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The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque is hosting an exhibit and lecture series this fall to commemorate the 90th birthday of Route 66.
A news release from the university contains some details about the upcoming “Life and Times on New Mexico Route 66” exhibit at the university’s Zimmerman Library:
Route 66 was exciting for the travelers but Native Americans, Hispanics, Anglo Americans, African Americans and other groups also lived and worked along the road. On display are a variety of rare photographs, postcards and pamphlets with views of local people, businesses and scenes along the way. There are neon sign drawings and work orders from the Zeon Sign Company (Electrical Products Co, Albuquerque) for the Liberty Café on Central and Gallup’s Thunderbird Lodge, on Route 66. Also included are John Gaw Meem’s 1937 specifications for Maisel’s Store on West Central, as well as photos by Paul Secord of Maisel’s priceless Native American murals. Another display includes the 1946 remodeling plans by Gordon Ferguson (SMPC Architects, Albuquerque) for the Court Café on North Fourth Street, on the pre-1937 Route 66. Also showing are the drawings of the De Anza Motor Lodge on East Central by George Pearl. Maps from the 1930s show the turns and changes of the highway, while oral histories and songs reveal the thoughts and memories of those days. It is really fun, too, to see the old menus from area cafes and restaurants, when a hearty meal only cost50 cents and bus tokens were10 cents!
The exhibit runs through Dec. 16.
And here is more about the lecture series, many of which sound fascinating:
- Sept. 14, lecture 6:30-7:30 p.m., exhibit opening reception to follow, Willard Room, Zimmerman Library, UNM, main campus, Lecture: Prismacolor and Neon: The Craftwork of Mid-Century Route 66 Signs, by Mark Childs, College of Architecture and Planning, UNM, and Ellen Babcock, College of Fine Arts, UNM.
- Sept. 28, lecture noon to 1 p.m., Waters Room, Lecture: Historic Route 66 through New Mexico, by Baldwin Burr, photoarchivist and Oral Historian, Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts.
- Oct. 4, 6-6:30 p.m. reception, 6:30-7:30 p.m. lecture, Waters Room, Lecture: Courageous Motorists: African American Pioneers on Route 66, by Dr. Frank Norris, National Trails Intermountain Region, National Park Service, Santa Fe.
- Oct. 12, noon to 1 p.m. lecture, Waters Room, Lecture: Maisel’s Indian Store: Indian Art on Route 66, by Paul Secord, author Pecos and Santa Fe’s Historic Hotels.
- Oct. 18, 6-6:30 p.m. reception, 6:30-7:30 p.m. lecture, Waters Room, Lectures: The Past as Prelude: Historic Hispanic Crossroads and Corridors along Route 66 through New Mexico, by Dr. Joseph Sanchez, Director, Spanish Colonial Research Center, UNM and “Hannett’s Joke”: The Story of New Mexico and the Retribution Road, by Stephen David Mandrgoc, Graduate Student, History Department, UNM.
- Nov. 2, noon to 1 p.m., Waters Room, Lecture: The Hidden Voices of Route 66, by Dr. David Dunaway, Department of English, UNM.
- Nov. 9, noon to 1 p.m., Waters Room, introduction: NPS National Trails Intermountain Region and Hispanic Heritage along Route 66 and The Latino Heritage Internship Program, by Angelica Sanchez-Clark, National Trails Intermountain Region, National Park Service, UNM, and Lecture: The Hispanic Legacy of Route 66 in the American Southwest, by Lena Anais Guidi, Intern with NTIR, NPS, UNM.
- Nov. 16, noon to 1 p.m., Waters Room, Lecture: Framing Route 66 across Albuquerque, by Donatella Davanzo, Ph. D. Candidate, American Studies Department, UNM, and Fellow for CSWR Route 66 Photo Survey.
- Nov. 30, noon to 1 p.m., Waters Room, Lecture: Rerouting Route 66 through Tijeras Canyon, by Roger M. Zimmerman, Ph. D., P. E., President, Albuquerque Historical Society, and History Project Leader.
- Dec. 7, noon to 1 p.m., Waters Room, Lecture: Native Americans on Route 66, by Shawn Kelly and Kristen Reynolds, authors of Route 66 and Native Americans, Cultural Anthropologists. The NM Route 66 Exhibit – CSWR, Zimmerman Library, UNM.
Here’s a map of the university here (pdf file), if you’re not sure where the Zimmerman Library is.
(Logo of the “Life and Times on New Mexico Route 66” exhibit)