Across the New Mexico Continental Divide on Route 66

Embark on a captivating journey westward from Grants, New Mexico, along the historic Route 66, and prepare to traverse a landscape steeped in history and natural beauty. This segment of the Mother Road unveils a tapestry of small villages, striking geological formations, and echoes of a bygone era. The road will lead you through Milan, Bluewater, Prewitt, and Thoreau, before culminating at the majestic Continental Divide, the highest point on Route 66.

This 31.4-mile stretch of road, initially designated State Highway 6 in 1914, forms part of the National Old Trails Highway, a significant trans-regional route that predates the establishment of the Federal highway system in 1926. As you drive, you’re retracing the paths of early travelers who sought new opportunities and adventures in the American West. The road begins to ascend, gradually climbing out of the Rio San Jose drainage, an area once renowned for its thriving irrigated agriculture, particularly carrot farming, in the 1940s.

The landscape transforms as you approach the Across the New Mexico Continental Divide on Route 66. Evidence of the uranium mining boom that swept through the region in the 1950s becomes apparent, with distant tailing piles and settling ponds visible near Bluewater, serving as stark reminders of the area’s industrial past.

The transition from pastures to a pinyon and juniper woodland signals the climb toward the Across the New Mexico Continental Divide on Route 66. Here, the landscape is dotted with Navajo homesteads, trading posts, and various businesses that cater to travelers. From Prewitt westward, imposing Entrada sandstone cliffs run parallel to the road on the north side, creating a spectacular vista of unbroken red sandstone that stretches all the way to the Arizona border.

Before the 1930s, this section of the road was primarily gravel. However, Federal funding spurred projects to realign and pave the highway, significantly improving the driving experience. These improvements included eliminating two grade crossings by rerouting the highway south of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway lines. While these changes enhanced transportation, they also had consequences for towns like Thoreau, which had flourished from roadside commerce in the 1920s. With Route 66 no longer passing directly through their main streets, many businesses disappeared or relocated, altering the economic landscape of these communities. The journey Across the New Mexico Continental Divide on Route 66 offers a glimpse into the evolving dynamics of transportation and its impact on local economies.

Today, this segment is designated as NM 122, serving as a frontage road along I-40 from west of Milan to the Continental Divide. The eastern 8.6-mile section is a divided four-lane road, completed in 1951 when several portions of Route 66 in New Mexico were widened. The remaining 22.6 miles is a two-lane road that often closely parallels I-40 and the former AT&SF Railway tracks as it ascends toward the Continental Divide. This proximity allows travelers to appreciate the historical context of the route while benefiting from modern infrastructure. The journey Across the New Mexico Continental Divide on Route 66 is a reminder of how transportation networks have evolved over time.

Milan

Just three miles west of Grants lies Milan, now considered a suburb of the larger city. Before the uranium mining boom of the 1950s, Milan was simply a small cluster of businesses serving Route 66 travelers. The town experienced significant growth with the mining boom and was incorporated in 1957, named after Salvador Milan, a prominent landholder who served as its first mayor until his death in 1970. Salvador Milan and his sister Mary were exiled from Mexico during the revolution of 1913, adding a layer of historical intrigue to the town’s origins.

Milan continued to expand over the years, experiencing a significant population surge of 71.6% between 2000 and 2010. Today, it is home to approximately 3,300 residents. Milan is also the site of the privately run Cibola County Correctional Center, which houses over 1,000 federal prisoners and is a major employer in the area. This facility opened in 1993 as a county prison but was acquired and expanded by the Corrections Corporation of America in 1998, contributing to the town’s population growth. New houses and service-oriented businesses continue to be built to accommodate the increasing population.

One classic Route 66 landmark in Milan is the Milan Motel. Situated on the south side of Route 66 between Milan Street and Airport Road, this log cabin-style motel was constructed in 1946. It featured 12 units, a snack shop, and gas pumps. Although it survived the bypassing of Route 66 by I-40 and the Uranium bust, it eventually closed in the 1980s. The property was restored with a National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program grant and now serves as a Trading Post, preserving a piece of the town’s Route 66 heritage.

Between Milan and nearby Prewitt lies an interesting section of the old road, characterized by its width and infrequent use. At intervals, abandoned motels and empty gas stations stand as silent reminders of the road’s former glory. When Route 66 was in its prime, this area was a major carrot-producing region, encompassing thousands of acres. As visitors continue westward, they’ll notice several lava flows in the region, connected to the more extensive deposits of the nearby El Malpais National Monument south of Grants.

Bluewater

Approximately eight miles beyond Milan, westbound Route 66 travelers arrive at Bluewater, once a bustling stopping point along the Mother Road.

In 1870, French ranchers arrived in the area and established a cattle company, irrigating their ranches from a small reservoir. The town’s origins can be traced back to 1881 when the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, later the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, built a station there and named it after Bluewater Creek. In 1885, local ranchers constructed an earthen dam on the creek, but it was washed away by floods a year later.

A post office was established in 1889. In 1891-92, a severe drought devastated the area, leading to the deaths of many cattle and causing numerous ranchers to abandon their land. Soon after, a Mormon man named Ernst A. Tietjen, who resided in nearby Ramah, claimed the land and built an earthen dam for irrigation at the confluence of Cottonwood and Bluewater Creeks. Unfortunately, this dam also succumbed to the forces of nature, washing away in 1904.

In 1905, Ernst A. Tietjen completed homesteading his land and obtained a clear title. He then initiated the surveying of the land and the laying out of a townsite. He sold the first lot to E.H. Dewey for $15; a school had been built long before. The dam was replaced with a cement one, which was later replaced by the current concrete arch dam, constructed in 1926-27 by the Toltec-Bluewater Irrigation District. The water irrigated the farms downstream towards Grants, which became the "Carrot Capital of America."

In 1926, Route 66 was aligned just north of Bluewater between Gallup and Grants. Although never much more than a railroad loading station, a trading post, two motels, a cafe, a garage, and a gas station, this stopover point once thrived.

In 1935, a popular stop along this stretch was the Old Crater Trading Post, built by Claude Bowlin. It was named after a local volcanic crater. Bowlin had been trading with the Navajo since 1912, and his first trading post sold food and goods to the tribe, where he learned their language and customs. After World War I, from 1919 to 1935, Mr. and Mrs. Bowlin bought and sold several trading posts in the Gallup and Farmington areas of New Mexico. The Bluewater store was built with a flat roof, stucco walls with protruding viga beams, and featured colorful murals on its exterior. Selling rugs, dolls, jewelry, and pottery was popular with tourists along Route 66. In 1938, gas pumps were added. Bowlin opened more stores in New Mexico in the 1950s. When Uranium was discovered in the area, business boomed, and the original store was demolished and replaced with a new one in 1954. When I-40 bypassed it, the trading post was closed in 1973. The old building, located about 1.5 miles north of Bluewater, still stands. However, Bowlin’s Bluewater Dairy Queen Travel Center now serves this area on I-40.

Today, the village is home to approximately 600 people, but it is primarily a cluster of closed businesses and homes, though it still maintains a school.

The Across the New Mexico Continental Divide on Route 66 leaves the remnants of the old Bluewater Motel, Allen’s Garage, and the Old Crater Trading Post, all silent witnesses to the town’s prosperous past along this historic route.

Just beyond Bluewater, travelers can admire beautiful red sandstone cliffs to the right and the volcanic cone of El Tinterio, where lava is said to have flowed as far east as Grants.

Prewitt

Before it became Prewitt, a small settlement existed in this area known as Baca, named after a local ranching family. It dates back to at least 1890. However, in 1916, two brothers named Bob and Harold Prewitt moved to the area and established a trading post in a large tent along the National Old Trails Highway. When a post office was established in 1928, it took the name of Prewitt. In 1946, it was described as consisting of little more than a trading post and a railroad siding.

At Prewitt, a side trip to nearby Bluewater Lake State Park offers camping and fishing opportunities. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout, native or cutthroat trout, and catfish, with trout weighing up to 9 pounds having been caught in the lake. The park also hosts a variety of birds. Situated on the north flank of the Zuni Mountains, the reservoir is approximately seven miles southwest of Prewitt. Swimming, water-skiing, boat ramps, electrical hookups, and a dump station are also available.

Thoreau

Another eleven miles bring you to the small town of Thoreau. The town began as a siding for the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad in 1881. In 1886, a store and post office called Chavez were established. Several years later, in 1890, brothers William and Austin Mitchell relocated their timber business from Michigan to the Chavez area. The following year, the post office filed for a name change to Mitchell. Though timber was plentiful in the area, their business did not prosper. The third and final name change to Thoreau came in 1899 when the Hyde Exploring Expedition established an extensive Indian trading network and established their headquarters in the town. Residents pronounce the town’s name like “thuh-ROO” (similar to “through” or “threw”).

During Route 66’s heydays, Thoreau was home to several trading posts, a gas station, a garage, and approximately 375 people. Roy T. Herman’s Garage and Service Station was a popular stop during these times. Built in 1937 on Route 66, the building remains and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1960s, Interstate 40 bypassed the old Route 66.

The population was 1,863 at the 2000 census.

Another side trip presents itself here. The town of Crownpoint, some 24 miles north of Thoreau, is the southern jumping-off point to the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Chaco Canyon is one of the key sites of the prehistoric culture in the Four Corners region.

Continental Divide

Five miles west of Thoreau brings travelers to the Continental Divide. In typical Route 66 fashion, several trading posts are located here to capitalize on the many people who stop along the route. In the early days of the Mother Road, the site included the Great Divide Trading Company, the Continental Trading Post, and Top O’ The World Hotel and Cafe.

If traveling the original road, you must rejoin I-40 at exit 47 as the old road dead-ends just beyond the Continental Divide. However, continuing down this short stretch provides photo ops including the old Top O’ The World Hotel and Cafe and the facing signs of an old Whiting Brothers Station.

Fort Wingate

From the Continental Divide, travelers continue on I-40 to the small village of Iyanbito to the north of I-40 and westward to the historic Fort Wingate Military Reservation on the south side of I-40. Originally established as a trading post in 1860, a full-fledged fort was added in 1862. Garrisoning soldiers during the Civil War, it later functioned in military surveys, escort duties, and patrols against raiding Indians. Notable figures associated with the fort include Christopher “Kit” Carson, John “Black Jack” Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, who lived there as an infant, and several Navajo Code Talkers.

In 1914, the fort housed Mexican Federalist troops and their families who had fled the Pancho Villa uprising. The Army renamed the deactivated fort “Fort Wingate General Ordnance Depot” in 1918.

Today, Fort Wingate is still an active base, sometimes used as a rocket-launching testing site. The original trading post was sold to a private individual and continued to operate until the 1990s. The town of Fort Wingate grew up around the fort and trading post and exists today.

From here, you have reached the outskirts of Gallup, the Indian Center of the Southwest.

© Kathy Alexander, updated July 2024.

Also See:

New Mexico – Land of Enchantment
New Mexico Route 66
Route 66 Main Page
Route 66 Photo Galleries

Sources:

Family Search Wiki
Hinkley, Jim, Route 66 Encyclopedia, Voyageur Press, 2012
National Park Service
Never Quite Lost
The Route 66