Since the 1940’s, the Meadow Gold sign along the famous Route 66 has been a source of pride for residents of Tulsa and harkens back to the days when Meadow Gold had a formidable market presence . In 2004, the sign was taken apart and put in storage when the building upon which it stood was demolished. 5 years later, its restoration has begun, thanks to private donations and a team a master fabricators:
Famous Route 66 Landmark Returns
BY CHARLES CANTRELL
Associate Editor
Sunday, April 19, 2009Recently randomly stacked around the shop floor of Claude Neon Federal Signs (CNF Signs), among the shiny painted metal boxes holding high-tech, state-of-the-art, computer driven electronic message center signs, were numerous very old, very large, handmade metal and porcelain letters in various stages of deterioration. Arranged correctly they spell “Meadow Gold” and they represent a Tulsa historic treasure.
Tulsans can celebrate, as the sign has been restored and now stands proudly on 11th Street just east of Peoria Avenue, and one mile west of the original location at 11th Street and Lewis Avenue.
The Meadow Gold brand was once the property of Beatrice Food Company. Through a complex series of corporate mergers, acquisitions, sell-offs and bankruptcies, the brand that was once a popular provider of milk and ice cream for the midwestern consumer market slipped into obscurity.