"David Stratton's Tucumcari Tonite!: A Story of Railroads, Route 66, and the Waning of a Western Town offers an idiosyncratic blend of local history and personal memoir, recounting the 'biography' of Tucumcari, New Mexico, from its founding to the present day. Tucumcari was founded in 1901 as the Rock Island Railroad was laying tracks west in a futile attempt to forge a viable transcontinental connection. In its heyday from the 1910s to the 1960s, the town became a regional railroad center with lines converging from Chicago ...
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"David Stratton's Tucumcari Tonite!: A Story of Railroads, Route 66, and the Waning of a Western Town offers an idiosyncratic blend of local history and personal memoir, recounting the 'biography' of Tucumcari, New Mexico, from its founding to the present day. Tucumcari was founded in 1901 as the Rock Island Railroad was laying tracks west in a futile attempt to forge a viable transcontinental connection. In its heyday from the 1910s to the 1960s, the town became a regional railroad center with lines converging from Chicago and Memphis in the east, from Los Angeles in the west, and from the Dawson coal mines in the north. Tucumcari was a bustling industrial center and a hotbed for unionism isolated in an expanse of prairies and plains. In the National Railroad Shopmen's Strike of 1922, Tucumcari saw more strike action than any other place on the Rio Grande Division, including El Paso. Beginning with the establishment of the federal highway system in 1926, Route 66 came through the town, creating a flourishing tourist business. Tucumcari became known by travelers on Route 66 for its many neon-lit motels, restaurants, and curio shops. But after World War II, changes in the railroad industry were made that doomed Tucumcari as a rail center. Today, no passenger trains pass through the town, and the frequent freights whip past with only a passing blast of their diesel horns. As though conditions could get no worse, the post-war interstate highway system customarily avoided small towns like Tucumcari, constructing bypasses around them. An I-40 bypass virtually killed off Tucumcari's tourist trade. The town is dying-a sad story, but one well worth telling. The author is a native son of Tucumcari, born and raised two blocks south of Route 66. Personal insights and family experiences are woven into the narrative, which draws on newspapers and government documents, business records, personal interviews, family and public archival holdings. Stratton has also accumulated a great many potential illustrations that can be included alongside the text. (The book's title comes from the renowned advertising signs that local boosters have placed for hundreds of miles along highways in every direction from town.)"--
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Add this copy of Tucumcari Tonite! : a Story of Railroads, Route 66, and to cart. $12.97, good condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by University of New Mexico Press.
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Good. Minimal signs of wear. Corners and cover may show wear. May contain highlighting and or writing. May be missing dust jacket. May not include supplemental materials. May be a former library book.
Add this copy of Tucumcari Tonite! : a Story of Railroads, Route 66, and to cart. $13.97, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by University of New Mexico Press.
Add this copy of Tucumcari Tonite! : a Story of Railroads, Route 66, and to cart. $14.12, good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by University of New Mexico Press.
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Good-Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name-GOOD PAPERBACK Standard-sized.
Add this copy of Tucumcari Tonite!: A Story of Railroads, Route 66, and to cart. $16.13, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2022 by University of New Mexico Press.
Add this copy of Tucumcari Tonite!: A Story of Railroads, Route 66, and to cart. $16.97, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by University of New Mexico Press.
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Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 364 p. Contains: Illustrations. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Tucumcari Tonite!: A Story of Railroads, Route 66, and to cart. $18.27, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by University of New Mexico Press.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 364 p. Contains: Illustrations. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Tucumcari Tonite to cart. $18.28, new condition, Sold by Websew Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Avenel, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by University of New Mexico Press.
