Oklahoma’s Next Roadside Attraction 

In May, Oklahoma City will be looking “mighty pretty” with a new Route 66 art piece—and a “world’s tallest” record to boot. A three-story red neon cowboy boot. 

Sixty artists worldwide submitted proposals for a permanent sculpture commissioned by Oklahoma City via MAPS4 for the Route 66 Centennial. The requirements were simple: Include musical notes and the phrase “Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty,” as a nod to the 1946 Bobby Troup song made popular by Nat King Cole. The designer who best captured the Okie spirit was Oklahoma City artist Cameron Eagle. 

“I grew up on Route 66. My high school was on Route 66. I cruised it. I vacationed on it. My grandad helped build it, and my family farm was divided in half by it,” Eagle said. “Route 66 is deeply ingrained into my life.” 

The Boot’s A-Team 

Eagle has built large-scale props and one-of-a-kind spaces for museums, restaurants, and attractions. A self-proclaimed “big kid” who draws cartoons and collects neon signs, he adds humor and history to his projects. 

Eagle’s boot design reflects his nostalgia for 1950s Las Vegas-style signs. He commissioned fellow neon-sign enthusiast Jim Gleason of G&S Sign Services to fabricate the boot. Gleason, an Edmond resident, is a third-generation sign builder who specializes in custom signs and recently helped Eagle build a Route 66 sign for Luther, OK. 

Despite early challenges about the boot’s location, its home will be on the property of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, visible from both Interstate 44 and Route 66. 

For a year, Eagle and Gleason have worked together almost seven days a week on the boot, with help from family members and about 35 employees. Gleason’s goal was to engineer the boot to last 100 years with an interior structure of thick steel covered in aluminum. Instead of neon tubing, LED lighting is tucked behind acrylic to withstand Oklahoma’s weather. 

Oklahoma Exclusive 

During engineering, Gleason wondered if they were building the world’s tallest boot. “Ours was 35 feet tall, but I found a boot in Texas that is 35 feet, 3 inches. Now…ours is 35 feet, 4 inches tall.” 

“What we’re building here is the Oklahoma Statue of Liberty!” Eagle said with a laugh. “It’s so big, it even has its own address: 1866 NE 63rd.” 

“The cactus, alone, is 24 feet tall,” Gleason added. “And in case you are wondering, prickly pears are native to Oklahoma.” 

The boot’s design has some less-obvious features that are meaningful to Eagle. “The boot’s color is 1966 Ferrari red,” Eagle said. “The top of the boot has a V feature, a visual reference to an Eagle’s wings—a nod to me and my son, Danny Eagle, who’s been a major designer on the boot.” 

The boot’s ribbon-cutting and musical performance by Eagle’s daughter, Mallory, is scheduled for late spring 2026. Eagle and Gleason are already working on their next project: a neon sign park at the Oklahoma History Center. Gleason is overseeing the restoration of historic signs, many from their personal collections. 

“We feel so fortunate to work on these unique projects that we love,” Gleason said. 

“The boot is meant to be fun. To make people smile. Old Route 66 was a road you traveled without having to buy anything. The smiles were free,” Eagle said. “I can’t wait for the next generation of travelers to pull over to see the largest boot in the world! Isn’t that cool?” 

To learn more, go to inkranchinc.com.