That is the Navajo name of Gallup, New Mexico.
I had first visited that small city of less than 20,000 people in 1985 as part of a nostalgic drive on Route 66. As a kid who grew up in other lands and under different skies, I never forgot the ceremonial playing of an old 78 RPM record of Nat King Cole where he sang the 1946 Rhythm and Blues song “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”. Gallup was a railroad junction city, as the trains passed almost through the city at a non-stop schedule 24 hrs a day. I recall being in a truckers’ motel then and unable to shut my eyes due to the noise from the trains and the shaking of the spring-bed, with every passage.
On this trip, driving from Albuquerque to Flagstaff, a stop in Gallup seemed mandatory, for good ol’ day’s sake.
Not much had changed, although the city looked more modern, with more expensive jewelry stores and well paved roads. I learned that Gallup was named as the Most Patriotic Small Town in America in the 2013-2014 Best of t Road Contest. Wow!
The city streets have the same ambiance, however, with Pawn Shops everywhere.
And the trains still pass almost by the center of the city….
October 3, 2014
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2014
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