Original Route 66 alignment verified near Newkirk

Several respected Route 66 researchers announced last week they had verified a section of dirt road near Newkirk, New Mexico, was original Route 66 during the 1920s.

The old alignment runs south and west of Newkirk — part of it on private land. The bonus is the alignment runs right by old Newkirk Cemetery southwest of the village.

Jim Ross explained in a Facebook post Monday:

In a follow-up question, I asked how they verified it. Jerry McClanahan answered: “Old strip maps, written directions from the era, historic Aerials and boots on the ground.”

In an email, Ross talked about making new discoveries about Route 66 almost a century after it was created:

Creating these maps has been an exercise in discovery. I always knew that there had to be hundreds of subtle changes made that were not visible or known. I had no idea how many things I would find of real significance. The key has been the vintage aerial photos. Matching them to other aerials and current satellite imagery has revealed a wonderland of pathways not known to exist by those of us in the modern era. Verification at times has been a challenge, but for the most part I have collected very few loose ends. Over the last three years I have completed about 300 maps, and as I begin each one it is with the expectation of finding something new. Doesn’t always happen, but it’s kind of like exploring the road for the first time with the help of eyes from the past. It has been a true adventure!

That unpaved section remained Route 66 until the highway was realigned to the north with a paved road during the early to mid-1930s.

I’ve explored the region for years and never knew about Newkirk Cemetery. Then again, according to these records, no one has been buried there in more than 50 years.

I tried to travel to the cemetery a few days ago but decided against it when rain was threatening. Ross and McClanahan have said driving on that dirt-road stretch is inadvisable during wet weather. A gate also blocked one section of the road, but they said it generally remains unlocked. (Unlocked gates in the Southwest generally are there not so much to keep people out, but keep cattle in.)

Newkirk itself almost is a ghost town, with a handful of residents and several abandoned gas stations and stores. It has one operating business on Route 66 — Newkirk Service and Gas — where one can buy fuel and snacks. It also acts as the village’s post office.

UPDATE 4/24/2019: A few days ago, I finally was able to explore a portion of the old Newkirk alignment and the cemetery.

First, the above-mentioned website that indicates no one has been buried there in the cemetery in 50 years is incorrect. I found a number of graves later than the 1990s, including one as recently as 2016.

If the weather has been wet, you probably can walk there through the gate. It’s less than a half-mile from there. As you’re walking west a few hundred yards, you’ll see the cemetery to the southwest as you come over a slight rise.

There is a diagonal path to the cemetery, but it’s more rutted than the old Route 66 path that runs westward, then south. If you drive there, avoid the diagonal path unless it hasn’t rained for a long time.

Below is a slide show of images at Newkirk Cemetery.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

(Image of Newkirk Cemetery courtesy of Jerry McClanahan)