The Route 66 ghost town that was used in a Hollywood film but now lies abandoned
Route 66 is famous in American culture. The historic road, one of the original highways in the US, ran from Chicago to California, passing through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona along the way. While it is no longer a straight, unbroken highway, it remains a popular road trip destination, with travellers exploring the sights along the way. (Picture: Getty Images)
If you’re looking for adventure along the original Route 66, you may well come across this ghost town on the New Mexico/Texas border. Once an important stop off along the highway, Glenrio even featured in a classic Hollywood movie. But it now lies abandoned. Read on to find out more… (Picture: Getty Images)
Originally founded in 1903 as a railroad siding on the Rock Island Railroad, Glenrio is located in both Deaf Smith County, Texas, and Quay Country, New Mexico, and takes its name from a hybrid of the Scottish word ‘glen’ and ‘the Spanish word ‘rio’ – meaning ‘river.’ (Picture: Getty Images)
Originally the town thrived as a stopping point along Route 66 – which came into being in 1926. It’s situated halfway between the New Mexico town of Tucumcari, and Amarillo (yes the one from the song) in Texas. At one time it had a motel, service stations, cafes and grocery stores, as well as a petrol station. (Picture: Getty Images)
The location of many of the town’s amenities was largely dictated by the state line cutting through it. For example, the filling station dispensed all of its petrol on the Texas side due to the higher fuel taxes in New Mexico. Meanwhile, New Mexico hosted the 1930s State Line Bar and motel because the Texas side was dry at the time. (Picture: Getty Images)
Meanwhile Glenrio was also the site of State Line Motel which famously featured the sign ‘First motel in Texas/Last motel in Texas’ depending on which direction you were travelling in, being one of many businesses that straddled the state line. The town – which had a population of around 30 people – even featured in the 1940 film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath, which starred Henry Fonda and John Carradine. (Picture: Getty Images)
However, things took a downturn in Glenrio after Interstate 40 bypassed the town in 1975, cutting it off from passing tourists and other potential visitors. The town ultimately went into decline, and now sits uninhabited. (Picture: Getty Images)
These days it consists of the remains of the motel and its cafe and service station, and a few other buildings, including a diner. A few homes are still standing but the place has long been abandoned, and many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair. (Picture: Getty Images)
The town still generates interest though. As well as being listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, the motel also made an appearance of sorts in Pixar’s 2006 animated hit Cars — which features an abandoned ‘Glenn Rio Motel’ in the town of Radiator Springs. (Picture: Getty Images)
It still attracts visitors keen to take photographs of Glenrio’s remains and learn more about the history of the area – but could the place ever enjoy a revival? Well, possibly. (Picture: Getty Images)
News Channel 10 KFDA in Amarillo reported in 2022 that business partners Gabi Tuschak and Lance Olinger had bought up the town of Glenrio to renovate and revitalise it, with plans for a welcome centre, a gift shop and a cafe – as well as a re-opened motel and space for parking. (Picture: Getty Images)
‘We want a place where you can be off the grid, but also feel connected to each other, and we feel that Glenrio is that perfect place,’ Tuschak said at the time. As of 2025 though there’s no further updates on the project — leaving folk to wonder whether Glenrio will continue to exist simply as a snapshot of the past. (Picture: Getty Images) Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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