SEATED AT THE PLAZA CAFE soda fountain, it’s easy to picture what Santa Fe may have looked like between 1926 and 1937, when Route 66 ran through the heart of the capital city. After 1937, however, a realignment steered the highway in another direction, and few people know why.

It happened after Democrat Governor Arthur T. Hannett lost his reelection bid in 1926 and blamed the Santa Fe Ring—a group of corrupt politicians, land speculators, and lawyers that opposed him. Before leaving office, Hannett ordered the construction of a new highway that shaved 107 miles off the journey and bypassed Santa Fe for a more direct route from Santa Rosa through Moriarty to Albuquerque. 

West of Santa Rosa, the old Route 66 arcs north through 20 miles of vast, rolling plains, then heads through expansive ranchlands. After climbing the Glorieta Pass, the old 66 winds into Santa Fe, turns south on Cerrillos Road, and travels to Albuquerque on Highway 313, passing through Isleta and Santo Domingo pueblos, sleepy villages, and eventually joining Fourth Street. After traveling through Albuquerque, the route winds through Los Lunas and west to Laguna before joining I-40 near Correo.

Native pottery from Tin-Nee-Ann Trading Co., in Santa Fe.

The Route 66 vibe still resonates in Santa Fe, with neon signs flashing from renovated motels, diners, and souvenir shops. The 1926 alignment runs right past Tin-Nee-Ann Trading Co., which has specialized in Native jewelry, souvenirs, and nostalgia since 1968. “A lot of our customers today are European travelers interested in Route 66,” says Jo Christen, whose mother opened the shop and whose daughter, Emilie Boggs, is a co-owner. “People are still interested in postcards because they can’t often get those pictures off their phones or because something pictured in the postcard has changed.”

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