Sam Gillaspy has lived in Arcadia, Oklahoma, for 88 years. He’s devoted the last eight of those to giving tours at the Round Barn of Arcadia on historic Route 66. To folks who visit the antique attraction, Gillaspy is known simply as Mr. Sam. Tourists and locals alike have made it a mission to stop in an hear Mr. Sam recount the time the round barn collapsed, or tell stories about trucks packed with mattresses and Dust Bowl survivors sleeping on the side of the road during their journeys to California.

Originally published in This Land, Vol.5, Issue 17, September 1, 2014.