from Texas, it followed one of the main routes of the Ozark Trail through Tucumcari and Santa Rosa then north to the small town of Las Vegas. As it continued west, it followed the National Old Trails Road, a U- shaped path that dipped south and then north to Santa Fe through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and then south again to Albuquerque, Los Lunas, and Isleta Pueblo before continuing west toward Arizona.
The original routing through Santa Fe was anything but a straight line. Route 66 followed an irregular S- shaped curve, and it went over Glorieta Pass, which marks the southern terminus of the Rocky Mountains and was the site of a Civil War battle in 1862.
On Nov. 2, 1926, six months after Route 66 was officially assigned the number“ 66” by federal officials and just nine days before the U. S. numbered
Top left: Many alignments of Route 66 cut through New Mexico. Top right: Santa Fe brought some relief from the heat to travelers coming through in the early days. Bottom: The“ Arizona Sidewinder” is a legendary, 8-mile stretch of Route 66( the Oatman Highway) that winds through the Black Mountains between Kingman and Oatman, Arizona.
highway system was adopted and mapped, Arthur T. Hannett, the Democratic governor of New Mexico, lost a bitter gubernatorial campaign to Republican challenger Richard Dillon.
At the time, there was no direct route between Albuquerque and Santa Rosa. You either had to go north through Santa Fe or south through Encino and Mountainair. Dillon ran a profitable sheep- shearing and meat- production operation in Encino. With Route 66 on the horizon and not wanting increased traffic to enrich his rival, Hannett used his lame- duck power to get revenge.
Hannett, who remained governor until Dillon took office on Jan. 1, 1927, enlisted the state highway department to survey, cut, scrape, and grade a 69- mile road that would provide a direct east- west route between Albuquerque and Santa Rosa. Working around the clock – through the harsh winter and not taking time off for Christmas – and despite attempts by Dillon sympathizers to sabotage equipment, the workers completed the job in just one month. The rushed project came to be known as“ Hannett’ s Joke.”
40 / AUGUST 2026 / RIDERMAGAZINE. COM