahoma. "At one time, it was pretty booming," Ellison said. The town experienced a resurgence with the oil boom of the 1970s, she said, and recent high energy prices have helped, too.

Today, this "good, Christian community" of 4,100, as some describe it, still depends mostly on farming, ranching and energy. In recent years, however, it has suffered the same economic stresses of other western Oklahoma towns. Many downtown businesses remain vacant.

"It's kind of sad," Ellison said. "It really needs some help."

Still, things are looking up, others say. Besides the technology center, Sayre has a branch of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, ground will be broken soon on a new hospital, a private prison south of town has reopened, and there are plans to refurbish the old downtown movie theater into a performance hall. Residents are gearing up for Sayre's fall Hoot & Scoot, the town's big annual festival of music, car shows, food and games.

Business at Gary Coulter's appliance store has risen 10 percent to 25 percent a year for several years.

"There's a lot of money floating around right now," said Coulter, who's also chamber president.

And the trend of people moving from rural areas such as Sayre seems to have reversed.

"You see a lot of double-wides being brought in," he said.

Out here in the dry plains, summers can be brutal, usually 5-10 degrees higher than central Oklahoma, but, as they say, "it's a dry heat." If there's something missing in the Sayre lifestyle, it's the conveniences of the big city. Like most people here, Russell travels to the metropolitan area often for certain services, such as taking the children to a fully equipped dental office.

And shopping, Humble said.

"Everybody likes malls," he said.

But the world comes to Sayre, too. Mike Jones, a specialty salesman from Ardmore, stays in Sayre whenever he's out this way.

"It's quiet, and it's nice," he said.

The allure of old Route 66, which runs right down Main Street, seems only to grow. Bicyclists often can be seen cranking down the "Mother Road," strings of Harleys and other bikers rumble through regularly, and classic car enthusiasts keep coming. A few years back, a group of tourists from Europe filled the Russells' Western Motel, whose classic sign has been featured in magazines as far away as England, owner Russell said. They had 30 handmade British Morgan cars shipped from England to America just to drive Route 66, she said.

Although Interstate 40 diverted most traffic around town, the interstate still provides a steady flow of customers, she said. And whatever it is about Sayre, it has persuaded many people to call it home.

"There's some advantages and some disadvantages," Russell said. "But I like this small town."