Twenty-four miles west of San Jon, is Tucumcari, the county seat of Quay County. The town's name is
pronounced (TOO-COME-CARRY). The town was named for Tucumcari Mountain, which looms south of town. Tucumcari Mountain is really a mesa and it only rises about 700 feet above the surrounding plains. The summit of Tucumcari Mountain is 4,956 feet above sea level while the town of Tucumcari rests at 4,237 feet above sea level. Despite its dimunitive stature, Tucumcari Mountain is a regional landmark as has been for centuries. Indians used it as a landmark on their travels and many of their trails went past the base of the hill. Later, cowboys and other travelers used Tucumcari Mountain as a landmark as well. Today, the hill silently reposes two miles south of Interstate 40, still beckoning passersby the same way it has for centuries.
Now, there are radio antenna towers adorning its summit, twinkling their iridescent glow under the endless prairie sky.
The mountain's longtime status as a lookout probably explains the origin of its unique name. It has been said the name means "to lie in wait for something to approach" in an Indian language. But verification of that has proven to be elusive. Tucumcari could be the corruption of an Indian word or it could be just a myth like the current one that has been perpetrated on the traveling public.
The myth that has been 'sold' to the American public for decades, especially in the halcyon days of U.S. Highway 66, is that there were once two star-crossed teenage lovers, Tokom and Kari, that were from warring tribes and their romance was scorned upon by members of both tribes. As a result, Tokom and Kari killed themselves in a suicide pact while holding hands and died at the base of the mountain that now bears their name. "Tokom" was changed to "Tucum" to make pronounciation easier. Shades of Romeo and Juliet you might say.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Slaughter Alley
Slaughter Alley is the morbid name that was given to the easternmost stretch of highway 66 in New Mexico. The 40 mile stretch of the highway between Tucumcari and the Texas border (going through San Jon), was probably the most dangerous stretch of the entire 2,448 mile highway. This stretch of the highway was poorly maintained and was known for its potholes and deep ruts that had been worn into the pavement by years of heavy traffic. It was also extremely narrow, barely wide enough for two cars. There was no shoulder to speak of and, in many places, there wasn't even a center stripe! It seems as if the road crews ignored the stretch of highway 66 between Tucumcari and Glenrio because I have read accounts in which travelers who were traveling east on the highway said that the highway was in good to fair condition west of Tucumcari and then, at the Texas border, it was in fantastic condition, but the 40 miles in between were terrible and poorly maintained. There was a saying back in the day that said "only six inches and cigarette paper separate you from death on 66." This saying could certainly apply to other stretches of the fabled highway, but it originally applied to this stretch. This is the stretch of the highway that had the most collisions, many of them head-on collisions.
It is ironic that the last stretch of Interstate 40 to be built in New Mexico coincides with this same 40 mile stretch between Tucumcari and the Texas border. After the interstate opened, piece by piece, this stretch remained unbuilt, partly because of intense lobbying efforts by residents of
San Jon and Tucumcari not to have their towns bypassed. There were other reasons as well for this delay. There is just something about this stretch of New Mexico that seems to cause highway crews to neglect the roads. Route 66 had been improved in its waning years of existence, but it was still below the standards of other federal, and even state highways, until its decommisioning, in this area, in 1982. The lobbying efforts of the residents of this area resulted in the fact that, for at least a half dozen years, the freeway ended on the western edge of town and all traffic was forced to get onto highway 66 to go through town and continue to stay on highway 66 until the eastern edge of
San Jon, where traffic could get back onto the freeway, a distance of 21 miles. But other stretches of Interstate 40 in this area were also built later than other stretches of the freeway. This was still a narrow, dangerous, two-lane road until the mid 1970s.
Today, even though Interstate 40 between Tucumcari and the Texas border is well-maintained, it still is in poorer condition than it is on either side of this 40 mile stretch. Not sure what it is about this area.
It is ironic that the last stretch of Interstate 40 to be built in New Mexico coincides with this same 40 mile stretch between Tucumcari and the Texas border. After the interstate opened, piece by piece, this stretch remained unbuilt, partly because of intense lobbying efforts by residents of
San Jon and Tucumcari not to have their towns bypassed. There were other reasons as well for this delay. There is just something about this stretch of New Mexico that seems to cause highway crews to neglect the roads. Route 66 had been improved in its waning years of existence, but it was still below the standards of other federal, and even state highways, until its decommisioning, in this area, in 1982. The lobbying efforts of the residents of this area resulted in the fact that, for at least a half dozen years, the freeway ended on the western edge of town and all traffic was forced to get onto highway 66 to go through town and continue to stay on highway 66 until the eastern edge of
San Jon, where traffic could get back onto the freeway, a distance of 21 miles. But other stretches of Interstate 40 in this area were also built later than other stretches of the freeway. This was still a narrow, dangerous, two-lane road until the mid 1970s.
Today, even though Interstate 40 between Tucumcari and the Texas border is well-maintained, it still is in poorer condition than it is on either side of this 40 mile stretch. Not sure what it is about this area.
San Jon
San Jon is the next New Mexico town on Old Route 66, now supplanted by Interstate 40. "Jon" is pronounced "hone." No one is really sure where the town's name came from. The Spanish word "zanjon" means "gully." The is a usually dry stream east of town called Rio San Jon, so the town was most likely name after the stream, but how the river got its name is unknown.
San Jon has about 300 people and it has seen better days. There are several abandoned motels, cafes and gas stations in town, but the town has seen a small resurgence in the past decade. The population had dropped to around 200, but now it hovers at around 300. It once had about 800.
In fact, the population of San Jon and the enrollment of the school district has risen to the point where
San Jon High School restarted its football team, about ten years ago, after many decades of slumber. They play six-man football for extremely small schools, but the townspeople are happy that they have a football team to root for again. The enrollment of San Jon High School is about 60 students. I remember the first couple of times I was in San Jon when I saw the abandoned football stadium a short distance south of Interstate 40, looking forlorn and decrepit under the relentless prairie sun.
When Interstate 40 was in the early stages of construction, the residents of San Jon learned that the plans were to build the interstate six miles north of town, completely bypassing San Jon and diverting traffic away from te town. The townspeople fought hard to get the interstate built closer to town and it was finally decided to build Interstate 40 along the northern edge of San Jon, just inside the city limits. Other towns fought against the proposed interstate's bypassing of them, also. In New Mexico, the state legislature passed a short-lived law in 1963 that made it illegal for new freeways to bypass towns, but pressure from the3 federal government and the threat of losing federal highway funds, forced the state to rescind the law. however, in New Mexico, the interstate was built closer to the central business districts of cities and towns than it was in other states because of successful lobbying by state government officials and residents of the affected towns.
Today, the main drag of San Jon is still called U.S. Highway 66 and there are street signs indicating it as such. Alot of buildings along Route 66, both abandoned and occupied, have murals painted on the exterior walls. Most of them depict scenes from the Old West such as cowboys and trail drives and Prairie Schooners. There is one mural that is a block long. In front of some of these murals, there are weeds poking up through the grass in the crumbling sidewalks. These weeds almost seem to be part of the murals and lend a surreal quality to the them.
San Jon has about 300 people and it has seen better days. There are several abandoned motels, cafes and gas stations in town, but the town has seen a small resurgence in the past decade. The population had dropped to around 200, but now it hovers at around 300. It once had about 800.
In fact, the population of San Jon and the enrollment of the school district has risen to the point where
San Jon High School restarted its football team, about ten years ago, after many decades of slumber. They play six-man football for extremely small schools, but the townspeople are happy that they have a football team to root for again. The enrollment of San Jon High School is about 60 students. I remember the first couple of times I was in San Jon when I saw the abandoned football stadium a short distance south of Interstate 40, looking forlorn and decrepit under the relentless prairie sun.
When Interstate 40 was in the early stages of construction, the residents of San Jon learned that the plans were to build the interstate six miles north of town, completely bypassing San Jon and diverting traffic away from te town. The townspeople fought hard to get the interstate built closer to town and it was finally decided to build Interstate 40 along the northern edge of San Jon, just inside the city limits. Other towns fought against the proposed interstate's bypassing of them, also. In New Mexico, the state legislature passed a short-lived law in 1963 that made it illegal for new freeways to bypass towns, but pressure from the3 federal government and the threat of losing federal highway funds, forced the state to rescind the law. however, in New Mexico, the interstate was built closer to the central business districts of cities and towns than it was in other states because of successful lobbying by state government officials and residents of the affected towns.
Today, the main drag of San Jon is still called U.S. Highway 66 and there are street signs indicating it as such. Alot of buildings along Route 66, both abandoned and occupied, have murals painted on the exterior walls. Most of them depict scenes from the Old West such as cowboys and trail drives and Prairie Schooners. There is one mural that is a block long. In front of some of these murals, there are weeds poking up through the grass in the crumbling sidewalks. These weeds almost seem to be part of the murals and lend a surreal quality to the them.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Into The Land Of Enchantment
Glenrio is a town that is in two time zones, since it straddles the Texas/New Mexico border.The two houses in town that are still occupied are in different time zones. This is the only town that I know of that lies in two time zones.
Four miles southwest of the remains of Glenrio is another ghost town. This one is called Endee. It was named after the ND Ranch. I have not visted Endee, but I plan to on a trip in the very near future. It is on the earlier alignment of Route 66, at the junction with State Highway 93, three miles south of Interstate 40.
Twelve miles from the Texas border lie the remains of Bard. Actually, there were 2 towns called Bard. It started on the earlier alignment of Route 66 and then moved to the later routing. Today, both Bard and
Old Bard just have a few residents, a half dozen or so. In the newer town of Bard, there seems to be a third alignment of The Mother Road. It is barely discernible, but there was a road there at one time. This alignment is farther north than the other two. I believe it predates what I have been calling the older, or earlier, alignment of Route 66. It was most likely the 1926 alignment of the highway, which is the year the highway was commissioned, or it could be U.S. Highway 66's predecessor, the National Old Trails Highway. If this is the case, this alignment was never paved. Yet, what's left of this early road definitely shows signs that it was graded and maintained at one time.
Before the present federal highway system got its start in 1926, the nation was a patchwork quilt of dirt roads that usually turned into quagmires after a rain. What roads there were usually connected towns in close proximity to each other and, after leaving populated areas, usually dwindled to a crude set of ruts or many times, disappeared completely, resulting in cross-country travel over desert or grassland for early drivers. The National Old Trails Highway and the Lincoln Highway were the first attempts to create a transcontinental road system.
Five miles west of Bard is San Jon, a town of about 300 people. It had about 800 at one time.
Four miles southwest of the remains of Glenrio is another ghost town. This one is called Endee. It was named after the ND Ranch. I have not visted Endee, but I plan to on a trip in the very near future. It is on the earlier alignment of Route 66, at the junction with State Highway 93, three miles south of Interstate 40.
Twelve miles from the Texas border lie the remains of Bard. Actually, there were 2 towns called Bard. It started on the earlier alignment of Route 66 and then moved to the later routing. Today, both Bard and
Old Bard just have a few residents, a half dozen or so. In the newer town of Bard, there seems to be a third alignment of The Mother Road. It is barely discernible, but there was a road there at one time. This alignment is farther north than the other two. I believe it predates what I have been calling the older, or earlier, alignment of Route 66. It was most likely the 1926 alignment of the highway, which is the year the highway was commissioned, or it could be U.S. Highway 66's predecessor, the National Old Trails Highway. If this is the case, this alignment was never paved. Yet, what's left of this early road definitely shows signs that it was graded and maintained at one time.
Before the present federal highway system got its start in 1926, the nation was a patchwork quilt of dirt roads that usually turned into quagmires after a rain. What roads there were usually connected towns in close proximity to each other and, after leaving populated areas, usually dwindled to a crude set of ruts or many times, disappeared completely, resulting in cross-country travel over desert or grassland for early drivers. The National Old Trails Highway and the Lincoln Highway were the first attempts to create a transcontinental road system.
Five miles west of Bard is San Jon, a town of about 300 people. It had about 800 at one time.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Glenrio, part 2
Glenrio was never a large town. At its peak it only had about 200 people, but it was still a busy place since it catered to travelers on the busiest highway in the country.
Old U.S. Highway 66 through Glenrio is a forlorn sight. It is still in good condition. It is a wide road with four lanes of traffic separated by a concrete, divider island. The pavement stripes on each side of the divider island are still there, in most places, but they are barely visible. In other places, they have faded into obscurity. It is a wide highway, but it is completely devoid of traffic! Only the occasional vehicle now travels this lonely road and most of those vehicles belong to sightseers who are exploring the old road. The wideness highway is a clear indicator of how busy highway 66 once was.
About 1/3 of a mile after Old Highway 66 crosses into New Mexico, it becomes a dirt road. It was once paved in this area, but the Quay County Road Department removed the pavement after the highway became obsolete because the claimed it was too expensive to maintain for the minimal amount of traffic it was then carrying. Uh, I wonder how much to remove the pavement on 19 miles of road.? I'll bet it cost quite a bit of money to remove asphalt on 19 miles of road in worker's salaries plus the cost of operating the machinery. If they had just ignored the road and let it fall into disrepair, it would have been much cheaper. Also, why didn'y Quay County remove the pavement all the way to the Texas border instead of stopping about one-third mile short of the border?
About one mile into New Mexico, the earlier alignment and the later alignment of Route 66 separate. It was 1952 when the highway was re-routed a few miles farther north. The pavement has been removed on both of these alignments.
Between the former post office and the abandoned First Motel in Texas/Last Motel in Texas, there is a concrete obelisk about five feet tall. This is the state border. There is no engraving on this obelisk, but I am sure there some type of marking on the obelisk at one time, whether it be engraving or mounted signs. The state border goes right through a decapitated windmill. Directly across the old highway from this marker is the dirt road that one of the occupied houses is located on. It is Quay County Road A.
Old U.S. Highway 66 through Glenrio is a forlorn sight. It is still in good condition. It is a wide road with four lanes of traffic separated by a concrete, divider island. The pavement stripes on each side of the divider island are still there, in most places, but they are barely visible. In other places, they have faded into obscurity. It is a wide highway, but it is completely devoid of traffic! Only the occasional vehicle now travels this lonely road and most of those vehicles belong to sightseers who are exploring the old road. The wideness highway is a clear indicator of how busy highway 66 once was.
About 1/3 of a mile after Old Highway 66 crosses into New Mexico, it becomes a dirt road. It was once paved in this area, but the Quay County Road Department removed the pavement after the highway became obsolete because the claimed it was too expensive to maintain for the minimal amount of traffic it was then carrying. Uh, I wonder how much to remove the pavement on 19 miles of road.? I'll bet it cost quite a bit of money to remove asphalt on 19 miles of road in worker's salaries plus the cost of operating the machinery. If they had just ignored the road and let it fall into disrepair, it would have been much cheaper. Also, why didn'y Quay County remove the pavement all the way to the Texas border instead of stopping about one-third mile short of the border?
About one mile into New Mexico, the earlier alignment and the later alignment of Route 66 separate. It was 1952 when the highway was re-routed a few miles farther north. The pavement has been removed on both of these alignments.
Between the former post office and the abandoned First Motel in Texas/Last Motel in Texas, there is a concrete obelisk about five feet tall. This is the state border. There is no engraving on this obelisk, but I am sure there some type of marking on the obelisk at one time, whether it be engraving or mounted signs. The state border goes right through a decapitated windmill. Directly across the old highway from this marker is the dirt road that one of the occupied houses is located on. It is Quay County Road A.
A Two State Town
As Interstate 40 approaches Glenrio, it just kisses the northwest corner of Deaf Smith County. It is only in
Deaf Smith County for about a mile.
Glenrio, or rather what's left of it, straddles the border between Texas and New Mexico. I referred to it as a ghost town in the last installment. It is not completely abandoned, there are two occupied houses, but it is a ghost town nevertheless. It is not what some historians call "a true ghost." In terms of businesses, it is a ghost town in the truest sense of the word because there is not one operating business in town. They all closed for good decades ago.
The bypassing of Glenrio by Interstate 40 dealt a lethal blow to the town. Of the abandoned buildings that are still standing, there are two former gas stations, one with a garage, two former motels, abandoned tourist cabins (the forerunner of motels) with iron bed frames with broken springs and sagging mattresses still in the rooms, the post office and several houses, among others.
However, the weeds alongside Old Highway 66 conceal the detritus of other once thriving businesses. Rubble such as broken concrete, scattered adobe bricks, nails and concrete or asphalt driveways serve as mute testimony to the prosperous era of Glenrio when it served travelers on U.S. Highway 66 with every necessary convenience of highway travel.
One of the motels, located in Texas just a few feet from the state border had the name "First Motel in Texas" on one side of the sign and "Last Motel in Texas" on the other side. This sign is now partially ruined and only some of the letters are visible.
The Glenrio post office was located in New Mexico, next door to the "First Motel in Texas/Last Motel in Texas." It appears to be still in good condition and, the one time I was in Glenrio, cluster mail boxes were located in front of it and appeared to be in use. I am guessing that the post offices in either Adrian, Texas or San Jon, New Mexico deliver the mail to these boxes.
There are two occupied houses in Glenrio, one in Texas, one in New Mexico. The one in Texas is located behind one of the abandoned gas stations, so I am guessing the owner of the gas station once lived in that house. The occupied house in New Mexico is located on a dirt road that straddles the state border and it looks like a ranch headquarters. So the population of Glenrio, I am guessing, is about half a dozen.
Deaf Smith County for about a mile.
Glenrio, or rather what's left of it, straddles the border between Texas and New Mexico. I referred to it as a ghost town in the last installment. It is not completely abandoned, there are two occupied houses, but it is a ghost town nevertheless. It is not what some historians call "a true ghost." In terms of businesses, it is a ghost town in the truest sense of the word because there is not one operating business in town. They all closed for good decades ago.
The bypassing of Glenrio by Interstate 40 dealt a lethal blow to the town. Of the abandoned buildings that are still standing, there are two former gas stations, one with a garage, two former motels, abandoned tourist cabins (the forerunner of motels) with iron bed frames with broken springs and sagging mattresses still in the rooms, the post office and several houses, among others.
However, the weeds alongside Old Highway 66 conceal the detritus of other once thriving businesses. Rubble such as broken concrete, scattered adobe bricks, nails and concrete or asphalt driveways serve as mute testimony to the prosperous era of Glenrio when it served travelers on U.S. Highway 66 with every necessary convenience of highway travel.
One of the motels, located in Texas just a few feet from the state border had the name "First Motel in Texas" on one side of the sign and "Last Motel in Texas" on the other side. This sign is now partially ruined and only some of the letters are visible.
The Glenrio post office was located in New Mexico, next door to the "First Motel in Texas/Last Motel in Texas." It appears to be still in good condition and, the one time I was in Glenrio, cluster mail boxes were located in front of it and appeared to be in use. I am guessing that the post offices in either Adrian, Texas or San Jon, New Mexico deliver the mail to these boxes.
There are two occupied houses in Glenrio, one in Texas, one in New Mexico. The one in Texas is located behind one of the abandoned gas stations, so I am guessing the owner of the gas station once lived in that house. The occupied house in New Mexico is located on a dirt road that straddles the state border and it looks like a ranch headquarters. So the population of Glenrio, I am guessing, is about half a dozen.
A Western Detour
McLean is the farthest east I have been on the Texas stretch of Route 66. At McLean, I headed north towards the town of Pampa and other locales in the northeastern Panhandle on my vacation last fall. I will discuss these areas in the near future. For now, I would like to talk more about Route 66.
West of Amarillo, there isn't much left of the old road, which is a stark contrast to the stretch east of the city.
What remains of Route 66 in the western Panhandle is mostly the main streets of the few, struggling towns that still exist. Otherwise, there are a few short fragments here and there. Interstate 40 was built mostly to the south of Route 66 in the western Panhandle and north of Route 66 in the eastern Panhandle.
There are only 4 towns in Texas along Interstate 40 west of Amarillo. The easternmost one, Bushland, has seen quite a bit of growth in recent years since it has become a bedroom community for Amarillo, which is only seven miles away. Farther west are Wildorado, Vega and Adrian. Bushland's population has recently surpassed 2,000 and, a few years ago, a high school was built to educate teenagers that live in Bushland and also in the many housing developments that have sprung up in the area in recent years. The population of Bushland had hovered at around 300 for decades before the recent surge.
Of these 4 towns, Bushland is the only one in Potter County (Amarillo is the county seat). The others are in Oldham County and Vega is the county seat of that county.
On the east edge of Oldham County is Wildorado, which has about 95 people. The population seems to have peaked at around 250, from what I can tell. Eleven miles farther west is Vega, with 884 people. The population of Vega has shrunk, but not by much. At its peak, Vega had 936 people. The Oldham County Courthouse in Vega looks sort of like a museum. 14 miles west of Vega is Adrian, with 166 people. It actually gained population in the last decade, seven people, after decades of decline that saw it shrink from a peak of about 325 people.
The business loops through all of these towns were once U.S. Highway 66.
Twenty-three miles west of Adrian lies the most significant stretch of Route 66 in Texas west of Amarillo. It is a short stretch, but very historically significant. It is actually the east end of a long stretch of the old highway that lies mostly in new Mexico, but has its terminus in Texas. This stretch of the old highway begins just east of the ghost town of Glenrio, which was one of the more well known towns along the entire highway back in the day.
It is sort of ironic that, of the eight states that U.S. Hghway 66 traversed, the biggest one, Texas, had the second shortest stretch of the highway, about 180 miles. The state with the shortest stretch of the Mother Road is Kansas, which claimed only 13 miles of the highway because the highway cut across the far southeast corner of that state.
West of Amarillo, there isn't much left of the old road, which is a stark contrast to the stretch east of the city.
What remains of Route 66 in the western Panhandle is mostly the main streets of the few, struggling towns that still exist. Otherwise, there are a few short fragments here and there. Interstate 40 was built mostly to the south of Route 66 in the western Panhandle and north of Route 66 in the eastern Panhandle.
There are only 4 towns in Texas along Interstate 40 west of Amarillo. The easternmost one, Bushland, has seen quite a bit of growth in recent years since it has become a bedroom community for Amarillo, which is only seven miles away. Farther west are Wildorado, Vega and Adrian. Bushland's population has recently surpassed 2,000 and, a few years ago, a high school was built to educate teenagers that live in Bushland and also in the many housing developments that have sprung up in the area in recent years. The population of Bushland had hovered at around 300 for decades before the recent surge.
Of these 4 towns, Bushland is the only one in Potter County (Amarillo is the county seat). The others are in Oldham County and Vega is the county seat of that county.
On the east edge of Oldham County is Wildorado, which has about 95 people. The population seems to have peaked at around 250, from what I can tell. Eleven miles farther west is Vega, with 884 people. The population of Vega has shrunk, but not by much. At its peak, Vega had 936 people. The Oldham County Courthouse in Vega looks sort of like a museum. 14 miles west of Vega is Adrian, with 166 people. It actually gained population in the last decade, seven people, after decades of decline that saw it shrink from a peak of about 325 people.
The business loops through all of these towns were once U.S. Highway 66.
Twenty-three miles west of Adrian lies the most significant stretch of Route 66 in Texas west of Amarillo. It is a short stretch, but very historically significant. It is actually the east end of a long stretch of the old highway that lies mostly in new Mexico, but has its terminus in Texas. This stretch of the old highway begins just east of the ghost town of Glenrio, which was one of the more well known towns along the entire highway back in the day.
It is sort of ironic that, of the eight states that U.S. Hghway 66 traversed, the biggest one, Texas, had the second shortest stretch of the highway, about 180 miles. The state with the shortest stretch of the Mother Road is Kansas, which claimed only 13 miles of the highway because the highway cut across the far southeast corner of that state.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
America's Main Street
U.S. Highway 66 was once the busiest highway in the world and, as a result, was constantly being upgraded or re-routed. So there are many alignments of the highway for road buffs to explore.
There are a literally scores of dead or dying towns along the fabled highway. On either side of the treacherous Jericho Gap are Groom and McLean, 30 miles apart. Seven miles west of McLean is Alanreed. Alanreed was never very big, about 150 people at its peak. Now it has about 45. Groom currently has about 550 people, but once had over 1,000. It is best known for two things. There is a 190 foot tall white cross that was built fairly recently, after the Route 66 days. It is one of the tallest crosses in the world and it stands in a field just to the south of Interstate 40, which bypasses Groom to the north. Groom is also known for a leaning water tower. It was a functioning municipal water tower at one time, but was de-commissioned by the town government in favor of a newer one. The owner of a local truck stop purchased it to use as a giant advertising sign for his truck stop. He cut two of its legs so they would be shorter than the other two. that is why it leans. He once said he did this "just to make people ask questions." And they certainly did and still do today even though the truck stop has been abandoned for many years. The truck stop was called
"Britten USA' and that is what it still says on the leaning water tower. This water tower is one of the most iconic images ofRoute 66 and appears in nearly every book about Route 66.
Thirty miles east of Groom and seven miles east of Alanreed is McLean. This town has about 800 people but once had about 1,500. It is one of the more well known towns along the old highway. It was once very overbuilt because it had scores of businesses that catered to cross country travelers. Today, the majority of these businesses are abandoned. There was once a hospital in McLean that was built basically to take care of the carnage that occurred on Route 66 and, especially, the nearby Jericho Gap. The highway was also known known as "Bloody 66" because of all the wrecks, many of them head-on, that occurred on the highway. McLean sort of looks like a movie set that was abandoned after the movie was filmed. The abandoned Avalon Theater was once quite famous and was a very busy place in the evenings.
For about eight miles in the Jericho Gap area between Groom and Alanreed, Interstate 40 straddles the boundary between Donley County to the south and Gray County to the north. The westbound lanes are in Gray County with the eastbound lanes in Donley County.
There are a literally scores of dead or dying towns along the fabled highway. On either side of the treacherous Jericho Gap are Groom and McLean, 30 miles apart. Seven miles west of McLean is Alanreed. Alanreed was never very big, about 150 people at its peak. Now it has about 45. Groom currently has about 550 people, but once had over 1,000. It is best known for two things. There is a 190 foot tall white cross that was built fairly recently, after the Route 66 days. It is one of the tallest crosses in the world and it stands in a field just to the south of Interstate 40, which bypasses Groom to the north. Groom is also known for a leaning water tower. It was a functioning municipal water tower at one time, but was de-commissioned by the town government in favor of a newer one. The owner of a local truck stop purchased it to use as a giant advertising sign for his truck stop. He cut two of its legs so they would be shorter than the other two. that is why it leans. He once said he did this "just to make people ask questions." And they certainly did and still do today even though the truck stop has been abandoned for many years. The truck stop was called
"Britten USA' and that is what it still says on the leaning water tower. This water tower is one of the most iconic images ofRoute 66 and appears in nearly every book about Route 66.
Thirty miles east of Groom and seven miles east of Alanreed is McLean. This town has about 800 people but once had about 1,500. It is one of the more well known towns along the old highway. It was once very overbuilt because it had scores of businesses that catered to cross country travelers. Today, the majority of these businesses are abandoned. There was once a hospital in McLean that was built basically to take care of the carnage that occurred on Route 66 and, especially, the nearby Jericho Gap. The highway was also known known as "Bloody 66" because of all the wrecks, many of them head-on, that occurred on the highway. McLean sort of looks like a movie set that was abandoned after the movie was filmed. The abandoned Avalon Theater was once quite famous and was a very busy place in the evenings.
For about eight miles in the Jericho Gap area between Groom and Alanreed, Interstate 40 straddles the boundary between Donley County to the south and Gray County to the north. The westbound lanes are in Gray County with the eastbound lanes in Donley County.
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