Tijeras Canyon Road was the
original wagon road that linked
Old Town Plaza to the
community of Carnué in Tijeras
Canyon. This thoroughfare was
used as early as 1706 after the
founding of the Spanish Villa de
Albuquerque, the origin . . . — — Map (db m236627) HM
Martineztown is at the crossroads of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and Tijeras Canyon Trail, two important trade routes begun by Native Americans. The trail though Tijeras Canyon linked the Rio Grande Valley to the plains east of . . . — — Map (db m189456) HM
This view of Gold Avenue, looking west from First
Street, was taken about 1890 during the New Mexico
Territorial Fair parade. Gold Avenue was the financial,
professional, and governmental center of downtown
Albuquerque. The domed building at the . . . — — Map (db m235908) HM
This photograph shows the 1898 Territorial Fair
parade passing along the 300 block of Railroad
(Central) Avenue. Railroad Avenue was the main
thoroughfare of Albuquerque's New Town, and it
linked the railroad depot to Old Town Plaza. . . . — — Map (db m236626) HM
Opened in 1935 as part of the Pig Stand chain, it offered “Wholesome Food and Service” to walk-in and drive-in customers.
SR 1566
A Registered Cultural Property
State of New Mexico — — Map (db m235896) HM
This Southern Tiwa Pueblo is said to have derived its name from the frequent flooding of the Rio Grande, which surrounded the village, giving it the appearance of a little island. Isleta was noted for the excellence of its crops and orchards. The . . . — — Map (db m183763) HM
When there was no bridge over the Rio Grande, people swam, forded or floated across to the other side. The stretch of river south of Albuquerque was known as the "Armijo crossing" or the "Atrisco Forde" and was trusted as a good place to cross . . . — — Map (db m186086) HM
(English:)
Look south. From the earliest days of the New Mexico frontier, the road before you was the Royal Road, the only link to the greater world. Travel on the 1600-mile course was filled with dangers - robbery, Indian attacks, . . . — — Map (db m187796) HM
Albuquerque's South Valley serves as a thriving community, full of history and cultural traditions. This marker is informed by oral histories collected from residents whose families lived and continue to live in the South Valley, some for at least . . . — — Map (db m186095) HM
The pass between the Sandia and Manzano Mountains has been a natural route of travel between eastern New Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley since pre-historic times. Known as Cañón de Carnué in the Spanish colonial period it takes its present name . . . — — Map (db m72732) HM
This steel causeway follows two pipelines which supplied water and water power to the old town of Graham where gold and silver ores were milled from nearby mines in the 1890's. The causeway clings to the sides of a sheer box canyon in Saltwater . . . — — Map (db m36378) HM
Completed in 1926, the Rio Felix Bridge was one of the most important structures in New Mexico’s highway system. The bridge was placed across the river at nearly a 45-degree angle to increase stability during floods. Constructed with three 144 foot . . . — — Map (db m56141) HM
This famous old cattle trail, running 2000 miles from Texas to Wyoming, was blazed in 1866 by Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving. In New Mexico, the trail followed the Pecos River north to Fort Sumner, where the government needed beef to feed the . . . — — Map (db m73457) HM
Economic Impacts
Laguna, like many pueblos, had a strong and self-sufficient agricultural system well into the twentieth century. After World War II, farming and sheep herding started to decline, although some families continue these . . . — — Map (db m184206) HM
Business Along Route 66
As traffic along the road increased, Laguna community members began to sell or trade items at roadside stands within the Pueblo and on adjoining lands to the east and west. Community members built shade structures . . . — — Map (db m184000) HM
Side A:
The difficulty of bringing caravans over rocky and mountainous Raton Pass kept most wagon traffic on the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail until the 1840's. Afterwards, the Mountain Branch, which here approaches Raton Pass, . . . — — Map (db m45821) HM
Santa Fe Trail
(Via Bent's Fort) 1822-1879 Marked by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Territory of New Mexico 1910 — — Map (db m227255) HM
Women of the Santa Fe Trail
The Women of the Santa Fe Trail endured untold hardships traveling across the Great Plains. In 1829, six Hispanic women were the first known female travelers going east on the trail. In 1832, Mary Donoho was . . . — — Map (db m107280) HM
Three-quarters of a mile west of here at the Canadian River crossing was the popular overnight stage stop on the Old Santa Fe Trail. Clifton House Site was built in 1867 by rancher Tom Stockton, with materials brought overland from Dodge City. For . . . — — Map (db m107281) HM
Robert L. Dodson bought a steam-powered Locomobile in Denver with plans to drive it to Albuquerque. Accompanied by a Locomobile representative, on November 30, 1900, the pair became the first motorists to traverse treacherous Raton Pass into New . . . — — Map (db m77850) HM
Opened by William Becknell in 1812, the Santa Fe Trail became the major trade route to Santa Fe from Missouri River towns. The two main branches, the Cimarron Cutoff and the Mountain Branch, joined at Watrous. Travel over the Trail ceased with . . . — — Map (db m202790) HM
To the north is Raton Pass, a treacherous connection through the rough mountain terrain between Colorado and New Mexico. Wagon trains traveling on the Santa Fe Trail camped here, at a trail stop called Willow Springs, to either prepare for or . . . — — Map (db m77851) HM
Point of Rocks was a convenient camping spot for Santa Fe Trail travelers going in both directions. When the caravans camped here going west they knew they were two weeks from the end of their 900-mile journey. Here they would have their first . . . — — Map (db m156696) HM
Traveling on the Santa Fe Trail, the commercial road which ran 900 miles between Franklin, Missouri, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, could be long, hard, and dangerous. Obtaining water was sometimes a problem and, along with breakdowns and bad weather, . . . — — Map (db m156697) HM
Stagecoaches of the Butterfield Overland Mail Co. began carrying passengers and mail from St. Louis to San Francisco, across southern New Mexico, in 1858. The 2,795-mile journey took 21-22 days. In 1861 the service was re-routed through Salt Lake . . . — — Map (db m6553) HM
Juan de Oñate, first governor of New Mexico, passed near here with his colonizing expedition in May, 1598. Traveling north, he designated official campsites (called parajes) on the Camino Real, used by expeditions that followed. In Oñate's . . . — — Map (db m6549) HM
This stretch of the Camino Real leaves the Ríó Grande and cuts across 90 miles of desert with little water or shelter. Despite its difficulty, the dreaded “Journey of the Deadman” was heavily used by Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo travelers . . . — — Map (db m45083) HM
This paraje, or stopping place, provided travelers along the Camino Real with a final opportunity to water their stock and prepare their caravans before leaving the Rio Grande Valley and entering the desolate Jornada del Muerto. Caravans on . . . — — Map (db m45084) HM
Divide between the Tularosa Basin to the east and Jornada del Muerto to the west, cut between the Organ Mountains to the south and the San Augustín-San Andrés Mountains to the north. White gypsum sands glisten to the northeast. Roadcuts in Tertiary . . . — — Map (db m126930) HM
This is the original La Posta. The only station that remains standing on the Butterfield Trail. For more than a century and three quarters, these old adobe walls have withstood the attack of elements and men and have sheltered such personalities as . . . — — Map (db m126894) HM
English: As you look across this landscape, use your imagination to "see" how people lived and passed by this spot throughout history. Ancient village — 1,000 years ago Look along the ridge and imagine a village built by . . . — — Map (db m158085) HM
This stretch of the Camino Real leaves the Río Grande and cuts across 90 miles of desert with little water or shelter. Despite its difficulty, the dreaded “Journey of the Deadman” was heavily used by Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo travelers . . . — — Map (db m38205) HM
High plains of the Jornada del Muerto, elevation 4,340 feet, lie 400 feet above the Rio Grande Valley. It is a transitional area from the Basin and Range region to the west into tilted mountain ranges, such as the San Andres Mountains to the east, . . . — — Map (db m38206) HM
This paraje or resting place was named for Pedro Robledo, a member of the Juan de Oñate expedition, who was buried nearby on May 21, 1598. This camping place was a welcome sight for caravans entering or exiting the dreaded Jornada del . . . — — Map (db m38200) HM
This paraje, or stopping place, provided travelers along the Camino Real with a final opportunity to water their stock and prepare their caravans before leaving the Rio Grande Valley and entering the desolate Jornada del Muerto. Caravans on their . . . — — Map (db m38204) HM
This canyon cut here by the Rio Grande marks the crossing of the historic Camino Real, or Royal Road, to La Tierra Adentra. Trackers and traders crossed the river here to begin the arduous journey north to Santa Fe. Permanent settlement of this area . . . — — Map (db m38103) HM
After leaving Fort Sumner, the Goodnight-Loving Trail forked in two directions. This branch, developed by Oliver Loving in 1866, followed the Pecos River to Las Vegas, and the Santa Fe Trail to Raton Pass. The great Texas cattle drives followed this . . . — — Map (db m61469) HM
N.M. state Road 78 appeared on maps before 1927, but remained a gravel highway in several sections in Arizona and New Mexico through the 1960s. By 1971, all but one stretch near the border had been paved. Area rancher Curley Traynor was instrumental . . . — — Map (db m121649) HM
Established in 1959, the Silver Moon Café has gained legendary status as a Route 66 landmark eatery. It is world renowned for its signature Mexican dishes and American favorites. The restaurant has been featured in a number of print and TV news . . . — — Map (db m183588) HM
To give gold-seekers another route to California, Capt. Randolph B. Marcy and Lt. James H. Simpson opened a wagon road from Arkansas to New Mexico in 1849. Marcy’s Road, although very popular with the Forty-Niners, still was never as well-traveled . . . — — Map (db m91044) HM
Vaughn, a division point in the transcontinental railway system, is located along the route of the Stinson cattle trail. In 1882, Jim Stinson, manager of the New Mexico Land and Livestock Co., drove 20,000 cattle in eight separate herds along this . . . — — Map (db m47146) HM
On November 28, 1846 the Mormon Battalion of the U. S. Army West crossed these mountains near this summit enroute to California during the Mexican War. Col. Cooke had dispatched scouts ahead to find the best route. An Indian guide, Charbonneau, . . . — — Map (db m91987) HM
Smugglers once crossed this area with mule trains of contraband from Mexico, to be traded for merchandise in Arizona. In the summer of 1881, a group of Mexican smugglers was killed in Skeleton Canyon by members of the Clanton gang, including Old Man . . . — — Map (db m37770) HM
The infamous Clanton Gang had two crude dugouts here in the 1880s that served as hideouts and a base for wide-ranging outlaw activities, particularly in connection with the Curly Bill Gang’s depredations along the Smugglers’ Trail that passed by . . . — — Map (db m37771) HM
Lordsburg was founded in 1880 on the route of the Southern Pacific Railroad, near that used by the Butterfield Overland Mail Co., 1858-1861. The town was named for Delbert Lord, an engineer with the railroad. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed his . . . — — Map (db m38244) HM
In 1846, while leading the Mormon Battalion to California during the Mexican War, Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke blazed a wagon road from New Mexico to the West Coast. The potential use of the route for the railroad construction was one of the . . . — — Map (db m38236) HM
Here crossed the first road to Southern California opened for wagons by Capt. Cooke, who passed here in command of the Mormon Battalion, Nov. 1846 – later it became the California Emigrant Road – from 1858-1861, the route of the . . . — — Map (db m38302) HM
In 1880, a paymaster for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, David L. Gallup, established headquarters along the construction right-of-way of the southern transcontinental route. The railroad workers began "going to Gallup" to get their pay; thus a . . . — — Map (db m184302) HM
Gallup has some of the Southwest's largest trading posts and one of the best strips of neon signs you'll see anywhere on old Route 66," boasts the website Road Trips USA.
Neon signs are part of Gallup's heritage and once the calling card . . . — — Map (db m184303) HM
One by one new brick buildings changed the look for downtown Gallup. Railroad Avenue had to keep pace with the eastern style buildings being erected along Coal Avenue. Maroon glazed tile became the sign of storefront modernization. With the . . . — — Map (db m184296) HM
Established September 28, 1922
In August, 2011 Gallup played host to the 90th Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial where, Native Americans from across the United States participate in a massive celebration and display of their culture. The Indoor . . . — — Map (db m184300) HM
218½ West Historic Highway 66 (circa 1895)
One of Gallup's oldest standing buildings housed activities for nearly one-half a century modeling a significant course for early development of this railroad and mining opportunity.
Kitchen's . . . — — Map (db m184298) HM
This is the greatest highway project in America!... read the headline in the April 15, 1927 edition of the Gallup Independent. From Chicago to Los Angeles the "Main Street of America" would be U.S. 66. The National Old Trails Highway was on the . . . — — Map (db m184294) HM
Santa Fe Trail
(Via Bent's Fort) 1822-1879 Marked by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Territory of New Mexico 1910 — — Map (db m227257) HM
Santa Fe Trail
(Via: Bent's Fort)
1822 - 1879
Marked by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Territory of New Mexico
1910 — — Map (db m244825) HM
This last great landmark on the Santa Fe Trail was named for its resemblance to the top of a covered wagon. At Wagon Mound, travelers could cross from the Cimarron Cutoff to Fort Union, which is located on the Mountain Branch of the Trail. The two . . . — — Map (db m45824) HM
In 1848, the U.S. Secretary of War ordered Lieutenant Colonel Edwin V. Sumner, as commander of the Ninth Military Department to "revise the whole system of defense (sic)" in the New Mexico Territory. The immediate goal was to move U.S. troops out of . . . — — Map (db m156808) HM
This square, open yard was once full of men hard at work. The Santa Fe Trail and the rough, unpaved roads of New Mexico Territory in the 1800s were tough on freight wagons — and the livestock that hauled them. Inside this Mechanics' Corral . . . — — Map (db m149007) HM
For westbound travelers, camping here in this green river valley meant that their journey on the Santa Fe Trail was almost over. For travelers headed east it represented a decision, for the trail split here into two very different adventures. The . . . — — Map (db m148818) HM
Opened by William Becknell in 1821, the Santa Fe Trail became the major trade route to Santa Fe from Missouri River towns. The two main branches, the Cimarron Cutoff and the Mountain Branch, joined at Watrous. Travel over the Trail ceased with the . . . — — Map (db m55199) HM
Think of what you see here as the forerunner of today's busy truck stops on the interstates. Now, freight rides cross-country safe inside boxes of steel and aluminum, rolling on rubber tires. In the mid-1800s, cargo rode under canvas on iron-shod . . . — — Map (db m149006) HM
Today it's tough to look at the low wagon wheel ruts of the Santa Fe Trail — just ahead of you and grasp how many tens of thousands of lives this road turned upside down. Comanche, Kiowa, Jicarilla Apache, Mountain Ute, and other American . . . — — Map (db m149008) HM
The Santa Fe Trail was a 900-mile overland road that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Near here, the trail split into the Mountain Route and the Cimarron Route and travelers had to decide which to take to continue east to . . . — — Map (db m156973) HM
Rested and resupplied at Fort Union, traders headed west into the last 130 miles of the long and arduous trip to Santa Fe. They reached the trading post at Watrous first and then the small town of Las Vegas, founded as a trail stop in 1835. One of . . . — — Map (db m156972) HM
The Mountain Branch and the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail meet at Watrous. This important spot on the Trail was first known at La Junta, "junction" in Spanish. In 1879, with the coming of the railroad, it was named for Samuel B. Watrous, a . . . — — Map (db m55198) HM
Watrous - Western Junction of the Santa Fe Trail has been designated a Registered National Historic Landmark Under the provisions of the Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935 this site possesses exceptional value in commemorating and . . . — — Map (db m148788) HM
The Motel Safari opened in 1959, during the height of the Mother Road's popularity.
Developer Chester Dohrer employed an architectural style known as 'Doo Wop' or 'Googie' to achieve a unique look that immediately set the Safari apart from the . . . — — Map (db m183590) HM
Tucumcari Mountain has long been a landmark for travelers along the Canadian River. Pathfinder Pedro Vial mentioned it in 1793, while opening a trail between Santa Fe and St. Louis. In order to find the best route from Arkansas to California, Capt. . . . — — Map (db m119938) HM
Tucumcari Mountain has long been a landmark for travelers along the Canadian River. Pathfinder Pedro Vial mentioned it in 1793, while opening a trail between Santa Fe and St. Louis. In order to find the best route from Arkansas to California, Capt. . . . — — Map (db m119940) HM
In 1829-30, Antonio Armijo traveled from Abiquiú to California to trade for mules, thus extending the Old Spanish Trail and opening it to trade between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. His route turned west, near present-day Abiquiú Dam, to Largo Canyon, . . . — — Map (db m125497) HM
Founded in 1875, this small farming community was named La Jolla. It was once famous for finely woven blankets. Here the Camino Real left the Rio Grande and followed a canyon northeast to Embudo Creek where it began a climb over the mountains to . . . — — Map (db m43810) HM
On the evening of November 17, 1829, Manuel Armijo and his caravan of about 60 men and 100 mules crossed the Las Animas River at a shallow point near here and made camp. This was only the 10th night of a three-month journey along an untested route. . . . — — Map (db m184353) HM
On an April evening in 1830, trader Antonio Armijo and a tattered group of men and boys, stubborn pack mules, and wild California horses passed through this area on their way to Santa Fe. Near the end of a hard, dangerous journey, men and animals . . . — — Map (db m184356) HM
You are standing among many thousands of years of connecting networks, layered over each other across generations. This is a place of ancient farming, with a river offering dependable water and stable soil for planting. It is a place of gathering, . . . — — Map (db m184351) HM
The chance meeting
near this spot on
Nov. 13, 1821, of
Capt. Pedro Gallego's
militia with
William Becknell's
party from Missouri
led to the opening
of the Santa Fe Trail. — — Map (db m236775) HM
Interstate 25 cuts through dipping strata that form hogback ridges between the Great Plains and the south end of the Rocky Mountains. The Santa Fe Trail from here to Santa Fe, followed a natural valley eroded in less resistant strata between the . . . — — Map (db m55196) HM
The Mexican-American War had just begun in 1846, when Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny brought a regiment of U.S. soldiers and volunteers from the Missouri River into Las Vegas. From a rooftop overlooking the Las Vegas plaza he proclaimed New . . . — — Map (db m236778) HM
Built by the Maloof family on the
site of the W. H. Shupp Carriage
Manufactory, called the “best carriage
works in the Territory,” which
supplied rolling stock throughout
New Mexico and Arizona. The El Rialto
Restaurant was established . . . — — Map (db m236693) HM
[English side] Near this spot on November 13, 1821, a band of six Missouri traders led by William Becknell, encountered a force of more than 400 Mexican soldiers, militia, and Pueblo Indians under the command of Caption Pedro Ignacio Gallego. . . . — — Map (db m236774) HM
Imagine the excitement when, on July 4, 1879, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad steamed into town for the first time. Suddenly you could travel from Kansas City to Las Vegas in days, not months. But the arrival of the railroad marked the . . . — — Map (db m236613) HM
This black volcanic escarpment is one of New Mexico's most important landmarks. The descent (bajada) of this escarpment marked the traditional division between New Mexico's upper (Rio Arriba) and lower (Rio Abajo) districts. Over the centuries, . . . — — Map (db m60563) HM
Caravans entering and leaving Santa Fe on the Camino Real wound their way through scattered agricultural settlements south of the capital. Although this section of the Santa Fe River Valley was initially utilized as pasture for livestock, in the . . . — — Map (db m40451) HM
Established in the 1700, Rancho de Las Golondrinas was a paraje, or stopping place, which provided a welcome respite to weary travelers along the Camino Real well into the 19th century. The site is now a living historical museum which features a . . . — — Map (db m64956) HM
Welcome to Madrid on the Turquoise Trail
The Town of Madrid was founded in 1869 In the 1800’s, when the Santa Fe Railroad arrived in the area, coal mining began on a large scale.
As many as 1,500 years ago, the first Native American . . . — — Map (db m181503) HM
1598-1890
El Camino Real (The Royal Road) sustained New Mexico's settlers from the start.
Settlers traveled north to la tierra adentro (the interior land) and back to cities in
the south. El Camino Real was a viable commercial route for . . . — — Map (db m182314) HM
1827
In 1827 Antonio Armijo traveled northwest up the Rio Chama through
Colorado, Utah and Nevada before crossing the Mojave Desert into
southern California. En route he documented numerous spring-fed meadows
that would become the site of . . . — — Map (db m182394) HM
At first, traders used whatever farm wagons they could find to transport their goods, but as traffic on the trail increased, heavy freight wagons were built specifically for the Santa Fe trade. The industry employed hundreds of skilled woodworkers, . . . — — Map (db m185106) HM
The Santa Fe Trail passed through what is now Amelia White Park. The paved road to the right, Old Santa Fe Trail, follows the path and ruts of the original trail route, whose travelers came from a variety of backgrounds. From the start, Hispanic . . . — — Map (db m76487) HM
Bicentennial Celebration
This facility was built by the New Mexico State Highway Department to commemorate the
bicentennial birthday of the United States. Located 15 miles south of the plaza in Santa Fe, the nation's oldest capital city, . . . — — Map (db m55150) HM
Don Juan Bautista de Anza, outstanding Spanish governor of New Mexico (1776–1787), explored a new road from Santa Fe to Arispe, Sonora, in 1780. This plaque is placed in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of that historic journey.
Don . . . — — Map (db m76950) HM
When you cross the bridge over the Santa Fe River, you join a trail with nearly 500 years of New Mexico history! This part of the Santa Fe River Greenway follows one of North America's most famous early roads - El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the . . . — — Map (db m185084) HM
About 60 miles southeast of town, the trail began to gently slope up toward the mountains, following an old route into Santa Fe. The closer the wagons got to town, the greater everyone's anticipation. Excitement built as the huge wagons, filled with . . . — — Map (db m184614) HM
Come and Get It!
The ingredients were meager and the menu was basic: biscuits, bacon, and coffee for travelers on the trail in the 19th century.
But with those simple ingredients, supplemented by fresh meat killed on the trail and . . . — — Map (db m185098) HM
You are traveling an early alignment of U.S. 66, perhaps the most well-known road to follow this historic transportation corridor. A Spanish mission trail to Pecos Pueblo, the Santa Fe Trail and the National Old Trails Road all predate the Mother . . . — — Map (db m119914) HM
Santa Fe Plaza
has been designated a
National Historic
Landmark
The heart of Santa Fe since its founding by Spanish colonial Governor Don Pedro De Peralta in 1609-1610, this public space was a terminus of El Camino Real and the . . . — — Map (db m71579) HM
