Pigeon's Ranch

While only a single building remains, Pigeon's Ranch stands as a reminder of Battle of Glorieta Pass. This building and the area surrounding it became the grounds in which the battle took place. Take a minute and imagine the battle raging around you...imagine gun fire blasting through the air...cannons bombarding the very ground you are standing upon. If the walls on Pigeon's Ranch could talk, they would tell a story of men fighting for their lives.  

But Pigeon's Ranch doesn't just tell the story of conflict, but also the story of travel. The Santa Fe Trail isn't the only route to be blazed through the Pecos area. Route 66 became a nationally iconic road that stretched from Illinois to California. Much like the Santa Fe Trail, Route 66 was popular for its ability to provide trade and commerce from the east to the west. But Route 66 also created a way for families to travel in and around the southwest United States. Pigeon's Ranch was a tourist stop along the way. The area around Pigeon's Ranch also had lodging around for tourists to stay when traveling along Route 66. Route 66 traveled along this route until 1937 when it was moved 60 miles south following present-day Interstate 40.  

Today, Interstate 25 exists where the Santa Fe Trail and Route 66 did before it.