Entering Baxter Springs, Kansas on Historic Route 66, the Route will turn east onto 3rd Street and return to US-69 Alternate. now named Military Avenue. Turn right as the two roads remain the same through the Baxter Springs business district and most of the way to the State Line.

In downtown Baxter Springs along Route 66, you will find small plaques explaining the history of the buildings which include banks and businesses robbed by such infamous robbers as Bonny & Clyde, Henry Star, Jesse James and Cole Younger. 

One of those banking buildings was the Cafe on the Route , a very nice little restaurant which was featured on the TV show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2007. It closed in 2013, was remolded and reopened by new owners in 2014 and (apparently) closed permanently in 2015

Across the Historic Route 66 to the north is a full size mural of the longhorn cattle drive. Bilke's Western Museum occupied the second floor of this building for many years, but has permanently closed. And across Route 66 is the former location of Bill Murphey's Restaurant; this building housed a bank robbed by Jesse James and Cole Younger in 1876.

LL-6/10 copyright 2007-2020 by Keith Stokes