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History · Newkirk

Newkirk’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Newkirk. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
5recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Newkirk was originally called Conant; it was founded in the early 20th century along Route 66. In the 1930s, Newkirk had several restaurants, cabins, four gas stations, as well as De Baca's Trading Post. It is now considered a ghost town.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Newkirk’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Newkirk’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Newkirk

See all 1 →
Donald M. BabersDonald M. BabersMilitary
By decade

Newkirk, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today5 photos
Newkirk SignCommonsNewkirk Sign2021Route 66 at Newkirk NM from W 1CommonsRoute 66 at Newkirk NM from W 12015Newkirk, New Mexico from NW 1CommonsNewkirk, New Mexico from NW 12015Building S side Route 66 Newkirk NM 1CommonsBuilding S side Route 66 Newkirk NM 12015Rt66newkirkCommonsRt66newkirk2006
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Newkirk is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Newkirk has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Route 66, State maintained from Montoya to Cuervo in Newkirk, 2.7 miles away.

Newkirk and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Newkirk. Tap a dot.
Route 66, State maintained from Montoya to CuervoAbandoned Route 66-Cuervo to NM 156Richardson StoreState Maintained Route 66-Palomas to MontoyaConchas Dam Historic DistrictPark Lake Historic District

Closest to Newkirk

Route 66, State maintained from Montoya to CuervoNewkirk · Structure2.7miAbandoned Route 66-Cuervo to NM 156Newkirk · Structure10.3miRichardson StoreNewkirk · Building11.9miState Maintained Route 66-Palomas to MontoyaTucumcari · Structure17.5miConchas Dam Historic DistrictConchas Dam · District22.8mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Route 66, State maintained from Montoya to Cuervo’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Newkirk?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Newkirk’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Santa Rosa📜 Tucumcari📜 House📜 Fort Sumner

From Wikimedia Commons (5). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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