The City of Albuquerque a few days ago opened the Route 66 Trailhead at the long-defunct Little Beaver Town site that once operated on Route 66 in the East Mountains area.
According to a news release from the city, the trail functions as a new community access point to the Manzano/Four-Hills and Tijeras Bio-Zone trail system. It also exists as a key stop along the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor.
Located on the site of former “Little Beaver Town,” a brief but memorable Route 66 roadside attraction, the City purchased the property in 2010. It’s since been transformed into a thoughtfully designed open space area that includes equestrian parking, an accessible hilltop trail, shaded picnic areas, and interpretive signage. The area connects to an expansive trail network through the Manzano Four-Hills and Tijeras Bio-Zone. It also serves as the western gateway to the recently acquired 145-acre Diamond Rock property. […]
The Route 66 Trailhead is one of several sites along the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor, a multi-jurisdictional initiative that spans the Tijeras watershed from Albuquerque’s Singing Arrow Community Center and archaeological site to the Village of Tijeras. Other locations include the Tijeras Bio-Zone Education Center, the Carnué Land Grant Hall, and Bernalillo County’s Tijeras Remediation Site, each featuring interpretive signage that highlights Indigenous histories, Spanish land grant traditions, local ecosystems, and water resources. […]The City is also making more improvements to the site, including adding additional interpretive signage about “Little Beaver Town.”
Maps to the city’s open spaces can be found here.
KRQE-TV in Albuquerque produced this short report about the trailhead’s opening.
Little Beaver Town operated for only three years in the early 1960s. It was the brainchild of Albuquerque resident Fred Harman, artist and co-creator of the Red Ryder comic strip that ran from 1938 to 1965.
After Little Beaver Town went bankrupt in 1964, it was renamed Sage City and briefly used as a venue for movie shoots and rock ‘n’ roll concerts.
It eventually succumbed to fire and vandalism. More about its history can be found here.
(Image of the Route 66 Trailhead opening ceremony courtesy of the City of Albuquerque)