NM Route 66 Assoc Newsletter


	Spring 2000 Newsletter

Building Route 66 continued....
Learning Channel seeks subjects for Route 66 documentary

It turned out that they were very expensive welding rods used to harden cutting edges. When we heard that everyone was looking for the person who stole the rods, we took them to a cliff and threw them over the edge --far from camp.
A Way of Life
These Route 66 jobs were being built during a period of transition. We still had a few mules and fresnos, but we were switching over to "cats-and-carryalls." One day Dad took me out to the grade with him and let me have a ride on Jim Strait’s Cat. I held on for dear life as I was bounced and jerked from side to side. We were enveloped in dust and smothered by heat from the engine. Then and there, I decided that I liked our mules better. Two other events stand out in memory. After weeks of drilling, loading, and wiring a rock cut section, the day finally came when the powderman was ready to blast. The whole camp and other spectators from far and near turned out to watch. And it was a sight to see and hear when the blast erupted. Another time that summer, the crew stripping the surfacing pit uncovered a petrified tree. Everyone of us excitedly gathered a number of pieces but, alas, they now have all been lost... along with our mules and fresnos.
Nate Skousen, Jr. has wonderful memories of summer camps built along Route 66 and other road jobs in New Mexico. In 1934 the camp was located near Lordsburg, in 1935 it was a Route 66 job between Clines Corners and Santa Rosa before the high of living at the Top-of-the-World in 1936. At age 14, Skousen hired out as a stakechaser earning 50 cents an hour near Carlsbad, New Mexico, and he was thrilled to receive his first paycheck. Today he and his sisters are working with New Mexico Route 66 Association to get a monument erected along Route 66 honoring the men and women who accomplished the difficult job of building the highway.

C.T. Productions is producing a documentary on Historic Route 66 for the Learning Channel. They are looking for interesting subjects to profile who will end up on the TV program. They are specifically looking for the following:

A musician in his or her 20's who travels from venue to venue on Route 66
A hitchhiker in his or her 20's who is traveling the Route this spring.
A person from a country other than the U.S. or Canada who is visiting the Route this spring.
A couple planning to get married on Route 66 this spring.
A honeymooning couple traveling the Mother Road this spring.
Present day strife involving a business or family on Route 66.
A family or individual risking health/livelihood simply by remaining on the road.
A trucker who used to drive Route 66 but has long since shifted to the Interstate. The trucker must still be driving. No retirees.
If you or someone you know matches the above criteria you will want to contact Liz Kivowitz of C.T. Productions at lizkiv@ix.netcom.com
Moriarty old 66 Building lost to Fire
Several businesses, along with a historic Route 66 property, were destroyed by fire on February 13, 2000. One of the remaining historic Route 66 structures in Moriarty, the Melody Ranch Motel, (constructed in 1951 but no longer in operation as a motel), was severely burned. The fire extensively destroyed the interior, and the roof of most of the structure collapsed.
The loss is of concern to local historians since much of the former motel's architectural integrity related to its facade was intact. There are still other historic buildings from the Route 66 era to be seen in Moriarty including the Moriarty Historic Museum and Visitors Center and the El Comedor Restaurant.

Spring 2000 Newsletter