SENATE MEMORIAL 17

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2025

INTRODUCED BY

Pete Campos

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE CENTENNIAL OF ROUTE 66 AND ITS LEGACY IN NEW MEXICO.

 

     WHEREAS, United States highway 66, better known as route 66, was a product of a grassroots movement for better roads and was one of the original highways and a main artery of the United States numbered highway system when it was established in 1926; and

     WHEREAS, route 66 was known as "the great diagonal highway" that began in Chicago; sliced through the midwest; rolled across the great plains; straddled the deserts and mountainscapes of the great Southwest, including the beautiful Santa Rosa area; and ended at the edge of the Pacific ocean in Santa Monica, California; and

     WHEREAS, route 66 became a symbol for the American heritage and legacy of travel and seeking fulfillment by moving west; and

     WHEREAS, Santa Rosa came of age during this transportation era, first through the connection of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad and the El Paso northern railway on December 26, 1901, and then twenty-five years later when route 66 was defined through existing roadways in Santa Rosa and New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, route 66 in Santa Rosa went straight through the downtown's main street, then turned east at what is now Lake drive and Fourth street, eventually passing Blue Hole, Santa Rosa's natural spring water swimming and diving paradise; and

     WHEREAS, in 1937, a redesign of route 66 established the route as it is today, and many restaurants, bars, motels and gas stations were built along the way to serve the traveling public; and

     WHEREAS, many Santa Rosa residents recall an upbringing with parents, grandparents and great-grandparents that raised families with ties to route 66-related businesses and legacies; and

     WHEREAS, in 1972, interstate 40 was completed and took route 66's place as a legacy to automobile travel; and

     WHEREAS, in 2026, Santa Rosa will join the nation in celebrating the centennial and legacy of route 66, known as "the mother road", as a national treasure; and

     WHEREAS, many celebrations are planned in Santa Rosa, including a new lighted sign across the bridge at the middle interchange, a musical road on the west side of town and tourist-friendly projects such as a new website and events calendar;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that recognition be extended to the centennial of route 66 in Santa Rosa and throughout New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the governor.

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