Afton is one of the earliest towns in Ottawa County. Afton, Oklahoma was established as a farming community in 1886 and got it's name from the River Afton in Scotland - prominently mentioned in a Robert Burns poem. In the hey-day of Route 66 Afton was a prosperous town, but today the Interstate has taken its toll on this small Oklahoma town. The town of Afton, Oklahoma has seen better days, economically. As with so many Route 66 towns, the decommissioning of Route 66 and the bypassing by Interstate 44 didn't do its commercial life any favors. Besides a flea market or two, the farm co-op, and a small grocery store, there's not much left from the glory days of the town. In 1997, the famous Buffalo Ranch Trading Post closed its doors after the widow of the owner died. This only caused Afton much further decline. Yet the town survives, about 800 people still live there. (Population may still be decreasing.) Submitted by: Steven McGinty

UPDATE:

The old train depot has been torn down for some years now. We did have a movie house at one time.....most of the town has been torn down due to the fact they burned. The First Baptist Church building that stand's to this day was built back in 1931 - Phyllis "Long" Rhodes

Afton train depot
Courtesy Steven McGinty

Gas station
Courtesy Steven McGinty

Afton station before restoration
Courtesy Steven McGinty

Afton station with garage (station is now a museum and the garage is now a vintage car showroom.)
Courtesy Steven McGinty

Looking north on Main Street
Courtesy Steven McGinty

Looking south on Main Street
Courtesy Steven McGinty

Postcard photo of Buffalo Ranch (now torn down and current site of a large travel center.)
Courtesy Steven McGinty

Not very many businesses remain in Afton as seen by these dilapidated and abandoned buildings.
Courtesy Steven McGinty

Clint's Cafe - now burned - facing Route 66.
Courtesy Steven McGinty

The Old Post Office
Courtesy Steven McGinty

An old, crumbling hotel called ACME Courts just west of Afton
Courtesy Steven McGinty