Eat Sign (Gone)
Claremore, OK
Photo courtesy Charles Brock

Competing for your attention as you travel down the highway are signs of every sort. Some advertise lodging, others point you toward a roadside attraction, and plenty of them simply let you know it's time to eat. Here's one such sign, found just off Route 66 in Claremore.

Simple "EAT" signs like this became a roadside staple during America's postwar travel boom. You didn't need a flashy logo or a long message—just three big letters that could be read from a speeding car. This tall arrow-shaped sign did exactly what it was designed to do: point hungry travelers toward the diner waiting below.

As interstate highways bypassed small towns and many independent cafes disappeared, signs like this became increasingly rare. Today they serve as reminders of a time when Route 66 was lined with family-owned restaurants competing for the next customer to pull off the highway. 08-17

UPDATE: This longtime Route 66 landmark was removed in March 2015 after decades of service. According to the company that dismantled it, years of weather exposure and deferred maintenance had left the structure unsafe to remain standing. Although preservation options were reportedly considered, the sign's ultimate fate is unknown. Fortunately, photographs like this preserve one more piece of Claremore's roadside history. 06-26

Colvert's Dairy (Gone)
Ardmore, OK
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Here's an old marquee for Colvert's Dairy in Ardmore. Looks like this roadside sign has certainly withstood the test of time.

Colvert Dairy Products was founded in 1918 and became a familiar name across southern Oklahoma. After opening the region's first milk pasteurizing plant in 1928, the company grew into one of Ardmore's leading dairy producers. During a mid-century modernization of the Washington Street plant, this towering roadside sign was installed to advertise the company's milk and ice cream.

Even after the dairy closed, the sign remained standing for decades, becoming one of the last reminders of a business that had served the community for generations. It's a great example of the oversized roadside advertising that once greeted motorists entering towns across Oklahoma. 08-17

UPDATE: The old dairy plant was demolished in 2017 after years of deterioration, but the 60-foot Colvert's Dairy sign was carefully saved before demolition began. Today it has been preserved by the Greater Southwest Historical Museum in Ardmore, ensuring this longtime local landmark survives even though the dairy itself is gone. 06-26

Skateland
Shawnee, OK
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Check out the Googie marquee for Skateland in Shawnee. With its colorful geometric shapes and bold mid-century styling, it's the kind of sign that was made to catch your eye from the road. Even before you stepped inside, you knew you were in for a good time.

Roller skating rinks became popular gathering places during the 1950s and '60s, and many were built with flashy Space Age architecture to match the era. Skateland's sign is a great example of that style, using bright colors and dramatic angles to stand out from everything around it.

It's always great to see an old-time skating rink surviving the times. While so many have disappeared over the years, this one continues to welcome a new generation of skaters beneath the same memorable marquee. 08-17

UPDATE: Shawnee Skateland remains open and continues to serve the community from its longtime home. Better yet, the colorful Googie marquee still stands out front, making it one of Oklahoma's best surviving examples of mid-century skating rink architecture. 06-26

Colonial Bread
Des Moines, IA
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

This huge rooftop sign for Colonial Bread has been a familiar part of the Des Moines skyline for decades. Sitting atop the company's 1939 bakery building near 2nd Avenue and University Avenue, the towering sign invited motorists with its memorable slogan: "Colonial is good bread. Try it!"

For many local kids, the bakery was more than just a place that made bread. School field trips to the plant became a rite of passage, with students watching fresh loaves move through the assembly line before heading home with a warm miniature loaf of their own. It's a memory that many Des Moines residents still talk about today.

Even after the ovens cooled, the giant rooftop sign remained one of the city's best-known industrial landmarks, reminding people of a time when local bakeries were part of everyday neighborhood life. 08-17

UPDATE: The bakery closed in 2001, but both the building and its iconic rooftop sign were saved. Today the former bakery serves as a central production kitchen for the Des Moines Public Schools, while the historic sign continues to overlook the neighborhood. Although the neon no longer lights up, the landmark remains one of the city's best-known surviving rooftop signs. 06-26

Men's Club
Chickasha, OK
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Here's an interesting sign out front of the Men's Club in Chickasha. Check out the detail on the pool player and table, with the shooter leaning in and lining up his shot. This sign has some similarities to a pool hall sign out in Arizona.

The building had an earlier life as the Midwest Theater before later becoming the Men's Club snooker parlor. By the early 1960s, this animated neon sign was out front, showing the pool player's arm and cue lighting in sequence. That's the kind of roadside detail you don't see much anymore.

Pool halls were once common fixtures in downtown districts, and a sign like this did more than announce the business. It gave the place a little personality before you even walked through the door. 08-17

UPDATE: The Men's Club is no longer in business, and the old building and sign were gone by 2016. The sign was reportedly saved and placed into storage, though its current location is not publicly confirmed. Fortunately, photos like this preserve one of Chickasha's most memorable neon signs. 06-26