Clanton’s Cafe

By Mike Vieira Photographs by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66

Oklahoma is often thought of as the birthplace of Route 66, because Tulsa businessman and state highway commissioner, Cyrus Avery, spearheaded the effort to create a national highway system in 1926. A major focus of his efforts was defining a route from Chicago to

Los Angeles that would bring travelers through his home state, and coincidentally, past his own filling station and restaurant in Tulsa. Not surprisingly, the new U.S. Highway 66 would eventually prove to be a major catalyst for roadside eateries. And just as Oklahoma is known for Avery, the state’s second-oldest town, Vinita, in the state’s Green

Country region, is renowned for the longest-running family restaurant in the state—Clanton’s Cafe on Route 66.

In 1927, the year after U.S. Highway 66 was designated,

Grant “Sweet Tator” Clanton walked out to the street corner in peaceful Vinita and started banging a large pot with a spoon to let folks know it was time for lunch at his cafe. It’s doubtful he imagined that nearly a century later, his family restaurant, on the old travel corridor of Route 66, would still be going strong under the guidance of his great-granddaughter and her husband. And certainly, he couldn’t have imagined that it would be attracting customers from across the country and all around the world due in part to the family eatery being featured on something called television. But what Sweet Tator began, became a legacy, of welcoming both locals and travelers to partake of tasty, home-cooked food—one that is still tended by Clanton family members today.

From Potatoes to the Busy Bee

In the 1920s, Grant’s potato farming business in Craig County was struggling, and he had a family to feed. That’s when he decided to head into town and open up a restaurant called the “Busy Bee,” where he would make and sell stews and soups. His method of alerting customers that the food was ready was apparently quite effective, as hungry locals would stop their work, close their businesses, and head to the cafe for one of his delicious meals.

Samuel Ulysses Grant “Sweet Tator” Clanton was not only a farmer, a restaurateur, and a rather clever promoter, he was also a family man. Grant was one of a dozen siblings (if you included a handful of half-siblings), and during his lifetime, he had three wives (Annie, Fannie, and Anna) and produced nine children.

A few years after the Busy Bee opened, one of Sweet Tator’s sons, Cleve, and daughter-in-law, Verda Rose—known as “Ma”—took over the restaurant operation at 120 W. Canadian Avenue and renamed it “Clanton’s.” But in 1947, they built a new one-story building around the corner and just a few blocks away on Illinois Street—still on Route 66—and moved the restaurant business there. Clanton’s has remained at that location ever since, while the original “Busy Bee” site is now RCB Bank.

Sweet Tator didn’t live quite long enough to see the new cafe building. At the age of 72, he died in December 1943, leaving his business in the capable hands of his descendants. After his hard-working, busy life, his gravestone proclaimed “at rest.”

Generations

In the late 1950s, Cleve and Ma were approaching age 60, and Cleve had a little more farming and ranching to do, so their two sons, Argene and Tommy, took over the reins. Argene had served in the U.S. Navy during World War II; after he came home to Oklahoma in 1946, he never left the state again. Tommy, nine years younger than his brother, was too young to serve in World War II but had served in the Oklahoma National Guard for eight years. Argene and his family moved into the house behind Clanton’s Cafe, his parents—Cleve and Ma—moved out of the house and out to Argene’s home on the farm. It wasn’t long before Argene also bought the service station next to the cafe.

A usual busy day at Clanton’s Cafe.

But in the late 1960s, their sister, Cleve Ellen “Aunt Leftie” Clanton bought her brothers out. Argene moved on to operate a truck stop at Big Cabin for 17 years, and Tommy left the business, but not for long. In 1978, Tommy decided he wanted back in, and with his wife Linda, bought out Aunt Leftie. During their tenure, the cafe flourished and expanded with the addition of the Peach Tree Room for more dining space during busy times and to serve as a private room for parties and catered events.

In 1997, after nearly twenty years of toil in Clanton’s, Tommy and Linda decided it was time for retirement. They called upon their daughter Melissa and her husband, Dennis Patrick, to move from their home in Colorado to Vinita, to take over ownership and operation of the restaurant. “It was an offer we couldn’t refuse,” Dennis said. Melissa had grown up working in Clanton’s, and would even spend time working there when the family would go back to visit Vinita. She also worked at various restaurants during college, so her heart was clearly in the business. Although not officially in the restaurant business at the time of the offer, she had kept her customer service and organizational skills honed as a meeting planner and travel agent for a large company. Dennis, a Colorado native, had many years of experience in managing other restaurants, including running five Black-Eyed Pea locations for Colorado Restaurant Management.

With their busy lives in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas, the idea of leaving heavy traffic behind for the slower pace of small town life appealed to Melissa and Dennis. However, with their prior experience, they also knew the hectic nature of running a restaurant wasn’t exactly going to be relaxing. And so they gave themselves a timeframe: “We decided to give it a try for five years, with the intent of kicking things up a notch or two, even though the business had already been successful for many years.” said Dennis.

Fast forward twenty-five years later, both Melissa and Dennis are at the restaurant pretty much every day, and both work whatever jobs need to be done, from cooking, to ordering, to washing dishes, just as generations of earlier

Clantons have done. As if the regular restaurant operation that keeps Clanton’s so busy isn’t enough, they also offer catering service for special events of up to 900 people, with standard or customized menu items.

A Quirk in the Menu

Generations-old recipes for some of the restaurant’s staple dishes have also remained through the years. “We’ve obviously upgraded and put more emphasis on healthier things like salads and fish that we’ve added to the menu,” Dennis said. “But the basics, the chicken fried steak, chicken and dressing, and the things that made Clanton’s, Clanton’s, are the same. We’re using the same recipes that we’ve used from the 1930s on. We like to keep that originality that’s put us in the spotlight today.” That means lots of old-fashioned, scratch-made items that have kept local, Vinita-area customers, as well as travelers, coming back, year after year. The breakfast, lunch, and dinner trade is pretty evenly split for Clanton’s, keeping them busy from the time they open the doors in the morning until the last diner leaves at night.

One rather unusual item on the menu that has gained acclaim for Clanton’s are its Calf Fries, inspired by Vinita’s annual Calf Fry Festival & Cook-Off that started in 1979. In fact, Vinita is the self-proclaimed “Calf Fry Capital of the World,” and the Cook-Off sees teams competing for the “People’s Choice Award,” picked by festival-goers, and being chosen the favorite by a panel of celebrity judges. “When the cowboys were doing their branding, they’d cut off the calves’ testicles to stabilize the breed, so they could have the kind of cattle they wanted. When they finished, they’d throw the testicles into the fire, and when they popped open, they’d eat the meat out of them. That’s how it started years and years ago,” explained Dennis. Today, Clanton’s prepares approximately 20 to 30 pounds of calf fries per week, but rather than simply throwing them into the fire like the cowboys did, they are breaded, flash-fried, and served with dipping sauce. The meat on its own is more of a textural treat, as it doesn’t have a particularly distinctive flavor.

The current dipping sauce—the Guy Sauce—itself has its own story. “Guy Fieri came up with it when he was here with his television show, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” Dennis relayed. “He was eating the calf fries, and said, ‘Dennis, these need a sauce of their own.’ I said, ‘Guy, you’re the chef, help me out here.’ So he went back in the kitchen, and about a half hour later, he came out and said, ‘Here, I found it. Here it is.’ We’ve been using it ever since.”

While the calf fries do have many dedicated fans, and travelers often stop in to check this special treat off their bucket lists, many people are reluctant to try them. Dennis works to remedy that by taking samples out for diners to try. After enjoying them, when told what they are, the customers sometimes react by saying, “Oh, no!” Clanton’s has showcased the distinctive item more and more since Dennis and Melissa have been at the helm, and particularly since Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives featured them.

“I tell people to take a picture of themselves eating a calf fry, and send it back to their friends in New York, or wherever, and show them how tough they are,” Dennis said. “It added to the uniqueness of what Clanton’s is all about. It’s a fun thing, and we focus on doing it really well. I tell my staff, ‘we’re only as good as our last chicken fry,’ so we need to make sure we don’t rest on our laurels.” People are still looking for that “Mom and Pop” restaurant experience, even though those businesses are gradually fading away, and Clanton’s stands ready to offer that old-fashioned hospitality and tradition that’s so often missing today. In addition to their very loyal customer base of local residents, Clanton’s has seen a big uptick in heritage tourists from every corner of the globe, making their northeast Oklahoma eatery a must-see stop on their journeys along the Mother Road.

“Route 66 is well known for its charm, from local shops to diners to unique roadside attractions,” said Rhys Martin, Oklahoma Route 66 Association President. “Clanton’s Cafe is a wonderful example of that charm in action today, just like it was when they originally opened their doors in 1927.”

Not only has Clanton’s been a family-run business since its start, but their staff are regarded as family as well. “We really try to be considerate, and really try to be a family. Most everyone has been with us for several years, and we have one lady that’s been here for forty-seven years. We’ve been really fortunate that people have stayed with us, especially in these times.” added Dennis.

Like so many other businesses during the last couple years, Clanton’s was forced to shut down before gradually opening back up to a normal operating mode. Business is better than ever now, and tourism along Route 66 has returned to previous levels. “During the worst time, obviously, we didn’t get any of the international people, but we got a tremendous number of people from the United States who were traveling. They couldn’t go overseas, so they were doing Route 66, and we had people from states all over the country come in,” Dennis said. “That’s still going on, but now we’re also seeing a resurgence from overseas. Just this past week, we’ve had people from Ireland, Scotland, and New Zealand. It’s really neat to be able to talk to these people, and they say they’re doing Route 66 because it’s Americana, it’s what the real America is.”

Into the Future

Even though the Clanton family no longer stands on the street corner banging pots to attract business, the big “EAT” sign still attracts eager diners, ready for one of their meals. Dennis and Melissa have two sons—the fifth generation of Clantons—who are currently working at the business, assuring that Clanton’s will be around and in the family’s hands for many years to come.

“The food is great; that’s a given for any long-established eatery. But it’s the people that operate it that gives it that special flavor,” said Martin, “Whenever I stop in for a chicken-fried steak, Dennis and his staff are welcoming. When they ask me how I’m doing, they are really asking, not just mentally checking off a box. They know their regulars by name and love to trade stories. There’s a connection that isn’t replicated in a cookie-cutter restaurant on the interstate. That’s what people on Route 66 want to experience and it’s something Clanton’s has perfected over their decades of service.”

There’s friendliness. Hospitality. And great food. And that’s Clanton’s promise.

The Oldest Church in the Country

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Local legend has it that if you ring the bell of San Miguel Chapel, you will return to Santa Fe. And, as Dave Blackman, the previous director of San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, puts it: “If you don’t want to come back to Santa Fe, don’t ring the bell.”

However, there are plenty of reasons for wanting to return to Santa Fe. As one of the oldest cities in the United States, there are not many places in the country that hold as rich and deep a history as the City Different. It was founded by the Spanish in 1610, and along with its birth came the establishment of the San Miguel Chapel, rightly known as the oldest Catholic church in the United States.

This ancient church sits on the Old Santa Fe Trail, the predecessor to Route 66 in Santa Fe, in the Barrio de Analco, a national historic district, just steps from the historic plaza. Oral history suggests that it was built by indigenous Mexican Tlaxcalans (Tas-cal’-en) under the direction of Franciscan priests, but documented evidence only appeared in 1628 where it was referred to as the “Hermita de San Miguel” (military chapel).

Over its 400-year-old existence, the chapel, which in its early life served as a sanctuary for Spanish soldiers, laborers, and Tlaxcalan Indians, experienced a number of challenges from which it was rebuilt and restored several times over. Most significantly, during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, when it was partially burned down. The chapel was then rebuilt in 1710 after the Spanish recapture of Santa Fe, and it is this structural frame that we know today as the San Miguel Chapel.

As the oldest church in the country, the chapel itself is a sight to behold. The exterior adobe walls are a light tan color with a simple white cross atop it. The quiet courtyard is serene, setting a peaceful tone that embodies the sense of being on hallowed ground. Inside, old hand-crafted wooden beams support the choir loft, a remnant from the 1710 reconstruction of the church. Wooden pews line both sides of the room, and beautiful pieces of art adorn the walls. At the front of the chapel is the 1798 reredos, an intricately carved and painted altar screen, considered by some to be the oldest reredos in New Mexico.

And then, of course, there’s the mysterious, magical bell. “The history of the San Jose Bell is questionable—there are not a lot of written records, and it involves many different possible stories of origin of how it traveled to Santa Fe,” said Laurianne Fiorentino, the current director of the chapel.

One of these colorful stories tells that the bell was cast in Spain in 1356, during the battle with the Moors, and faithful Believers donated their gold and silver to be added to the alloy melting pot, giving the bell its unique sound. Legend has it that during the 17th Century, the bell was transported from Spain to Santa Fe by ship and was installed at the chapel after the Pueblo Revolt. “There’s a date on the bell. And the date on the bell looks like it could be 1356 or 1856. The challenge has been: was that eight changed to a three? Was that three changed to an eight?” added Fiorentino. There are multiple arguments behind both sides and no clear answer as to which is correct. The 798-pound bell is said to have been added to the San Miguel Chapel’s threetiered bell tower in 1856, but a violent storm brought down the bell tower and the bell was moved inside the church where it now sits. The chapel has undergone various restorations and repairs: a 1955 restoration effort uncovered the original dirt floor and sanctuary steps plus human remains and pieces of pottery. This has been made possible through local and global community efforts, with a single goal of preserving its treasured history. “When people ask me, ‘How does a church survive for 400 years?’ What I tell them is, ‘It’s basically because of you and me doing small things over a long period of time. That’s how we preserve this building,’” said Blackman.

Currently, the San Miguel Chapel is not offering scheduled Sunday masses, although there are regular daily visiting hours. But more than that, it’s a place for people to travel into the past through an engaging and beautiful medley of culture, art, and faith. If people don’t lose sight of the magnitude of its importance, it will remain steady and present for many generations to come.

America’s Destination

Much has changed in the nearly 60 years since artist Edward Ruscha published his book Twentysix Gasoline Stations. In it, Ruscha provided photos from a Route 66 road trip, his subjects being the mid-century service stations that by then were at seemingly every major intersection.

By the early 1960s, gas stations had become part and parcel of American car culture, and it was a time when mom-and-pop family-owned operations dotted the landscape. You couldn’t have one without the other, and Ruscha sought to capture both the stations and as much of the context as he could.

Today, these have been largely replaced by corporately owned convenience stores and sprawling truck stops and travel centers. The roster changes as companies ebb and flow, but there is one chain that has made significant strides of late to expand its footprint along the western portion of Route 66 and throughout the intermountain west.

Maverik, headquartered in Salt Lake City, is working hard to make its presence known on the Mother Road. With nearly 400 locations in 12 western states, it now boasts shops in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Lunas, and Gallup in New Mexico, and Holbrook, Winslow, Flagstaff, Williams, and Kingman in Arizona. All are Route 66 towns on one of the highway’s alignments or another, for a total of 20 in the two states. And the company continues to grow.

The chain’s tag line—Adventure’s First Stop—is consistent with the ethos of Route 66 travel and road trippers everywhere. As the company continues to add new stores, it is increasingly likely that those following 66 will be doing their fueling and resupplying at a Maverik.

It all started in 1928 when Reuel Call opened a tiny gas station in Afton, Wyoming, at the age of 20, although the Maverik name did not come about immediately. Afton is located between Jackson and Evanston, and its location on U.S. 89 ensured a steady stream of tourists headed to the National Parks.

Call sold Sinclair gas early on, a brand popular in the region, and his success led to a growing number of stores. “By the 1950s, he wanted to do things his own way and have his own brand,” said Chuck Maggelet, current President and Chief Adventure Guide of Maverik. “He identified with the popular TV show Maverick and developed Maverik Country Stores. For the next 50 years he operated his chain out of Afton.”

The brand continued to grow, building even larger stores that offered a variety of items, especially those that folks on an adventure would need. While their current store line-up consists largely of units in the 3,500-4,500-square foot range in smaller markets, it has a couple of 6,000-square foot stores in new larger markets.

The chain grew to 200 stores early this century. “By the early 2000s, the management team, headed by Mike Call and Brad Call (Reuel’s grandsons) were looking for a way to differentiate themselves. They came up with this idea of Adventure’s First Stop,” Maggelet continued. “Why not make our stores feel like a little slice of adventure with every customers’ interaction?”

In December 2012, though, a major change in the history of the company—still in the hands then of Reuel’s family heirs—occurred. They sold the entire chain to FJ Management Inc., a holding company with interests in convenience stores, travel plazas, hotels, crude refining and banking. This entity now owns Maverik, and has grown to include Senior Living facilities among other organizations. As for Maggelet, he and his wife Crystal headed up Flying J before moving over to Maverik. There’s a familial thread running through all of this, though, because Flying J was founded by his father-in-law Jay Call, the nephew of Reuel Call. Crystal is the great niece of Reuel, and she heads up FJ Management today. It’s a true family affair.

The company is excited about being on the Mother Road, too. “We think it’s a super cool story that Route 66 has to offer, and we will continue to look for more opportunities to serve customers up with their next adventure,” Maggelet said optimistically.

In an odd twist of fate, these two separate family enterprises wound up being one big family business, even after all of the changes that transpired. If Ruscha was photographing gas stations today, the appearances might be very different, but he could still find that mom-and-pop presence in the west.

Just like 60 years ago.

History. Heritage. Craft CULTURE. The Great Outdoors. Your Ticket to the Wild West.

The world comes out west expecting to see cowboys driving horses through the streets of downtown; pronghorn butting heads on windswept bluffs; clouds encircling the towering pinnacles of the Cloud Peak Wilderness; and endless expanses of wild, open country. These are some of the fibers that have been stitched together over time to create the patchwork quilt of Sheridan County’s identity, each part and parcel to the Wyoming experience. Toss in a historic downtown district, with western allure, hospitality and good graces to spare; a vibrant art scene; bombastic craft culture; a robust festival and events calendar; small town charm from one historic outpost to the next; and living history on every corner, and you have a golden ticket to the adventure of a lifetime.