FORGOTTEN: Glenrio, Texas / New Mexico
Founded in 1903 and styled in 1920s art deco fashion, the rest stop town of Glenrio, Texas boomed with activity as a direct result of Route 66 being constructed in 1934. Glenrio at its peak had several restaurants, service stations, and two hotels to accommodate travelers and residents of the town. When I-40 was constructed in 1973 and replaced Route 66, the freeway bypassed Glenrio. As soon as the lifeblood of traffic and travelers stopped, the businesses and residents soon followed. Today it sits just a few yards from I-40 on the Texas side of the New Mexico border on private property with abandoned gas stations, cafes and cars that made it Glenrio but never went further. A town from an iconic era only to be left slowly decaying as thousands drive past unknowing the history of the first/last town in Texas.