Cíbola County, New Mexico
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Abe
Peña's "From the Past" newspaper column
All material used with the kind permission of the author, given to me personally. |
Published Friday, June 12, 2009
9:40 AM MDT
"Route 66” was the magical road that conjured adventure and
excitement
in the minds of most Americans. Nostalgia for a ribbon
of road
cutting across plains, deserts, canyons, mesas, mountains, and
an
occasional rattlesnake, jackrabbit, or coyote in its path. The
memory
still lingers in the minds and hearts of those who traveled
the magical
route.
Another historic “trail” from a more distant past which also
brings
adventure to mind is 'The Santa Fe Trail.” Both routes played
important
roles in the development of New Mexico.
The Santa Fe Trail stretched from Independence, Missouri to
Santa
Fe. Oxcarts and wagons rolled and lumbered on it from
1821 to
1879. It saw gingham and silk come west to dress our pretty
women, and
it saw gold from the California gold rush go east to finance
the Union
forces during the Civil War.
Route 66 came from Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan, to
Los
Angeles on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. It brought
all manner
of travelers across New Mexico from 1926 to 1976. For 50
years,
America traveled this ribbon of asphalt both east and west and
moved
the product of America to consumers across our great country.
Probably the saddest of times on Route 66 were the Oklahomans
(Okies)
abandoning their eroding farms during the infamous Dust Bowl
of the
1930s and heading west. They traveled by car, by truck, and
anything
that rolled. They passed through Grants and the Land of Cíbola
with a steaming radiator, a mattress on the roof, dust in
their faces,
and the spark of hope in their eyes. They were following
the
magical road with the promise of a new life in California.
John Steinbeck, in his epic novel “The Grapes of Wrath,”
captured the
sorrow, the tears, the joys, and the indomitable spirit of our
neighbors in their journey to the west. Hollywood made
Steinbeck's epic into an Academy-Award-winning movie by the
same name
starring Henry Fonda as Tom Joad and Jane Darwell as Ma.
She won
an Oscar for her performance, and he won the hearts of
Americans
everywhere.
Today, the Grants area is blessed with about 65 miles of
continuous
Route 66 paralleling I-40 from Mesita Negra in the east to the
Top-of-the-World in the west. Our focus on tourism makes
Grants a
natural center for a Route 66 Museum to preserve, show, and
display the
colorful history of the route's 50 years of service across
America,
across New Mexico, and across the picturesque Land of Cíbola.
The program director of the New Mexico State Department of
Tourism
spoke to the chamber of commerce several years ago and
suggested a
museum which would be “a first in New Mexico commemorating the
historic
route.” He pointed to the increasing traffic on I-40,
which he
termed “a virtual gold mine,” at that time estimated at 16,000
vehicles
per day. Today, the traffic is closer to 22,000 per day,
according to
the Highway Department.
Grants is a natural gateway to Laguna and Acoma Pueblos, El
Malpais
National Monument, the Ice Caves, the Zuni Mountains,
Inscription Rock,
Zuni Pueblo, the Navajo Reservation, Chaco Canyon, and
majestic Mount
Taylor, known to the Navajos as the sacred Turquoise Mountain.
The chamber of commerce estimates that a tourist spends about
$140 per
day while in our area, and all those dollars translate into
jobs and
businesses to service an increasing number of tourists.
Grants
and the Cíbola area are already benefiting from the publicity
and the word of mouth generated by those that have known our
hospitality and our scenic beauty.
For example, on President's weekend in February, some 500
quadrathletes, some with families, come from all over the
country, and
indeed around the world, and spend two or three days with
us. In
the evaluation of the race, participants rate the friendly
people of
Grants and the help of dedicated volunteers as the most
memorable part
of the race. They keep coming back year after year and
bringing others
with them.
Another example is the Fire and Ice Bike Rally in mid-July.
The rally
keeps growing every year. It attracts several thousand
motorcyclists,
which, in economic terms, means more jobs for the Land of
Cíbola.
Let's keep being great hosts like in the Route 66 Days;
everyone wins."