Route 66 Murals in Cuba, Missouri

Cuba, Missouri is known as the town “where art meets history” and you can see the spirit of that moniker on nearly every street corner. The Route 66 murals in Cuba depict historic scenes with both local and national themes. Created starting in 2001, the public art in this “Route 66 Mural City” memorializes celebrity visits from Harry S. Truman, Amelia Earhart and Bette Davis; revisits the Civil War; and celebrates the golden age of travel on The Mother Road. You can learn more about the murals here.

Greetings From Cuba. This life-sized postcard highlights unique landmarks, murals, and local industry in Cuba. Postcards were popular souvenirs along Route 66 during the peak of the Mother Road acclaim. October 2003. — Greetings From Cuba. This life-sized postcard highlights unique landmarks, murals, and local industry in Cuba. Postcards were popular souvenirs along Route 66 during the peak of the Mother Road acclaim. October 2023.

Academy Award winning actress Bette Davis stayed at the Southern Hotel in Cuba in November, 1948. A photographer snapped their photo against their will and was chased by Davis’s husband. He got away and the photo appeared in the Cuba News and Review. (Cuba Free Press Building, E. Washington) (artist: Ray Harvey)

This mural depicts Al West Sr. who served as mayor of Cuba from 1946-1958 and was credited with modernizing the city by paving and lighting the town’s streets, extending the water and sewer systems, and purchasing the electrical system. (E. Washington) (Artists: from the Whitesitt Group in St. Louis, MO)

On September 4, 1928 Amelia Earhart made a forced emergency landing in Cuba. (Ryle’s Carwash, West Washington on Route 66) (artist: Shelly Smith Steiger and Julie Balogh Brand)

The Gold Star Boys on the “Blue Bonnet” train that transported soldiers during WWII. (Washington and Filmore)

Local banker A.J. Barnett who owned Cuba’s first Model T. (Washington and Buchanan)

Osage Meeting in Missouri
The Osage were early inhabitants in this region, with whom the French cultivated strong trade relations. The trails established by the Osage eventually became Route 66 & I-44.

The Rescue at Leasburg (artist: Don Gray. text: Julie Nixon Krovicka)

Route 66 Mural City in Cuba, Missouri - Viva Cuba’s Civil War mural depicting the Battle of the Huzzah and Confederates in Cuba (artist: Don Gray. text: Julie Nixon Krovicka) — Route 66 Mural City in Cuba, Missouri – Viva Cuba’s Civil War mural depicting the Battle of the Huzzah and Confederates in Cuba (artist: Don Gray. text: Julie Nixon Krovicka)

A mural depicting Senator Harry Truman, and the Homecoming Fair he attended in the area, who campaigned for reelection in Cuba in 1940. (artist: Jay Ferger)

The Roberts-Judson Millworks mural recreates the look of the 1948 lumber, custom woodworking, and sheet metal production business. (N. Smith Street) (artist: Shelly Smith Steiger and Julie Balogh Brand )

Apples and Barrels. Viva Cuba's second mural depicts on of the town's my fascinating eras, 1895-1920. During that brief period, the apple was king. By 1900, Cuba was the largest producer, processor, and distributor of apples in the state of Missouri. Closely related to this was the barrel industry; quality apples were shipped by train in barrels. The early apple orchards that surrounded Cuba are long gone, but barrel-making remains one of our most stable enterprises. The people portrayed in the mural represent Cuba families known to have been a part of the apple industry. September 2001 — Apples and Barrels. Viva Cuba’s second mural depicts on of the town’s my fascinating eras, 1895-1920. During that brief period, the apple was king. By 1900, Cuba was the largest producer, processor, and distributor of apples in the state of Missouri. Closely related to this was the barrel industry; quality apples were shipped by train in barrels. The early apple orchards that surrounded Cuba are long gone, but barrel-making remains one of our most stable enterprises. The people portrayed in the mural represent Cuba families known to have been a part of the apple industry. September 2001

A Day in the Cooperage
In 2018, the McGinnis family celebrates 50 years in the barrel making business. They started in Cuba, Missouri with a small stave mill. In the 1980s, they began producing quality wine and whiskey barrels. Today, they sell barrels worldwide from logs purchased within a 100-mile radius of Cuba, August 2017

Prosperity Corner was the place in Cuba to meet and greet, do business, or pass the time in the 1900s. Originally part of H.H. Tieman’s General Merchandise Store, today the mural showcases scenes from that time period on the side of modern day Hayes Shoe Store. (E. Washington) (artist: Kelly Poling)

Route 66 Mural City in Cuba, Missouri - History at the 4-Way Mural (Hwy. 19 and Rt. 66) (artist: Ray Harvey) — Route 66 Mural City in Cuba, Missouri – History at the 4-Way Mural (Hwy. 19 and Rt. 66) (artist: Ray Harvey)

Photos of the Route 66 Murals in Cuba, Missouri

I’ve visited Cuba to explore the Mural City twice: once on a Missouri road trip in 2009 and again on a Route 66 road trip in 2024. Here are photos of the murals from now and then.

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

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Greetings from Cuba postcard mural in Cuba, Missouri on Route 66

Plan Your Missouri Road Trip

Hitting the road in Missouri to check out Route 66 Murals and all the quirky, can't-miss roadside attractions the Show-Me State has to offer? Get your adventure in gear with these fantastic road trip resources, planning guides, and Route 66 road trip planners. Because every unforgettable journey deserves a little prep and a whole lot of roadside magic!