A Bit about MAMF & Route 66

A little bit about Route 66 and Tijeras, where our museum is located.

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U.S. Route 66 also known as the “Will Rogers Highway”, the “Main Street of America” or the “Mother Road”, was one of the original highways within the U.S. Highway System. It was established in 1926. It originated in Chicago, Illinois, and ran through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending at Santa Monica, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).

US 66 served as a major path for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and the road supported the economies of the communities through which it passed. US 66 underwent many improvements and realignments over its lifetime, and it was officially removed from the United States Highway System in 1985, after it had been replaced in its entirety by segments of the Interstate Highway System.

US 66 covered 380 miles (610 km) in New Mexico and passed through many Indian reservations in the western half of the State. East of those reservations, the highway passed through Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Vegas. As in Arizona, in New Mexico, U.S. 66 paralleled I-40.

Portions of the road that passed through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona have been designated a National Scenic Byway of the name “Historic Route 66”, which is returning to some maps.

Musical Highway

In October 2014, the village of Tijeras gained national attention for a nearby “musical road”, a two-lane stretch of U.S. Highway 66 with grooves in the roadway (rumble strips) arranged to cause the sounds of the song “America the Beautiful” to be heard when vehicles drive on it at 45 mph.

Tijeras is the southern gateway to the Turquoise Trail and the mountain communities along its path. Two canyons come together at Tijeras, the Spanish name for scissors. Tijeras Canyon, leads west towards Albuquerque, and Cedro Canyon, leads south to the Manzano Mountains as The Salt Mission Trail. The area was first inhabited by pueblo Indians, living in a pueblo whose ruins can be seen behind the US Forest Service station. Stop at the Cibola National Forest headquarters, one mile south of Tijeras on NM 337 for information and brochures on the area’s recreational opportunities. Visit Tijeras Pueblo Archaeological Site behind the office. Tijeras is dotted with shops, cafes and access to hiking trails.*

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Military Family Museum in Tijeras, New Mexico

THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN MILITARY FAMILY & LEARNING CENTER (MAMF) is located next to the famous landmark, Molly’s Bar, at 546 B State Highway 333. It opened its doors to the public on July 9 2016.

MAMF, founded in 2011 as an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization, is a Vietnam War Commemoration Partner and a partner in the development of the New Mexico National Guard Heritage Center. It manages Operation Footlocker, a mini mobile exhibit that circulates throughout the United States to help honor military children and their families.

*Most of this information came from Wikipedia

 

Some other links:

http://www.newmexico.org/listing/?lid=32589

http://www.historic66.com/

http://rt66nm.org/