Skip to main content

New Mexico 14 - The Turquoise Trail

Image
By

The Turquoise Trail is a National Scenic Byway that is a nearly 50 mile drive from the Sandia Mountains just outside of Downtown Albuquerque north to Santa Fe.  Most of this route is along New Mexico 14.


This quiet two lane highway that starts near Interstate 40 east of Albuquerque gets its name from the blue-green mineral that has been mined in the area for over 1,000 years.  In 1953, an Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce contest gave the road its name.


The scenic drive also passes through a number of small towns.  The Town of Madrid is one of the more unique communities along the highway.  Madrid started as coal mining town in the mid-1800s.  A company town for the better part of 100 years, Madrid at one time was home to 2500 residents.  The town was known for its Semi-Pro baseball team the Madrid Miners that played at Oscar Huber Ballpark, which in 1920 became the first lighted baseball park west of the Mississippi.

New Mexico 14 through Madrid.
When the mines closed, Madrid nearly became a ghost town.   Beginning in the 1970's, the Huber family - who once owned the mines and remained in the town - worked to transform the company mining town into a community for artists.  The Turquoise Trail runs right through the middle of Madrid which is now lined with various pop up shops and other unique items.


Continuing North on Highway 14 is the Town of Cerrillos or Los Cerrillos.  A boom mining town during the late 19th century, Cerrillos was labeled as a "the Little Pittsburg" by promoters and incorporated in 1890.  Thirteen years later, the boom ended and the town removed its incorporation.


Today, Cerrillos prides itself as a reminder of the Old West with numerous buildings from the boom town days still standing.  Nearby, Cerrillos Hills State Park is a popular attraction for hiking and photography.

This beautiful drive from east of Albuquerque north to Santa Fe is a must.  My only two regrets, not stopping to walk around and experience the towns of Mardid and Los Cerrillos - and that I live too far east to visit it often.

All photos taken by post author - October 2007

Further Reading:
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more