The original 1926 "alignment" of Route 66 between Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Santa Fe followed the old Santa Fe Trail. The Santa Fe Trail ran 1200 miles from Missouri to Santa Fe and was used from 1821 until 1880, when a railroad to Santa Fe was completed. Today much of the Santa Fe Trail and the original Route 66 between Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Santa Fe are buried under I-25. But there are enough fragments and beautiful scenery to make this a great drive.
We left Las Vegas, New Mexico, in April 2022 on the Romeroville Frontage Road that runs along the east side of I-25. At the I-25 interchange in Romeroville, we crossed I-25, then turned left (southwest) on Frontage Road 2116, which is the old Santa Fe Trail and the earliest 1926 “alignment” of Route 66.
About 4 miles later, near Tecolote, we ran into a sort of cattle traffic jam!
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| Cattle on Route 66 near Tecolote, New Mexico |
At Bernal, about 4 miles past Tecolote, we turned left to cross I-25, then turned right on Route B26A, which was the Santa Fe Trail and the original 1926 Route 66. Here the road is unpaved but easy to drive if it hasn’t rained recently.
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| The original, unpaved Route 66 west of Bernal, New Mexico |
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| More of the original, unpaved Route 66 west of Bernal, New Mexico |
In about 3 miles, Route B26A rejoins Frontage Road 2116. Here the Frontage Road is NOT the original Route 66. To travel on a bit of unpaved fragment of the original Route 66, about 3 miles after rejoining Frontage Road 2116, we turned left (south) on Route B410 and took an underpass under I-25.
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| I-25 underpass at San Jose, New Mexico |
This fragment of the original Route 66 runs through the village of San Jose and dead ends at a bridge over the Pecos River.
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| Former Route 66 bridge in San Jose, New Mexico |
The bridge was built in 1921 and once carried Route 66 traffic. It’s now closed.
We turned around and drove back through San Jose. It’s easy to imagine what it was like to drive Route 66 here almost 100 years ago.
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| Original Route 66 through San Jose, New Mexico |
In San Jose, we passed San Jose Church, built of adobe in 1826.
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| San Jose Church |
We turned left (west) on Frontage Road 2116, which here IS part of the 1926 alignment of Route 66. In less than a mile, the Frontage Road moves to the south side of I-25. In about 10 miles, we reached the town of Rowe. Here the Frontage Road forks. We took the right fork and crossed I-25, then turned left (north) on NM 63. This is again the original 1926 alignment of Route 66.
In about 3 miles, we reached Pecos National Historical Park. Pecos was once a major transportation hub for Native Americans in this region. Today there are a lot of impressive ruins to see.
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| Ruins at Pecos National Historical Park |
We
took the park’s easy 1¼ mile loop trail to see the ruins. The park rangers at
the Visitor Center suggested purchasing a guidebook for a dollar, and it was a
good investment—we learned a lot about what we were looking at.
The Spanish began arriving in the 1600s and attempted to convert the Native Americans and use them as labor. The Pecos natives revolted in 1680, destroying the church the Spanish had built, but the Spanish built another in 1717. By the 1780s, disease and Comanche raids had pretty much wiped out the city, and in the 1830s it was abandoned.
Today the most impressive ruin is of the 1717 church built by Spanish missionaries. One of the wayside signs made it easy to compare what the church once looked like against the ruins today.
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| 1717 church ruins in Pecos National Historical Park |
There are also remains of the complex that once surrounded the church.
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| Ruins of the complex around the church |
After our visit to Pecos National Historic Park, we continued north on NM 63 to the present-day town of Pecos. Here we turned left (west) on NM 50 to continue on the original Route 66 alignment. In about 3 or 4 miles, we passed the site of Pigeon Ranch. Pigeon Ranch was once an important stagecoach stop on the Santa Fe Trail—the largest stop between Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Santa Fe.
PIGEON RANCH IN 1880
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| Pigeon Ranch in 1880 (from LegendsofAmerica.com) |
Pigeon Ranch lost its business as a stagecoach stop in 1880, when the railroad over Glorieta Pass was completed, and a train depot was built in the town of Glorieta two miles away. In the 1920s it became a Route 66 tourist attraction.
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| Postcard of Pigeon Ranch (from CardCow.com) |
Pigeon Ranch as a tourist attraction lasted only a few years until the newer Route 66 alignment was built well south of here in 1937. Much of the ranch was destroyed when I-25 was built a few hundred feet to the south. Today all that’s left is a small adobe building next to the highway.
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| Pigeon Ranch today (from Google Maps) |
This building was part of a house built in the 1880s.
At Glorieta, we had to get back on I-25. In less than a mile, I-25 crosses the Glorieta Pass.
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| Glorieta Pass (from PecosNewMexico.com) |
Glorieta Pass is the highest point on the 1926 alignment of Route 66. During the Civil War, Confederates launched a huge battle to control this pass. It was the only point south of Colorado where the Rocky Mountains could be crossed. So if Confederates could control this pass, they could control the west. But they lost. Today the pass is so peaceful and wooded that it’s hard to believe a battle was fought here.
At the Glorieta Pass, I-25 turns southwest. In about 4 miles, we exited at Canoncito, then made quick right and left turns to get on Old Las Vegas Highway (NM 300) towards Santa Fe. In about 10 miles, we turned right on Old Pecos Trail (NM 466). In about a mile, NM 466 and Old Pecos Trail split. We turned right to stay on the Old Pecos Trail. It soon merged into Old Santa Fe Trail, which we followed into downtown Santa Fe.
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