"The Plaza," Santa Fe, New Mexico - Route 66 - The Mother Road on Waymarking.com

When Route 66 was first laid out in 1926, it went through Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico. It followed the Old Santa Fe/Pecos Trail from Santa Rosa through Dilia, Romeroville and Pecos to Santa Fe. From Santa Fe it went over La Bajada Hill and down into Albuquerque. In 1937/1938, Highway 66 was re-routed to Albuquerque and bypassed Santa Fe altogether!

The new route cut off more than 90 miles of driving distance between Santa Rosa and Albuquerque. The new alignment was really a better route from an engineer's standpoint. It was a more direct route that cut out some treacherous road conditions. It was also quite a bit shorter. This is the route that would be followed by the new Interstate years later.

The Plaza, Santa Fe’s “Central Park,” was the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail (1822-1879). It is lined with huge shade trees and benches. Many of the buildings surrounding the Plaza stand just as they did during colonial Spanish times. The Plaza is where many local events take place including Fiestas, the Spanish Market in July and the Indian Market in August.

The granite War Monument in the center of the Plaza commemorates the rich history and culture of the community. I noticed one side of the monument had a word missing. It has been chipped from the stone in mid-sentence. It was originally a reference to "savage Indians." It was corrected to read just "Indians," reflecting the change in attitude.

Alan C. Osborne, Guide and Lecturer, in Santa Fe is standing beside "The End of the Santa Fe Trail" monument.

Instructions for logging waymark: A photograph is required of you (or your GPS receiver, if you are waymarking solo) and the place.

Americana: Other Icon Significant Interest: Monument Milestone or Marker: Beginning or Ending Web Site Address: [Web Link] Address of Icon: Between Palace Ave. & E. San Francisco St. and Lincoln Ave. & Washington Ave. Santa Fe, New Mexico USA 87501

Visit Instructions:
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