Allmans Market on Route 66

The Allmans Market building is a modest wood-frame structure built in the early 1940s, with the original section measuring roughly 30 feet wide by 40 feet deep on a single floor. Small additions and modifications have been made over the decades — a covered front porch, a side storage room, updated electrical and plumbing — but the core building is essentially original, with the same wooden floor, the same plank-board ceiling, and the same exterior siding (with periodic repainting). The exterior color scheme has rotated over the years but currently features a vintage red-and-white paint job that matches 1950s-era photographs.

The market was established at a crucial moment in Devils Elbow's history. The Devils Elbow Bridge had been carrying Route 66 traffic since 1926, but the construction of Fort Leonard Wood beginning in 1940 brought a massive influx of military-related traffic and personnel to the area. The small community of Devils Elbow boomed during the early 1940s with new motor courts, restaurants, and service stations — and Allmans Market was one of the new businesses founded to serve this booming traffic. The original Allman built the store himself with help from family members and operated it alongside the gas pumps out front.

Through the war years and the Route 66 golden age of the 1950s, the market thrived. The Allman family expanded slightly, added more inventory, hired local help, and built a steady business serving travelers and locals. Photographs from the 1950s show a busy parking lot with cars from many states, the porch full of customers enjoying soft drinks, and the interior packed with goods. The same family-owned, slowly-evolving operation has continued since, with each generation making modest improvements while preserving the building's character.

Allmans Market functions as a working convenience store with a working set of fuel pumps out front (regular gasoline and diesel). Inside, the inventory is what you would expect at a small rural gas station — packaged snacks (chips, candy, cookies, jerky), refrigerated drinks (sodas, water, juice, beer), basic groceries (bread, milk, eggs, lunch meat, cheese), tobacco products, fishing tackle and bait for Big Piney River anglers, ice, and the various small necessities of road travel. Prices are reasonable, not gouging, and the inventory is well-maintained.

Alongside the convenience-store goods, the market sells a modest selection of Route 66 souvenirs and Devils Elbow-specific items: t-shirts, magnets, postcards, stickers, small books about the local Route 66 history, and a few locally-made craft items including jams and jellies, handmade soaps, and woodcrafts. Prices for souvenirs are reasonable ($5-25 for most items). Purchasing something from the market is a meaningful way to support the family-owned business and the broader Devils Elbow community.

The interior is decorated with decades of accumulated Route 66 memorabilia — vintage gasoline signs (many original), period soda and beverage advertisements, framed black-and-white photographs of the market through the years, postcards from travelers who have visited and sent letters back, license plates from across America, vintage maps showing Route 66's path through Missouri, and assorted oddities collected over 80 years. The walls are essentially a free Route 66 museum, and you can browse as long as you like without buying anything.

Allmans Market is open daily roughly 7am-7pm, with seasonal variation — winter hours may be shorter, summer hours may extend. The market does not currently maintain a website with current hours, so calling ahead (+1-573-774-6724) is recommended for travelers on a tight schedule. The market accepts cash and major credit cards, has clean restrooms available to customers, and has parking for cars, trucks, and small RVs in the lot adjacent to the building.

The building is at grade level with one small step at the entrance, making it largely wheelchair-accessible. The interior aisles are narrow due to the building's small footprint, but most visitors can navigate without difficulty. The porch is a pleasant place to sit with a cold drink and watch the small community of Devils Elbow go about its day — bring a folding chair if you want to linger and the porch seating is occupied.

For a Devils Elbow itinerary, combine Allmans Market with the Devils Elbow Bridge (immediately adjacent, across the street), the Elbow Inn Bar & BBQ (a short walk away, with the best meal in the community), and the various photographic and natural-history opportunities along the Big Piney River. A morning at the bridge, lunch or beer at the Elbow Inn, and an afternoon browse through Allmans Market makes for an essential 2-3 hour Route 66 experience. For the 2026 Centennial, Allmans Market is expected to participate in county-wide Route 66 events and may host special programming including vintage car gatherings and Route 66 history days.