Foyil, Oklahoma: Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park

Folk art environment includes the World's Largest Totem Pole, sculpted out of concrete. Not technically on Route 66, but Mother Road fans have embraced it anyway.

On November 29, 1962, America lost Ed Galloway, its most unusual totem pole builder. Ed was not even part-Native American, and although he was a talented wood-carver, he made his poles out of concrete, rather than wood. His Totem Pole Park in Foyil, Oklahoma, features a 90-foot-high "World's Largest Totem Pole," covered with iconography that has nothing to do with Native Americans living in Oklahoma, but it satisfied Ed. Its purpose, he said, was to remind white Americans that other people had lived here - and also to get people to stop and visit his museum of woodcarving, which featured hundreds of Ed's hand-carved fiddles, none of which was playable.

Amazing folk art in a well kept area, with a large parking lot. Clean bathrooms, too, which was an unexpected bonus. There' a nice gift shop with knowledgeable staff. The lady that we spoke with grew up down the street and told us about what this place was like as it was being built.

This is a very cool stop, especially if you are a history buff. The lady in the gift shop didn't seem to be related to Mr. Galloway, but she sure knew her stuff; and told us about his life aside from the totems. She was open (we went on the 4th of July), so that was neat. She had a guest book that said that people had visited from Hungary and other places around the world within the past two days.

Well, come on down, bring the kids, to the truest original Route 66 icon ever seen; nobody minds that it's on a side road, not the highway itself. These monster tall totem poles are a reminder of days when men were men and gals were Queens. Mr. Galloway fashioned these colorful giants as a legacy gift to his wife. They are located in the middle of nowhere -- and ya just gotta see 'em.