Lowell Davis and Red Oaks

Route 66 Missouri has been packed, with kitsch, fascinating history and Americana! We’ve moved quickly, but leave Missouri, feeling encouraged by the kindness of others, reminiscent of times that have past, patriotic and thankful for our country’s history….much the way we hope to feel at the very end of this summer odyssey. ~Meg

Hi. This trip was very exciting! We went to Red Oaks II. It was the coolest thing to see!

Red Oaks II is a town that was recreated by this neat man. His name is Lowell Davis. Mr Davis is a folk artist who draws, paints, sculpts and creates unique art that reminds us of how America used to be. He is the best artist that I have ever seen.

The original Red Oaks was the town Lowell Davis grew up in. As an adult, he moved away and became very successful with his art. When he returned to his hometown, he realized that many of the familiar old buildings that he grew up around, were being torn down. He made a decision to try and salvage what he could of the history and character of the town. Since he is an artist, he (and donors) bought up every old building they could and moved the buildings to his property about 25 miles south of the original town. He began the process of restoring them and added more of his personality to the town through quirky sculptures and art installations.

His sculptures and other touches are seen throughout his property. Below is the gate leading to his house. He lives in the old house of a famous female outlaw. Can you guess who it is by the clues on the gate? (see link below)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Starr

Even the rocky pathways were full of interesting metal pieces like, old pistols, spoons and forks.

Red Oaks II is basically like a town, but Lowell Davis lives there with his friends. We spent hours in that town looking at all the old buildings. It felt like we were living in a different time, a long time ago.

We actually got to meet Mr Davis and he opened up his amazing art gallery for us. He has painted and sculpted SO MANY pieces of art! We all picked out a print to buy and he signed them for us and wouldn’t even let us pay for them. He was very kind and willing to share all about his art. You could tell he enjoys seeing others experience his art and that’s what makes him a great artist.

It was a really good experience. I really liked it!