Britton is a former town in

Oklahoma County Oklahoma County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 796,292, making it the most populous county in Oklahoma. The county seat is Oklahoma City, the state capital and ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, United States, annexed by

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

in 1950. The

GNIS The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the associated states of the Marshal ...

classifies it as a populated place. Britton, founded in 1889, bears the name of

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

railroad attorney, Alexander Britton, who worked for the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

. As part of its charter allowing a railroad to be built through Oklahoma, the United States required the construction of railway stations every seven miles. The first site north of Oklahoma City became the town of Britton. Britton's altitude is 1,220 feet above sea level and is the highest point on the Santa Fe Railroad between

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

, Missouri and

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

, Texas. Through the efforts of Oklahoma City developers Anton H. Classen and John Wilford Shartel, Britton was connected in 1910 to Oklahoma City through the Oklahoma Railway Company's Interurban, which ran on north to Guthrie. During its early years, the town thrived and was home to two movie theaters, gas stations, a drug store, a lumberyard, medical clinics and retail businesses. Before its annexation by Oklahoma City in 1950, Britton's main street offered a shopping point for its 6,000 residents. Between March 3, 1936 and March 2, 1953,

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

passed directly through downtown Britton and was the major conduit through which Route 66 travelers made their way through Oklahoma City ''en route'' to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The Owl Courts motel, one of Oklahoma City's oldest surviving 1930s era Route 66 motels, was built in the former town of Britton.

References

Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Former populated places in Oklahoma {{Oklahoma-geo-stub