Constructed 1918.
The Amtrak stop in Gallup is a two-story stucco station built in 1918 in the Mission Revival architectural style. It was originally constructed to serve as an area headquarters for the Santa Fe Railway, the successor to the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. A Harvey House hotel and restaurant, El Navajo, designed by master architect Mary Colter, was connected to the west wing of the depot. The hotel portion of the depot officially opened in 1923, with local Navajo singers and medicine men giving a performance to celebrate the opening. Much of the hotel portion of the depot was demolished in 1957 to widen U.S. Route 66. The City of Gallup renovated the depot in 1996 in order to preserve it, and the Gallup Cultural Center opened inside the depot that same year, operated by the Southwest Indian Foundation. In addition, the station in now home the Gallup Visitors’ Center, which relocated to the station in June of 2004; the Southwest Indian Foundation; the Storyteller Museum and Gallery of the Masters; the Kiva Cinema and a coffee shop. Today visitors generally come to Gallup to see Native American arts and crafts. There are approximately 110 trading posts, shops and galleries located within the city.
Gallup is the only municipality in McKinley County and serves the County Seat with nearly one-third of the county population. The majority of the County’s land base is Indian Reservation and more than 70 percent of the population is Native American. The county is home to portions of Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo. Prominent geographic features include the southeastern range of the Chuska Mountains, extensive cliff formations known as the Red Rocks and the Zuni Mountains. Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services at this facility, which is served by two daily trains. The Cultural Center is open when Train #4 arrives in the morning. A caretaker opens the lobby in the evening before the scheduled arrival of Train #3. The Gallup Cultural Center is located downtown at 201 E. Highway 66, and within easy walking distance of the many shops along Cole Porter’s grand old Highway. During the summer months, Indian Dances are held each night at 7:00 PM in the outdoor pavilion just east of the center. The front courtyard features a monumental statue of the great Navajo (Dine) chief Manuelito carved of sandstone by artist Tim Washburn.
201 E. Hwy 66 Gallup, NM 87301 | 505-863-4131
photo by Eduardo Martinez.
