Tucumcari, NM
4 June 2007
80 and mostly clear
Friends of Charlie and Barbara ..
Tucumcari proves to be different and unexpected. And we’ve experienced our first southwest afternoon thunderstorms, pretty good ones; there’s one due this afternoon.
In this Google Earth oblique, I-40 skirts the town (5 town exits!) to the south. Our KOA RV Park can be discerned just east of the eastern freeway exit. Historic Route 66 runs through the middle of town, west to east, on Tucumcari Boulevard. The old part of town related to the railroad primarily lies in the yellow bounded area north of the Boulevard. The large blemish in the upper right is Lake Stink (aka Tucumcari), a natural wetland. The area around the town is farming and ranching land.
The town has a distinct railroad era district, Route 66 era strip, and now an I-40 era strip (NM 104) with adjoining residential areas running north from the freeway to town.
Tucumcari has a population of about 6000 and was previously a stop on the Santa Fe Railroad and headquarter of major trucking firms. It is reported that the railroad station and local trucking firms were lost about 10 years back which sent the town into a funk from which it is just now beginning to recover.
4 June 2007
80 and mostly clear
Friends of Charlie and Barbara ..
Tucumcari proves to be different and unexpected. And we’ve experienced our first southwest afternoon thunderstorms, pretty good ones; there’s one due this afternoon.
In this Google Earth oblique, I-40 skirts the town (5 town exits!) to the south. Our KOA RV Park can be discerned just east of the eastern freeway exit. Historic Route 66 runs through the middle of town, west to east, on Tucumcari Boulevard. The old part of town related to the railroad primarily lies in the yellow bounded area north of the Boulevard. The large blemish in the upper right is Lake Stink (aka Tucumcari), a natural wetland. The area around the town is farming and ranching land.The town has a distinct railroad era district, Route 66 era strip, and now an I-40 era strip (NM 104) with adjoining residential areas running north from the freeway to town.
Tucumcari has a population of about 6000 and was previously a stop on the Santa Fe Railroad and headquarter of major trucking firms. It is reported that the railroad station and local trucking firms were lost about 10 years back which sent the town into a funk from which it is just now beginning to recover.
Route 66 is now a principal tourist theme which hasn’t at yet created much noticeable revitalization for the community. The theme is actively promoted: Tucumcari Boulevard has been renamed Historic Route 66, many businesses are named for the Route, and Route 66 tourist brochures have been printed. This wall mural is in a town restaurant.
Unfortunately Route 66 passes by a lot of abandoned businesses. The Cactus RV Park interestingly is the parking lot of an old motel you can still see in the background.
One historic Route 66 business that has be refurbished is the Blue Swallow Motel with the help of Federal tourism money (the neon in the sign was replaced but subsequently lost in a recent storm; restoring neon signs is a popular use of the Federal money).Next: We leave tomorrow for Amarillo, TX, our next to last stop before our destination of Oklahoma City, actually Norman, OK 35 miles south of OKC. You'll have to wait for another day for the origin of the name Tucumcari.
… Humphrey for Charlie and Barbara
… Humphrey for Charlie and Barbara
