Route 66 turns 100 this year. I visited the ghost towns that once thrived along America's most iconic highway.
Route 66 turns 100 this year. I took a road trip and visited its abandoned motels, forgotten gas stations, and ghost towns in Texas and New Mexico.
On November 11, Route 66 will celebrate its 100th birthday, the legendary American highway stretching from Chicago to California. Though I grew up near this iconic road in St. Louis, my recent 100-mile drive along a portion of it revealed the stark contrast between the highway's enduring legacy and the forgotten towns it passed through.
During my journey, I encountered several ghost towns that once thrived along Route 66. One of the most striking examples was Glenrio, a mid-century town straddling the Texas-New Mexico border. When we entered the abandoned motel, it felt as though we were the only visitors in miles. The once-thriving town, with its grocery stores, post office, and service stations, now lay in ruins, with only a lone man in his truck watching an amusing video in his truck as the only sign of life.
The town's only remaining resident, Brownlee's daughter, recalls her father's successful Texaco gas station and the Brownlee Diner that served locals and travelers alike in the 1950s. The diner and Texaco closed in the 1970s when Interstate 40 bypassed Glenrio, leaving the town eerily silent and abandoned.
Another ghost town we visited was the State Line motel, which opened in 1955. Prior to the construction of Interstate 40, travelers would stop at this motel to enjoy alcohol, as the town was one of the few in Texas where such establishments were permitted. The motel, now abandoned and on the National Registry of Historic Places, features contrasting signs on either side of the road, marking the ambiguous boundary between Texas and New Mexico.
As I traveled along Route 66, I was struck by the contrast between the iconic highway and the forgotten towns that once lined it. The abandoned motels, gas stations, and restaurants stood as ghostly reminders of a time when Route 66 was the lifeblood of countless communities. Even in their decay, these ghost towns hold a unique charm, offering a glimpse into America's past and the enduring allure of the open road.
Written by urgent.news from Business Insider's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
