Miami (Oklahoma)

The town is named for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma (the traditional name Myaamia, plural Myaamiaki, comes from an older native term meaning 'downstream people'). In a typical Oklahoman fashion, "Miami" is pronounced mia-muh by the locals. Miami is the capital of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, Peoria Tribe of Indians, Seneca-Cayuga Tribe, and Shawnee Tribe; there are various native-owned businesses, including casinos, in the area.

By car, Miami may be reached by old US 66, US Route 69 or Interstate 44.

• B & B Cab

  phone: +1 918 542-1233
  address: 128 C St NE, Miami 74354
  Local taxi service.

• Pelivan Transit

  phone: +1 918 783-5791
  address: 333 Oak Street, Big Cabin OK 74332-0302
  Rural bus transportation over a wide area from Tulsa northeast to the state boundary.

• Coleman Theatre

  phone: +1 918 540-2425
  address: 103 North Main St.
  Live theatre with elegant Louis XV interior, opened by George L. Coleman Sr. on April 18, 1929 and donated to the City of Miami in 1989. Tours available Tue-Sat.

• Dobson Museum

  phone: +1 918 542-5388
  address: 110 A S.W.
  Ottawa County Historical Society museums cover topics such as Oklahoma artist Charles Banks Wilson, the history of mining in Picher, Texaco marketing memorabilia, native artefacts (including a teepee), military veterans, Mickey Mantle and some of the early sports teams in the area. Miami Garden Club and historical society volunteers maintain the elaborate gardens.

• Route 66 Vintage Iron Motorcycle Museum

  phone: +1 918 542-6170
  address: 128 South Main
  Several vintage motorcycles and abundant motorcycle memorabilia, including a large vintage motorcycle helmet wall. One of the largest private collections of Evel Knievel memorabilia in the world; the centerpiece to this collection is his Snake River Canyon Super Van.

• Miami Nine-Foot Section

  address: starts at E. 130th St. and South 550, rejoined US66 three miles later
  A stretch of original Route 66 in use from 1921-1937 south of Miami is paved only nine feet wide. This segment predates US 66 itself (1926) as it was earlier part of an existing state highway.

• Buffalo Run Casino

  phone: +1 918 542-7140
  address: 1000 Buffalo Run (off Hwy 69A)

• Peoria Ridge Golf Course

  phone: +1 918 542-3805
  address: 10275 South 600 Rd
  18 hole, par 72, slope 127, rating 74.1.

• The Stables Casino

  phone: +1 918 542-7884
  address: 530 H St

Budget

• Charlie's Chicken & BBQ

  phone: +1 918 542-8210
  address: 1527 North Main St

• Hadley's Route 66 Café

  phone: +1 918 542-3955
  address: 1 North Main St

• Puttin'-A-Round

  phone: +1 918 325-8538
  address: 725 North Main, North Miami
  Route 66 burger bar, established Nov 2016 on the site of a short-lived vintage 1960s miniature golf course. Build your own burgers with ⅓ lb fresh beef patties, condiments and fresh vegetables. Hand-cut fries with homemade dipping sauce, frozen custard, Italian ice, chicken strips, BLT sandwiches, chili, 100% beef hot dogs and foot-long corndogs. The restored mini-golf course (18 holes, $2/ball) is planned to re-open in Spring 2017.

• Waylan's Ku-Ku Burger

  phone: +1 918 542-1696
  address: 915 N Main St
  Popular Route 66 retro burger joint, the last location of what was a once-popular 200-store Midwest fast food chain in the 1960s. Food is made-to-order (owner Eugene Waylan usually mans the grill personally) and takes a bit longer to prepare than standard fast-food fare. Ask to hold the ice for fountain drinks, as there is a tendency to put too much ice in and a charge (about $0.27) for refills.

Mid-range

• Golden Gate

  phone: +1 918 542-8223
  address: 2019 N Main St
  Chinese.

• Milagro's Mexican Restaurant

  phone: +1 918 542-1954
  address: 103 East Central St

• Sonic Larco

  phone: +1 918 542-1605
  address: 2111 Denver Harner Dr

• Townsman Restaurant

  phone: +1 918 542-5733
  address: 910 E Steve Owens Blvd

Splurge

• Joses Blue Room Lounge

  phone: +1 918 542-5085
  address: 815 E Central Av
  Bar and tavern.

• R & B Country

  phone: +1 918 540-0023
  address: 111 S Treaty Rd
  Music.

• Buffalo Run Hotel

  phone: +1 918 542-2900
  address: 1366 N. Highway 69A
  Includes Internet, coffee maker, refrigerator and microwave, breakfast. Business facilities and ten-seat executive boardroom, exercise room, indoor pool. Adjacent to namesake casino and restaurants (Joe's Outback Casino, Coleman House Restaurant, Joe's Grill).

• Deluxe Inn & Suites

  phone: +1 918 542-5600
  address: 1307 East Steve Owens Blvd.

• Microtel Inn & Suites

  phone: +1 918 540-3333
  address: 2015 East Steve Owens Blvd

• Super 8

  phone: +1 918 542-3382
  address: 2120 East Steve Owens Blvd

• Townsman Motel

  phone: +1 918 542-6631
  address: 900 East Steve Owens Blvd.
  Seventy rooms. Includes continental breakfast, wi-fi, local calls, outdoor pool, microwave, refrigerators, coffee maker. Pet-friendly hotel (extra fees apply).

Commerce

• Mickey Mantle Field

  address: Commerce High School, 420 East D Street, Commerce OK 74339
  A nine foot tall, 900 pound statue on a 5-foot-tall pedestal commemorates local son and baseball legend Mickey Mantle.

Picher

Founded 1913 after lead and zinc deposits were discovered on leased Quapaw land, Pitcher was once a city of 15,000 (on US 69, bordering Treece, Kansas) which produced lead for bullets for two world wars. Mining ended in 1957; population declined 80-90% in the following decade. 14,000 abandoned mine shafts, 70 million tons of mine tailings, and 36 million tons of mill sand and sludge were left behind, undermining 85% of the city's buildings and contaminating potable water supplies with lead. A 2006 state-sponsored buyout and permanent evacuation were already well underway when, on May 10, 2008, an EF4 tornado killed eight people and cut a mile-wide swath through town. The tornado-damaged structures were never rebuilt.
The 1,000 maps, 500 photos and various artifacts from the Picher Mining Field Museum (N Connell Ave, in the 1926 Tri-State Zinc and Lead Ore Producers Association office) were moved to the Baxter Springs Historical Society Museum in 2008. The city hall was closed and its archives turned over to the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami in 2010. Most buildings were torn down in 2011. The town disincorporated and disappeared from maps in 2013. In 2014, six residents remained. An arsonist burned the empty, abandoned mining museum to the ground on April 14, 2015. Old Miner's Pharmacy, the last remaining business, died when its proprietor Gary Linderman (Sept. 8, 1954-June 6, 2015) gave up the ghost after a sudden illness.
While most buildings were demolished, a few still stand - mostly as ruins. An abandoned Catholic church, a ruined pool hall, an auction house, a building where mining equipment was sold and a small collection of homes are all slowly deteriorating.