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GALLUP, 142.2 m. (6,503 alt., 7,031 pop.), is a railway division point and a thriving industrial and trading center. Its principal industry is coal mining, most of the mines being in the immediate vicinity. Half of the population is Spanish and Mexican; Americans, Slavs, Italians, and other small groups complete the total. Its history is recent, dating back to 1879, when the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway sent two mining engineers to prospect for coal, which was found here in large deposits. The railroad pushed through the section in 1881. Before this, sheep and cattle men occupied the territory, but when the government granted to the railroad alternate sections of land on both sides of the tracks in a forty-mile strip, ranchers were forced to graze their stock farther inland. Before the railroad was built there was only a saloon and general store here -- it was built about 1880, was called the Blue Goose, and is still standing -- that served as a stop on the Westward Overland Stage. After this point was made a railroad station and mines were opened, settlers came in increased numbers, and the town grew steadily. Incorporated in 1891, it organized a local government and in 1901 was made the county seat of newly formed McKinley County. Source; The WPA Guide to 1930s New Mexico |
New Mexico Route 66 WESTERN Gallup Grants CENTRAL Albuquerque Santa Fe EASTERN Clines Corners Santa Rosa Tucumcari
Places to Stay Along the Way Note - Lodging links open a new window Albuquerque Tucumcari Gallup Grants Santa Rosa Moriarty Santa Fe |