22 minute read
A Real Legacy
By Rich Ratay Photographs by Efren Lopez/Route66Images
A REAL LEGACY
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Majestic buttes. Craggy red rock canyons. Sprawling desert vistas. For Hollywood directors anxious to cash in on moviegoers’ insatiable appetite for Westerns during the 1930s and 40s, the area surrounding Gallup, New Mexico, offered an ideal shooting location. The sleepy town lacked just one thing — lodging worthy of the biggest stars of the silver screen.
Enter R.E. “Griff” Griffith, brother of legendary film director D.W. Griffith. Sensing an opportunity, the savvy entrepreneur conceived a plan to provide Gallup with the crucial missing cast member it needed to attract major film productions.
In 1937, Griff’s showstopper made its stunning premiere. Situated along the increasingly famous Route 66, the impressive structure deftly combined the rugged character of a classic Western ranch house with the genteel grace of a Southern plantation. Out front, six sturdy columns supported a stately portico. A balcony over the entrance offered guests an airy spot to linger as they greeted new arrivals. And high on the roof above, lending an unmistakable flourish of Hollywood glitz, a neon sign blazed with the striking new landmark’s name: El Rancho Hotel.
Thanks in no small part to the influential connections of his famous sibling, Griff’s luxurious lodge was an instant sensation. Film productions flocked to the El Rancho, bringing with them a steady stream of box office legends: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Mae West, Katherine Hepburn, and many more.
In the process, the El Rancho Hotel became a star in its own right — one that still burns brightly alongside the shoulder of the venerable Mother Road.
Setting the Scene
Considering its humble roots, Gallup hardly seemed destined to one day claim the spotlight as Hollywood-East. The tiny hamlet was established as a makeshift administrative headquarters during construction of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in the mid-19th century. Among the functionaries stationed at the outpost was a nondescript paymaster named David Gallup. Whenever railroad workers were scheduled to be paid, they’d notify their supervisors they were “going to Gallup.” The name stuck. As settlers built permanent homes and businesses around the railhead, the town officially incorporated as Gallup in 1881.
In 1926, the modest community gained greater prominence when Gallup was included as a waypoint along Route 66. From the time of its completion, the highway became a famous and favorite passage to America’s alluring West Coast.
“Gallup had long served as an important stop for travelers heading to California on the railroad,” notes Tammi Moe, Director of the town’s Octavia Fellin Public Library and of the historic Rex Museum (relics from the town’s history housed in a former brothel). “But Route 66 brought countless more tourists to town. It was a big boon for local businesses.”
Despite its growth, Gallup retained the look and feel of an authentic Old West town. “Even then, the Indian people who lived nearby were still riding to town on horses and setting up camp to trade with merchants just as they had for decades,” notes Larry Fulbright, manager of the Richardson Trading Post, another legendary Gallup landmark.
The town’s rustic charm was matched only by the rugged beauty of the landscape that surrounded it. By the 1930s, the scene was set. All that remained was for someone to recognize Gallup’s enormous potential as a site for filming the thrilling Western shoot ‘em ups dominating the box office at the time.
That someone would be R.E. Griffith.
Griff was already familiar with the area. Along with several other investors, he owned a large chain of movie theaters operating in small towns not unlike Gallup throughout the American Southwest.
But Griff realized Gallup offered one advantage other destinations couldn’t. In addition to the picturesque scenery that lay nearby, the town’s placement on both a major highway and a railroad made it readily accessible. That made Gallup especially attractive for movie production companies that needed to transport cumbersome lighting and camera equipment, along with dozens of crew members, to the sites of their shoots.
To assist with the plan for the hotel, Griff hired architect (and later hotelier) Joe Massaglia. Together, the pair decided on a rambling Western ranch-style layout. Cast members, directors, and other important guests would be accommodated in a threestory main building while crew members and lower-level staff would be housed in an attached bunkhouse.
Knowing how much celebrities relished making a grand entrance, Griff decided his lobby needed to welcome his famous guests in style. His design combined the rustic feel of a Northwoods hunting lodge with the theatrical flair of a Hollywood movie set.
Then as now, the hotel’s front doors open to a vast chamber with an exposed joist ceiling supported by two pillars like mighty oaks. Rising like a majestic mountain between the two columns is a mound of dark stone housing a spectacular ashlar walk-in fireplace. Ascending both sides of the massif are winding twin staircases fashioned from split logs clad in plush red carpet. They climb to a second-floor balcony that sweeps around the entire level. Brightly colored woven Navajo rugs drape down from a rough-hewn wooden balustrade while mounted deer heads gaze down from their perches on the massive oak columns. Scattered throughout the room, padded dark wood couches and chairs invite guests to settle in for lively conversations.
While famous actors could “chew the scenery” in their on-screen roles, they would also need actual food. To accommodate them, Griff included an onsite restaurant serving burgers and Southwestern fare. Of course, he also made sure to include an inviting bar area to provide exhausted guests a place to unwind after a long day on the set or on the road. Afterward, movie stars and motorists alike could retire to one of dozens of spacious and well-appointed guest rooms in the main building.
Finally, Griff knew the Hollywood crowd he aimed to attract would demand the finest service. To ensure his
The elegant El Rancho lobby after a thorough restoration.
employees measured up to expectations, Griff enlisted the Fred Harvey Company — a hospitality outfit often credited with “civilizing the Wild West” — to train all staff.
Griff’s goal was simple: he wanted the El Rancho Hotel to provide “The Charm of Yesterday…The Convenience of Tomorrow.” It became the slogan emblazoned across the portico over the hotel’s front entrance.
Hey Days and Hard Times
If Griff had any doubts Hollywood would take notice of his new venture, they were quickly put to rest. From the day the ribbon was cut on the El Rancho Hotel, movie productions stampeded to Gallup.
Over the next several decades, the El Rancho would serve as base camp for hundreds of films, among them 1940’s The Bad Man featuring Lionel Barrymore and Ronald Reagan, 1948’s Streets of Laredo starring William Holden, and 1950’s Rocky Mountain with Errol Flynn. The hotel’s guest register would read like a “Who’s Who” of silver screen legends: Humphrey Bogart, Burt Lancaster, Gregory Peck, Betty Grable, and Joan Crawford, to name a few.
Tales of the stars’ exploits while staying at the El Rancho abound. “The story that gets mentioned most is Errol Flynn riding his horse from the film set right into the bar,” said Michael Ellis, El Rancho’s General Manager. “I guess he must have been pretty thirsty.” It’s also believed that Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, who was married to another woman, insisted on being booked in adjacent rooms.
Of course, El Rancho’s guests included more than movie stars. The hotel’s prominent location along Route 66 also made it a popular stop for weary motorists. “We’re kind of out in the desert halfway between Albuquerque and Flagstaff, with both cities hours away,” said Ellis. “The location has always made it an ideal place to pull over for the night.”
For Griff and El Rancho, it likely seemed like the good times would never end.
However, as with many of the stars who once walked its halls, El Rancho’s luster would fade with time, despite the mid-century addition of an adjacent modern motel. Initially, the decline was gradual. By the 1960s, audiences were losing interest in traditional westerns. Once lofty production budgets dwindled. To lower costs, studios began to shoot many western-themed TV shows and movies on their own backlots, or even in Italy (earning such films the colorful tag “spaghetti westerns”). Soon, large film crews and big-name stars were no longer blazing a trail to Gallup.
Worse still, the completion of I-40, as part of America’s Interstate Highway System, offered California-bound motorists a faster alternative to Route 66. The once steady stream of cars passing through Gallup slowed to a trickle. Even fewer pulled over to park beneath the glowing neon sign of El Rancho.
As it became harder and harder to pay the bills, the hotel changed ownership several times. In time, the property fell badly into disrepair. When the hotel eventually fell into bankruptcy in the 1980s, plans were made for its demolition. The once celebrated El Rancho appeared headed for its last roundup.
The Hero Comes Riding In
Every great western needs a hero. El Rancho’s would come in the form of Armand Ortega Sr. Like in the movies, Ortega arrived just in the nick of time to save the hotel.
As a boy, Ortega had visited the El Rancho several times with his parents in the 1940s, despite the hardworking family having to scrimp for months to afford each fancy restaurant meal. On one such special occasion, the ambitious young Ortega pledged he would one day purchase the hotel for his mother. He spent the next 50 years growing the family’s Indian trading business — passed down to him for five generations — into one of the most successful in the region. The family also operated concessions businesses at a halfdozen national parks. Finally, in 1986, Ortega made good on his promise.
El Rancho owner Armand Ortega Sr. (2007)
“The crane with the wrecking ball was literally in the parking lot,” recalled Shane Ortega, Armand’s grandson. “He told my grandmother he was just going to buy some furniture at the bankruptcy auction. Instead, he bought the whole hotel.”
Ortega purchased the property for $500,000. He spent at least the same amount restoring El Rancho to its former glory. Beyond the money, Ortega invested his heart and soul in the project. He refurbished guest rooms. He added an Indian jewelry store. Most of all, he worked diligently to resurrect the splendor of the hotel’s famous lobby.
“He wanted it to look as close as possible to how he remembered,” said Shane. “To recreate the furnishings, he sketched them out by hand on napkins. Then he’d go out and find the right craftsmen to create them.”
Just two years after Ortega purchased the property in 1988, El Rancho reopened. The first eager guests to set foot inside the lobby were astonished by the thoroughness of Ortega’s renovation efforts. Not long after, the hotel was accepted for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the next several decades, El Rancho would go on to reclaim its standing as one of the most uniquely enchanting accommodations in the American Southwest.
A New Generation for El Rancho
After enthusiastically welcoming guests and watching over El Rancho for nearly 30 years, Armand Ortega Sr. passed away at age 81 in 2014. For several years, the property was managed by his children. Then in 2018, Shane Ortega bought out his aunts and uncles to become the property’s sole owner.
Like his grandfather, Shane came to acquire El Rancho through hard work — he’d founded and run a successful concessions company operating in several national parks. Also like his Grandpa Armand, Shane is passionately devoted to El Rancho — and the famous road it rests beside.
“For me, Route 66 is like America’s unofficial national park,” explains Shane. “And El Rancho is like Old Faithful— a main attraction.”
To ensure the hotel remains a favorite stop for Route 66 enthusiasts, Shane and his management team recently launched a multi-million dollar renovation project. One initial focus will be updating the 23 guest rooms of the 1960s-era adjacent motel which Shane also acquired in the transaction.
“I want the motel to offer a different experience than the original hotel,” explains Shane. “I want it to be fun and retro, a bit kitschy, like Route 66 itself.”
Back at the hotel, the restaurant will be relocated to its original home in the Andalusian Room, complete with a meticulously recreated, historically accurate backbar. Outdoor dining will also be added. Finally, the plan calls for updating the original guest rooms with décor and amenities in line with the expectations of a new generation of travelers.
In other words, Shane’s goal is to deliver more of “The Charm of Yesterday…the Convenience of Tomorrow.”
Somewhere, R.E. Griffith is nodding in approval.
Where Legends Live On
Today, walking through the main entrance of El Rancho Hotel is like stepping into a time portal. Thanks to the determined efforts of Armand and Shane Ortega, R.E. Griffith’s spectacular lobby appears much the same today as it did upon its debut 85 years ago.
Countless more treasures lie waiting to be discovered within. Nearly everywhere throughout the hotel, the Ortegas have thoughtfully placed and preserved enchanting reminders of the hotel’s glamorous past. On the walls of the lobby’s upper level, you can browse framed autographed photos of the countless celebrities who once strolled the very same hallways — Gene Autry, Robert Mitchum, Doris Day, Rosalind Russell, even the Marx Brothers. Retrace their footsteps to the hotel’s restaurant and you can order dishes prepared exactly the way the celebrities for whom they are named ordered them long ago.
“W.C. Fields really did like Green Chile on his Cheeseburger,” explains General Manager Michael Ellis. “And the Ronald Reagan Burger comes with applewood smoked bacon and a side of jellybeans, just like it was served to him back then.”
After your meal, you can mosey down to the 49er Lounge for a nightcap. There you can sip an ice-cold Mexican beer or hand-squeezed margarita while occupying a spot along the bar where Tom Mix or Roy Rogers likely once sat.
For many guests, however, the highlight of their visit is the chance to stay in the same room as a famous star.
“I absolutely love that the rooms are named for the celebrities who really stayed in them,” said Amy Bizzarri, author of the travel guide The Best Hits on Route 66. “My personal tradition is to stream a movie that starred the actor or actress of the room I’m staying in that evening. During our last visit, my kids and I stayed in the Susan Hayward room and we watched her in the 1946 movie Canyon Passage.
Considering El Rancho’s storied past, Shane Ortega knows he has a responsibility to provide guests with much more than a clean room and a hot shower.
“I’m a big believer in the power of moments,” Shane confessed. “From the time they walk into the lobby to the restaurant where they eat to the room they stay in, I want every guest to have five or six ‘Oh, wow’ moments they’ll always remember.”
Rest assured, El Rancho Hotel remains as unforgettable as the stars whose legends it celebrates.
A RELIC WITH A STORY
A RELIC WITH A STORY
Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images
Amid the dust and sand of the High Plains landscape, about 42 miles east of Tucumcari, New Mexico, and 73 miles west of Amarillo, Texas, and not far from the fast-moving lanes of the I-40, stand the crumbling remains of maybe a dozen buildings—the fading evidence of the roadside businesses that once graced the little town of Glenrio. Barely more than a village at its largest, yet originally platted for 3,000 people, the town was once an important wayside stop with a cluster of establishments that served travelers on Highway 66. Today, these abandoned remnants seldom merit as much as a nod from interstate travelers flying by, but they remain a prized stop for those who value its unique history.
While Glenrio literally means “valley river,” from the Scottish word “glen” for valley and the Spanish word “rio” for river, the town is neither in a valley nor near a river. It sits perched on the border between Texas and New Mexico with over 30 miles of desert in either direction to the nearest municipality. Looks can be deceiving, because Glenrio sits at about 3,850 feet elevation. In a good year, it will receive about 15 inches of moisture. Summertime temperatures often hit 110 degrees.
Established in 1903 as a railroad stop on the Rock Island Railroad, the fledgling settlement was supported by cattle and later grain shipments. By the 1920s, the community along the railroad had flourished to support several businesses, including grocery stores, a hardware store, a land office, some service stations, a hotel, a restaurant, and a post office on the New Mexico side. Texans had to walk across the border to get their mail, setting precedent for other border crossings.
When the existing dirt Ozark Trail highway system was incorporated as Route 66 in 1926, to the north of the railroad, a new commercial strip developed along the new highway. The businesses that had existed along the railroad either shut down or moved closer to Route 66 to capitalize on the increasing traffic. Route 66 sparked new trade activities, and by the 1930s, Glenrio boasted a slew of new businesses. On the New Mexico side, John Wesley Ferguson built the State Line Bar, the State Line Motel, and a gas station which became Broyles Mobil Gas Station run by Jim Broyles.
On the Texas side, Homer Ehresman, another local businessman, opened the Longhorn Cafe and Gas station in 1953, and the “U” shaped Texas Longhorn Motel in 1955, with a metal sign announcing “Motel—First Motel in Texas—Cafe” facing east and “Motel—Last Motel in Texas —Cafe” facing west. Another Glenrio local, Joseph (Joe) Brownlee, also took advantage of the new highway by opening a Texaco gas station down the street in 1950. He later added the Art Moderne-style Brownlee Diner in 1952.
Being split between two states made for a unique way of life for its residents. Back in the day, inhabitants of the town could only purchase alcohol on the New Mexico side, since the Texas side was in a dry county, and they bought gas on the Texas side, because of the high gas tax in New Mexico.
Glenrio’s prosperity continued to grow throughout the mid-century, with families traveling cross-country after World War II. The story goes that the road traffic was so high that there was a line up for gas on any given day. Day and night, people from across the country passed through to fill up on gas, eat a meal at the Brownlee Diner, or spend the night at the State Line Motel.
However, the glory days of Glenrio were not to last. The first blow was when the Rock Island Depot closed in 1955 due to the decline in rail passengers. This was then followed by the opening of Interstate 40 in 1975, allowing tourists to make faster time by bypassing Glenrio completely. It was like flipping a switch, the same switch that was flipped in many small Route 66 towns across the U.S. Suddenly the people were gone.
“Nowadays more dogs than people live there,” said respected Route 66 author and historian, Michael Wallis. “The town has evolved into an oasis for tumbleweeds and roadrunners on the prowl for reptile suppers.”
Besides critters, the town is said to have only one resident, yet most of its buildings, including the Brownlee Diner and the shell of the Texas Longhorn Motel and Cafe still stand. The remains of these businesses and the rest of Glenrio provided inspiration to the Pixar people in writing and producing the Cars movie. Glenrio’s historic district was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 2007, but so far that hasn’t halted the decay of the original structures from the town’s golden days.
“To me,” said Wallis, “these [ghost towns] are as important as the many Route 66 towns that are still perking and serving up hospitality to generations of new travelers from literally around the world. There’s always the rogue treasure: stained menus, yellowed gas receipts blowing through the weeds, broken coffee mugs, bottle caps, dead spark plugs hiding in the dust. In the past, I found a trucker’s daily logbook, ceramic shards of bygone times, and newspapers as old as I am.”
Although Glenrio was more or less put to rest after the construction of Interstate 40, there was talk in the spring of 2022 about bringing the town to life again in the near future. Developers—Glenrio Properties—announced plans to revive the town, but after removing the motel’s roof and part of the venue itself, as well as erecting a chain-link fence, the plans seemed, as of the fall of 2022, to have stalled. No updates have been provided by the development company. Now a stop along this lonely stretch of Route 66 seems a little sadder. But many people are hopeful for the new face of Glenrio. Meanwhile, other structures continue to decay and fall to the earth.
“I am passionate about historic preservation, and also support and advocate the resurrection and repurposing of historic sites. That includes forgotten and neglected places. Glenrio is a good example of such a place and deserves another chance,” noted Wallis.
It’s impossible to know what the future of ghost towns like Glenrio will look like, but two things are certain: they are disappearing quickly nowadays, replaced by new dreams of modern developments that may or may not fit the mood of the road, and two, a trip down the Mother Road will be a little less memorable without them.
GATEWAY TO 66
GATEWAY TO 66
Countless cities across the continental United States have honored welcome signs. The signs serve to greet visitors and welcome home locals, whether it’s the scintillating neon sign of Las Vegas, Nevada, or the understated Brooklyn marker that lets you know “Where New York Begins.” The Gateway Sign in Miami, Oklahoma, a town that refers to itself as the “Gateway to Route 66,” was the city’s passion project that has attracted Route 66 travelers and inspired the town to work on projects of a similar nature.
Miami, Oklahoma (pronounced My-Am-Uh), was originally a Native American Territory before it became a booming town and home to wealthy lead and zinc miners in the 1900s, around the same time the original sign was erected. The sign was initially situated outside the town’s railroad station and embraced those who got off in Miami.
“It was located over on Central Street, and it was near the railroad station,” said Amanda Davis, Executive Director of Visit Miami. “So, as people were coming in and out of Miami, the sign was really put up as a welcome to folks as they came in. Then obviously over time, it went away.”
During the 1930s, the sign was taken down supposedly due to its condition, and almost became lost to time. Decades later, a local group decided to revive it. The project for the replica of the Gateway Sign began when Miami was awarded a National Scenic Byway grant for the historical properties of the sign, which was relocated to Main Street, one of the longest Main Streets along Route 66. The team was composed of Visit Miami, the City of Miami, and the town’s Main Street Program, and they dedicated themselves to replicating the once-standing Gateway marker.
“I remember sitting in meetings for months, even talking just about the fonts,” Davis recalled of the time spent planning the replica. “To make sure that when it lit up at night, visitors would be able to see it. We wanted to make sure that they were taking pictures and that you could tell in the picture that it was Miami, Oklahoma. We knew we had to get it right the first time.” With the “Engravers Bold Face” being the font chosen for the replica, the tireless efforts of the team were brought to fruition during the ribbon cutting of the Gateway Sign in 2012. The welcoming sign stands over 10 feet tall and spans two lanes of traffic. However, while Davis and the rest of the team celebrated their accomplishment, not everyone in town thought that it was a good investment or money well spent.
“When the Gateway Sign first went up, we got some negative feedback,” said Davis. “People just did not understand why in the world, we would spend that money on a sign when we could have put it into a park, or we could have built a new street or done something different with infrastructure for the city. It took us a little bit to educate people to understand.”
However, now there is no doubt that the community benefits from the sign’s replication and status as a historical marker. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, the Gateway Sign ended up becoming a catalyst for creating other historical markers in town and revitalizing downtown Miami. The projects the town is now working on include getting a milepost marker for the Ozark Trail and signage to point people off Route 66 to their historical Coleman Theatre. The sign also brought more traffic to downtown, leading to the opening of new business and increased economic prosperity in the community.
“It continues to spur economic growth,” reflected Davis. “We’ve got a café right down there that has been closed for probably a decade. And recently, somebody bought it and is going to reopen it up as a café [again].” While none of this was the initial purpose of the sign, the community gladly reaps the benefits of the replication of their iconic attraction.
The original Gateway Sign was created to greet newcomers to Miami over a century ago, and its replica honors that purpose to this day. The once lost landmark reflects the uniqueness of this stretch of the Mother Road and pays tribute to the work of those who replicated its special attraction. Generating business and traffic in the once bustling mining town, the sign lives up to the legacy left by the original. Route 66 is famous for making visitors feel welcome, but perhaps Miami, Oklahoma, just set the stage, way back at the turn of the century.
