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BY TIM HAGAMAN The oldest business established in 1908 remaining on the Ozark Trail (1918) and Route 66 (1926) in New Mexico. GW Richardson first established his first 1908 Mercantile Store from Missouri at the Chicago, Rock Island Southern Pacific Cattle Shipping stop north of the existing store on Route 66. It was near the original townsite occupied by hard-working cowboys at the T 4 Ranch Headquarters. The existing 1928 Richardson Store Ruin gateway to the Llano Estacado, blankets the warm 4321elevation sandwiched between the Mesa Rica to the north of the Jose Pablo Montoya Mexican Land Grant, and Mesa de las Palomas to the south like a Serape. Just two hours west of Amarillo, Texas, is found a beautiful three-foot-thick sandstone 3500 square foot store with an open skylight residence, and five lodging rooms with blue skies lacking a roof. I was born in the same year that Interstate 40 began replacing Route 66 in Quay County during 1959. Construction was not finished until Gallup in 1980 at the Arizona state line. I spent eight years in Gallup along Route 66 thanks to former Gallup mayor AT Hannett (1918-1922) and later New Mexico governor from 1925-1927. An event plaque walking tour I authored in Historic Gallup states that AT Hannett designated the Old Trails Highway to Route 66, which led a straight alignment to Gallup. The Ozark Trail connected Saint Louis with East Las Vegas through Montoya in 1918 when wagon trails ruled. An Automobile Map Compiled for the Commercial Club of Las Vegas, New Mexico, for the benefit of Tourists, the Ozark Trail from Saint Louis to East Las Vegas, is a rare map found in the TT Hagaman Southwest Collection loaned to Museums and Libraries for public exhibiting. Mrs. Richardson managed the former Montoya Post Office located in the sandstone structure. Modern metal cluster mail boxes connect Montoya residents whom once shopped for ranching supplies. Local ranchers have asked me what my plans are for this less than 10 acre property. Masons built this as a store, residence, and lodging; I will preserve and restore it as it was built, with the exception of its original hipped roof, with a slightly pitched tin roof supported by vigas that were burned during wildfires in Mora and San Miguel Counties. The front façade does not exist so I will manufacture a thirty- foot wall in Las Vegas, New Mexico, at B Public Prefab, with a glass front door and pair of framed store windows with new tin roof overhanging, all shading the former gas station pump pedestals that still exist. A Gulf sign walked off after the store closed in 1978. My all-original 1978 Ford Mustang 11 with sales invoice sold in Springer, New Mexico, will be parked out front as if Billy the Kid left it while riding his mustang. He is buried in nearby Fort Sumner and rode what became the famous landmark Bell Ranch to Tascosa, Texas, before being captured by Jim East, Frank Stuart, and Pat Garrett in Stinking Springs, barricaded in a small stone house with their horses keeping them warm, a day’s mule ride south of Montoya. Everything that was made of frame will be removed, with the exception of existing doors and windows. Doors will be updated with electronic key entry for those seeking corporate housing at anytime of the day or night. Livestock pen housing will be provided as an option. An annual Montoya 4th of July Picnic will be scheduling annually to honor our cultural musicians of the past. The Montoya Cemetery is a living history example in our community. Not everyone can focus a vision through a ruin, but we must take ownership to save our historic properties that speak the past through their unique southwest architecture. Santa Fe’s own Kaisa Barthuli, Project Manager with the National Park Service Route 66 Office, reminded me of the Santa Domingo Trading Post that survived a fire because of adobe construction, and was preserved through an Economic Development Administration Matching Grant. Built by the Seligman Family in 1922 and visited by President John F. Kennedy, it retained its National Register of Historic Places status. We must have urgency to conduct planning for local incentives in historic preservation, economic development, creative industries, and food security to offer diversity in rural Main Street, New Mexico. Lastly, I wish to thank the many thousands of YouTubers traveling between Tucumcari and Santa Rosa who provide content on Route 66 through Montoya, Newkirk, and Cuervo. They have inspired this project on the Goodnight Loving Cattle Trail connecting Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana Territories from 1866-1875. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tim Hagaman is an actor, writer, and speaker, and has appeared on the History Channel. He has published articles and programs on Cartography, Economic Development, Historic Preservation, and Wild West History. He shares his TT Hagaman Southwest Collection with Museums and Libraries. [email protected]  The oldest business established in 1908 remaining on the Ozark Trail (1918) and Route 66 (1926) in
New Mexico. The Richardson Store: new sign (left), southwest elevation (center), and north store interior (right). SIGNS ARE AGLOW ONCE AGAIN IN TUCUMCARI The New Mexico Route 66 Association has completed neon restoration of several iconic signs in Tucumcari damaged by golf ball sized hail on May 27, 2023. A neon sign damage assessment by the association identified more than 60 pieces of broken neon tubing distributed among 12 classic neon signs in Tucumcari. Businesses affected were predominantly small mom-and-pop enterprises that could not afford the financial and human resource commitment needed to repair their signs along what is arguably one of the most-photographed and admired segments of the Mother Road. New Mexico Route 66 Association president, Melissa Beasley-Lee stated, “The economic impact of tourists coming each year to Tucumcari specifically, and New Mexico Route 66 in general, is tallied in millions of dollars, and one of the main attractions is vintage signs. To be able to photograph them in operating order is typically a highlight of a Route 66 journey.” “Small businesses face a cost-prohibitive situation when attempting to hire commercial sign crews, which is exacerbated for rural communities like Tucumcari where the closest commercial sign companies capable of servicing neon signs are located more than 100 miles away.” She explained that the efforts of the association have saved these business owners a substantial amount on repairing their signs. “We made several trips to Tucumcari to bring the magic back to this city,” Beasley-Lee explained. “We offered free services to remove broken tubing, made patterns, and delivered them to SkyRite Sign Company in Amarillo where veteran neon tube bender, Cecil Walker, created new pieces that we picked up and installed. The association also served as point-of-contact, representing the neon sign owners in Tucumcari in transactions with the team in Amarillo. The New Mexico Route 66 Association covered 50% of neon costs with a 50% match from sign owners. Additionally, transformers—which supply power within the sign to light up the tubes—were tested. Those no longer working were replaced. More complex electrical issues were assessed by neon professionals with electrical backgrounds. Neon-sign restoration specialist Paul Greenstein was flown in from Los Angeles twice to provide his expert services, free of charge for the cause. He has been making, restoring, and installing neon signs since 1977. In May of 2023, upon learning of the devastation to the neon signage in Tucumcari, Beasley-Lee initiated a Go-Fund-Me campaign for those who wanted to support the association and Tucumcari in the repair of the neon signs. The fund, combined with donations sent directly to the association, totaled over $12,000 worldwide. The Go-Fund-Me initiative allowed the association to begin the neon restoration project. Word of the project reached the National Trust for Historic Preservation who presented the association with a $50,000 Preserve Route 66 Grant to assist with the project. “This was an extremely high honor for association, and I am proud to see us recognized with this funding for our state preservation efforts,” boasted Beasley-Lee. The scale of the repair efforts in Tucumcari provided an excellent opportunity for hands-on neon repair examples. Discussions with the NTHP regarding this led to funds also being provided to produce two troubleshooting neon repair videos. Fast TV Network, home of the hit series Legends of Route 66, was hired for the filming. Fast TV Network captured extensive footage of the repair process. President and CEO Mike Lee stated, “We documented every step of the process, not only for historic value, but also so that others could learn from them.” A downloadable checklist, to assist those tackling their own neon sign repair, will also be available free of charge. “Neon signs are among the most important aspects of Historic Route 66,” Beasley-Lee asserted. “It is critical that we keep as many working as possible. The videos will be a tremendous help to sign owners, enabling them to do their own repairs whenever it is feasible.” Unfortunately, the project took longer than expected, some businesses missed out on the grant funds all together. One did not pay their final bill following a retaliation by restoration team member, Johnnie Meier, against the association after being reprimanded regarding complaints by some business owners about unprofessional conduct. Also addressed were poor performance and providing incorrect quotes for the NTPH grant paperwork. Meier, owner of Classical Gas Museum, along with Vickie Ashcraft, owner of Enchanted Trails RV Park and Trading Post, and Connie Loveland, executive director of Tucumcari Mainstreet proceeded to hijack the associations bank accounts, most of which were grant and donations for the neon project. Additionally, neon supplies purchased for the restoration project were locked away from the association inside the Tucumcari Train Depot by Loveland. While this was taking place, false allegations were being spread claiming association president, Melissa Beasley-Lee had resigned, with Ashcraft stepping in as interim president. Beasley-Lee was also falsely accused of running off with a portion of these funds. Beasley-Lee shared, “Through this terrible ordeal that started in March of 2024, my focus was, and has always been, on the best interest of the New Mexico Route 66 Association, its members, and the Route 66 communities throughout our state.” Bank accounts have been recovered by the newly elected board of directors with a minimal amount of funds missing. Meier, Ashcraft, and Loveland are no longer a part of the board or the association. See past updates on the project.   |
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