Rio Grande Gorge
AA-2026-E246E4
On the image
Travel in the 1970s often involved driving hundreds of miles across what appeared to be an endless, featureless plain, only to arrive at a slightly different, equally empty plain that contained a significant hole. People would park at the designated viewpoint, sometimes featuring a small shelter, to observe the hole. The idea was to confirm it existed.
Another white sedan, barely a speck in the distance, suggests this pilgrimage was a common and accepted form of recreation. The sheer scale of the landscape dwarfs everything man-made, reinforcing the existential pointlessness of the journey while simultaneously validating its importance.
This ritual offered a sense of accomplishment, a belief that one had 'seen' something vast and ancient, before getting back in the car to drive an equal distance to the next point of interest, which might also be a hole, or perhaps a large rock.
The historian's note
The image depicts a section of the Rio Grande Gorge in northern New Mexico, likely viewed from a scenic overlook adjacent to U.S. Route 64. The gorge, approximately 50 miles long and up to 800 feet deep, was formed by the Rio Grande river carving through volcanic rock over millions of years. It is a prominent geological feature of the Taos Plateau volcanic field.
During the 1970s, as automobile travel became more accessible and popular, such natural landmarks served as key destinations for road trips across the American West. The construction of scenic overlooks and basic infrastructure, like the one seen here, facilitated tourism and allowed visitors to experience the dramatic scale of the landscape.
The Rio Grande Gorge is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River and remains a significant natural attraction, drawing visitors for its geological importance and recreational opportunities.
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Rio Grande Gorge, New Mexico, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-E246E4. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/rio-grande-gorge-new-mexico-1970s.
@misc{aaAA2026E246E4,
title = {Rio Grande Gorge, New Mexico, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-E246E4},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/rio-grande-gorge-new-mexico-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Rio Grande Gorge, New Mexico, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-E246E4 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/rio-grande-gorge-new-mexico-1970s ER -
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