Elvis Arrives Mural - Tucumcari, New Mexico, USA.
N 35° 10.299 W 103° 43.077
13S E 616747 N 3892831
'Motel Safari' a Route 66 Icon for more than 55 years. The Motel features other Icon's 'Elvis' & 'Cadillac' mural. Located in Tucumcari, New Mexico.
Waymark Code: WMMT5Z
Location: New Mexico, United States
Date Posted: 11/01/2014
Views: 5
The mural shows Elvis & his 1959 pink Cadillac, arriving at the Motel Safari. The mural is on the wall at the check-in entrance.
There is no signature on the artwork but the hotel web site says it was done by a local artist. The most prolific local artists are the Quarles, but they normally sign their work.
"Clyde the camel sits atop the main sign, paying tribute to Captain Beale's U.S. Army Camel Corps which once roamed the surrounding areas. In the 1800's during surveying efforts to find the best routes through the west to form a national road system (what would become Route 66 one day), camels were used as pack animals to traverse the harsh terrain. The Army bought approximately 70 camels, brought over from Egypt and other Arabic countries. When the Civil War began, the camel's duty was abruptly ended and most were sold off for use as pachyderms or circus oddities, but a few were released in the wild and left to roam. The last known feral camel sighting was reported in 1941 near Douglas, Texas.
The motel continues to be renovated and restored today, providing top of the line modern amenities integrated into the room's original dècor without sacrificing its historic appearance. Several wall murals have been added by local artists, including "Elvis" arriving to check-in with his 1959 Cadillac on the outside wall of the front drive through." Text Source: (
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Address of Icon:
722 E Route 66 Blvd
Tucumcari, NM USA
88401