The Southwest Detour is back

As travel returns, the open road has never been more inviting. Here’s the story of Fred Harvey, who invented hospitality as we know it, and a tour through his America.

By Stephen Fried

In May 1931, Will Rogers — the movie star and newspaper columnist and arguably the most famous person in America — decided to take his wife on a vacation for Mother’s Day. Rogers was well known for his near obsession with flying and had just piloted himself on a cross-country tour to promote his new film, a homespun adaptation of Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee.” But he and Betty, both 52, had decided to leave their kids at home and do a driving journey: a version of what had already become the quintessential American trip, which people called the “Southwest Detour.” They would explore America’s most recently added states, Arizona and New Mexico. More

Wheels Museum

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Put these dates on your calendar; May 6-7. Going big time at WHEELS!! ... See MoreSee Less

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Wheels Museum

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Mary Colter designed the Indian Building that was adjacent to the Alvarado Hotel, just north of the Railyard in Albuquerque.March is Women's History Month and March 8 is International Women's Day. Mary Colter was inducted into the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame in 1986. This is the information shared about her in the Hall of Fame. Millions of people visit the Grand Canyon each year, many of them passing through a building designed by Mary Jane Colter. Colter’s buildings there, including Bright Angel Lodge, Phantom Ranch, Hermit’s Rest, and Lookout Studio, seem to blend into their surroundings, and this was Colter’s intention. “Colter’s philosophy was that a building should grow out of its setting, embodying the history and flavor of the location,” wrote Virginia Grattan, Colter’s biographer. “It should belong to its environment as though indigenous to that spot.”Colter was born on April 4, 1869 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a child, she wanted to be an artist, and later she enrolled in the California School of Design in San Francisco. She worked there as an apprentice architect to help fund her studies, gaining exposure to new architectural theories based on the idea that buildings should be sympathetic to their environment rather than copies of European styles.After completing her education at the California School of Design, Colter began a 15-year teaching career at Mechanic Arts High School in St. Paul, Minnesota. Teaching jobs were plentiful for women during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, Colter remained interested in design and found a summer job with the Fred Harvey Company in 1902, decorating the interior of the “Indian Building” that was adjacent to Harvey’s new Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque. In 1902, the Harvey Company commissioned Colter to design the Hopi House at the Grand Canyon. Colter wanted to create a building that would fit the natural setting and reflect the history of the region. Because Hopis had lived in the Grand Canyon area for hundreds of years, Colter patterned the building after Hopi dwellings in Oraibi, Arizona.After completing the Hopi House, Colter returned to her teaching job and then took another position in Seattle as a department store decorator. In 1910, the Fred Harvey Company offered her a permanent position as architect and interior designer of Harvey facilities. She moved to Kansas City and worked at the company’s headquarters.During Colter’s forty-six years with the Harvey Company, she was responsible for 21 projects, including La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, La Posada in Winslow, and the Union Stations in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. Her style of architecture became known as National Park Service Rustic. Many National Park Service structures built between the 1920s and 1940s used native stone and rough-hewn wood. Characteristic of this style is the History Room of Bright Angel Lodge where Colter had a “geological fireplace” built. It features rocks hauled from the canyon floor and arranged in the same order as the strata of the canyon’s walls. Mary Jane Colter died on January 8, 1956 in Santa Fe, New Mexico at the age of 88. ... See MoreSee Less

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Wheels Museum

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A successful sale at WHEELS Museum on March 7 brought hobbyists to shop, many making their first visit to the museum… and we hope they’ll return! ... See MoreSee Less

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Planning for the Future

March 17, 2026 at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Discover the history of the New Mexico Rail Yards while learning about advanced planning, traditional funeral services and cremation services, veteran, social security and medicaid options, and more. Lunch is included. Hosted by Noblin Funeral Service. Please RSVP to Erika (505) 441-4995. Wheels Museum 1100 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: (505) 243-6269 Donations...

Storytime at the Wheels Museum

March 19, 2026 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Wheels Museum 1100 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: (505) 243-6269 Admission is Free, but donations are gladly accepted.

In Celebration of Historic New Mexico Women

March 21, 2026 at 10:00 am - 11:00 pm

Dr. Sylvia Ramos Cruz is joining us to highlight some of the women honored by the Historic New Mexico Women Road Markers Program. These women helped found, grow, enrich and preserve this state. Wheels Museum 1100 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: (505) 243-6269 Admission is Free, but donations are gladly accepted.

Movies of New Mexico

March 21, 2026 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Join historian Ronn Perea for a special presentation exploring New Mexico’s connection to the world of film. Ronn is a speaker and historian associated with the WHEELS Museum in Albuquerque, known for discussing the extensive history of movies filmed in New Mexico. Wheels Museum 1100 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: (505) 243-6269 Admission...

Albuquerque's First Motorettes

March 22, 2026 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Celebrate Women’s History Month with Alanna Phillips of Public Service Company of New Mexico as she shares the stories of women who operated Albuquerque’s earliest electric streetcars with grit and determination. Join us to honor the motorettes who helped shape the ciy’s momentum. Wheels Museum 1100 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: (505) 243-6269...

TRACKS AND TRAILS
How the Railroad Made Room for Route 66 Before our sun-baked stretches of Route 66 became synonymous with adventure and connection throughout the Southwest, the railroad played a critical role...
Help identify the men who worked in the Shops
“We have a photo of many of the men who worked in the shops. They’re on a locomotive, and we would love to identify the men,” said Leba Freed, the...
Route 66 New Mexico Magazine
Trains, planes, automobiles, tractors, bicycles, a Segway and much more.By Gary Herron The 21,000-square-foot WHEELS Museum is at 1100 2nd SW, just 0.7 mile south of Central Avenue, Railroad Avenue...

Railyard Worker Commemorative Plaques. Honor a loved one who worked on the railroad, honor a WHEELS volunteer or honor the WHEELS Museum. WHEELS is now selling plaques with name plates for $100.00 per name. Keep the memory of these people alive in perpetuity with a gorgeous wooden plaque with brass name plate. Thank those who made our city and state successful, built the railroad, continue to work to preserve our history and create our future. The plaques will be displayed in the Community Room at WHEELS.

Please call (505) 243-6269 for more information.