Route 66 in New Mexico: What Made This Highway So Magical?

This post is about a legend: Route 66 in New Mexico. Well, part of a legend. It’s about Route 66, the Mother Road. But it’s about the part of Route 66 that passes (or passed) through New Mexico.

Origins of Route 66 through New Mexico

To cover all of Route 66 could be a book. In fact, it is. There are many good books about getting your “kicks on Route 66.” (See a couple of recommended books at the end of this post.)

For those new to the Mother Road, Route 66 is a highway that stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles. Why is it so popular? Because it’s historical. It harks back to a time in America that many remember fondly. It was a time when the automobile was taking over from the horse and buggy era and securing its place in American pop culture. Motels. Gas stations. Roadside cafes. Average Americans were getting out, seeing things, becoming mobile like they never had before. Distance and time shortened. It became a time of, “Pack up. Let’s go.”

Stops along the way

One of the states that Route 66 passed through was New Mexico. On the east side was Texas. On the west side was Arizona. New Mexico became The Land of Enchantment. And Route 66 helped people see and experience that.

There were stops along the way like: Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, Las Vegas, Clines Corner, Santa Fe (old route), Albuquerque, Acoma Pueblo, El Malpais National Monument, and Gallup.

Here are a few examples…..

The Mother Road in New Mexico today

Earlier, I said, “Passed.” The first incarnation of Route 66 as a highway through New Mexico was in 1926. Later, in 1937, the alignment of the highway changed. Road planners wanted to straighten the highway and shorten time and distance for travelers. In the late 1950’s, Interstate 40 (I-40) came into existence. This allowed truck and car traffic to make its way across New Mexico with a minimal amount of stops.

Parts of the old Route 66 either became part of I-40 or were simply bypassed by the new interstate. Today, Route 66 in New Mexico exists in segments and in “loops” taking in what are now ghost towns that were once part of the heartbeat and pulse of the Mother Road. If you have time and if you want to see America as it was, taking in old west history and eccentricities along way, then…get your kicks on Route 66 in New Mexico.

More resources for CuriousOnlookers:

Wallis, Michael (1990). Route 66: The Mother Road, New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press

Hinckley, James (2014). Travel Route 66: A Guide to the History, Sights, and Destinations along the Main Street of America, Minneapolis, MN, Voyageur Press

• If you’re curious about more interesting people, places, and things in the state of New Mexico, you’ll find other articles here.