Tucumcari Tonite!: A Story of Railroads, Route 66, and the Waning of a Western Town

by David H. Stratton

Tucumcari, New Mexico, was founded in 1901 by the Rock Island Railroad and soon had major railroad lines converging there from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Memphis as well as a northern branch line from the Dawson coalfields. The federal highway system established Route 66, the “Main Street of America,” through the middle of town in 1926. Tucumcari flourished as a tourist mecca, welcoming travelers with its blazing displays of neon lights. But mergers, reorganizations, and financial problems of the railroads, as well as the creation of the interstate highway system that bypassed small places, brought a sharp decline to the once-prosperous town.

Tucumcari Tonite! blends in-depth research and personal and family experiences to re-create a “memoir” of Tucumcari. Drawing on newspapers and government documents as well as business records, personal interviews, and archival holdings, Stratton weaves a poignant tale of a western town’s rise and decline—providing a prime example of the destructive forces that have been inflicted on small towns in the West and all across America.

ACCLAIM
“A rewarding moveable feast. . . . Well-researched and smoothly written, Stratton’s appealing account provides an invaluable story of an intriguing, small western town.”—Richard W. Etulain, author of Beyond the The Story of the American West

“Anyone wanting to get their kicks on old Route 66 will want this delightful and exceptionally well-researched book by David H. Stratton on the history of Tucumcari. Stratton will keep you turning the pages.”—Jerry D. Thompson, author of A Civil War History of the New Mexico Volunteers and Militia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David H. Stratton was born and raised two blocks south of Route 66 and within a few blocks of the local railroad yards in Tucumcari. He is a professor emeritus of history at Washington State University in Pullman and the author of Tempest Over Teapot The Story of Albert B. Fall and Tree Creating a Fruit Revolution. Stratton now lives in Olympia, Washington.

Genres: Nonfiction

490 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2022

Reviews

[Darth Jader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very detailed, interesting history of Tucumcari, New Mexico. You can tell the author lived and grew up in the town due to his passionate writing about the town and deep knowledge of classic landmarks, the effect of the railroad and Route 66 tourist industry, and the effect of the bypass of Route 66 and the railroad pulling out on the town. This book is filled with plenty of amazing stories that make you feel like you are in the town during the time period being discussed. There is a lot of information included in each chapter of the book which sometimes makes it a slog to get through certain parts of the book sometimes. However, the author really made me fall in love with Tucumcari and I really learned a lot of history (not only about the town, but about the rest of the country as well). I would recommend this book to anyone who is a Route 66 fanatic or a history buff looking to learn more about the twisted history of a once iconic town along the most iconic road in America.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very extensively researched book about the history of Tucumcari, a town that enjoyed a booming, thriving, populace due to its being at the epicenter of the western railroad empire between 1890s and 1940s. One can't help but feel a sense of the mourning of the loss of so vital a community, "built by and for the railroads," as the automobile, the modern highway system, air travel, and the gradual decline of the railroads themselves all took their toll on its economic development. Sometimes, I think, the author could have been more meticulous in editing, but overall, a fascinating look at a bygone culture which faced a cultural crossroads at a time of sweeping changes not unlike these times we're living in.

[Ginny Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oops. Thought I was selecting a book on Truth or Consequences. No too familiar nor interested in Tucumcari. My fault. Partially read through, but too detail oriented for one not familiar with area. 9/22.