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Oklahoma City Buries Route 66 Time Capsule With 1,000+ Messages for 2126
Oklahoma City marked Route 66's centennial by sealing a time capsule at the Kicks 66 sculpture, filled with more than 1,000 postcards from residents across 30 states and 12 countries, to be opened in 2126.
Oklahoma City residents will have to wait a century to read what their neighbors wanted to tell them. On Thursday, the city sealed and buried a time capsule at the Kicks 66 sculpture, capping a Route 66 centennial celebration with more than 1,000 postcards addressed to future generations. The capsule is scheduled to be opened in 2126, on the highway's 200th birthday.
The project was designed to let ordinary residents shape the legacy, not just officials and artists. "We wanted the people of the city to participate in this as well," said Cameron Eagle, the artist who designed the sculpture.
The idea originated with Eagle's son, Danny, and grew well beyond its original Route 66 focus. "It was initially kind of about Route 66, but it transcended that way, way farther than words, sentences," Eagle said, watching the project take shape with his family present.
Contributions arrived from across Oklahoma, more than 30 states and 12 countries, creating a wide-ranging snapshot of life in 2026. Phyllis Eagle, Cameron's wife, said she expects the collection to gain meaning over time. "I think it's just going to get better and better and better," she said.
Danny Eagle offered his own message for the Oklahomans of 2126. "I think in 100 years, if it's not already, I think Oklahoma City will look like the best city in the world," he said.
The centennial has prompted public art and commemorations across the metro. A giant cowboy boot sculpture was lit as part of the anniversary, and in Bethany, a "Landmark of Hope" is taking shape along the route ahead of the celebration.
Route 66 runs more miles through Oklahoma than any other state, making the highway a central thread in the region's identity. The time capsule turns that history forward, asking residents to imagine what their city will become and to leave a record of who they were when the road turned 100.