All Aboard for Santa Fe: Railway Promotion of the Southwest, 1890s to 1930s

Acknowledgments

ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book is based on research that developed from my interests in tourism and New Mexico history, which came together in a study of the various marketing strategies used by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad to showcase Santa Fe, New Mexico, as a southwestern travel destination. The work emphasizes a sixty-year period from , when the rails were laid through New Mexico, through World War II (the early s). This is followed by a brief treatment of railroad advertisements through the s as they pertained to selling Santa Fe, and an assessment of relevant contemporary advertising and statistics by city and state tourism departments. I have chosen to be selective rather than inclusive due to difficulties in acquiring rare promotional materials. This work is not about individuals, civic groups, or the cultures of Santa Fe and the Southwest; rather, this work focuses on how the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad systems wanted Santa Fe to be seen by outsiders. My objective was to analyze how the railroad used the cultural and scenic highlights of Santa Fe and its environs to their advantage in marketing the area as a travel destination; because of these progressive strategies, the town of Santa Fe continues to be a popular vacation spot. In the process of researching this work I have relied on many people who have helped me to see this project reach fruition. This book would not be complete without acknowledging those who made it possible. Several resources and archivists were instrumental in assisting me in my efforts to dig up pertinent information regarding my research. Deb Slaney from the Albuquerque Museum; Kathleen Ferris, Nancy Brown, and Mary Alice Tsosie from the Center for Southwest Research; Laree Dates from the Heard Museum; and Brian Graney from the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives all helped me to find sources under their care. Special thanks are due to Tomas Jaehan and Diane Block from the Museum of New Mexico, and to Connie Menninger and Nancy Sherbert with the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka for their interest in the subject and for tracking down difficult-to-find brochures. Lisa Bertelli and the folks at the La Fonda were helpful in securing photographs. Additionally, Suzanne Burris and Patrick Hiatte were instrumental in helping me to obtain copyright permission for many promotional items such as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway logo, and associated images that are registered trademarks of the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, and are used here with permission ©  The Burlington and Santa Fe Railway Company. Thanks to all of you for your help and suggestions. Deserving special mention are those who read several drafts of the initial manuscript and made valuable comments on contents and format . I am indebted to Professor Joseph Pitti in the History Department at California State University, Sacramento, for his expertise and his interest in my original thesis, and his continued support in seeing it published. His wonderful sense of humor, and our common roots in New Mexico, made this a memorable project. I would also like to thank Professor Christopher Castaneda from the History Department at California State University, Sacramento, for his patience, critical comments , and suggestions. Several words of recognition are in order for those who were gracious enough to give me their time and offered suggestions and insight into this project. These include Mary Kay Cline from the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau, Carol Garcia from the New Mexico Department of Tourism, and Southwestern historian Cheryl J. Foote, who helped me with information regarding New Mexico cuisine. I am particularly grateful to historian Marc Simmons for his generosity and his insights into the history of this region. I am deeply indebted to the many people who labored over the exhausting job of reading and rereading through these pages. These include Dr. Joseph Pitti (who read it several times and proofed my x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS additions), Ann Kelt, Douglas Kelt, Joleene Kobetich, Michelle Snapp, and Dirk Van Vuren; thank you all for your corrections and suggestions. Sincere appreciation goes to Damien Shay and Maya Allen-Gallegos from the University of New Mexico Press for their help throughout the process. I wish to give special recognition to Joleene Kobetich, for her assistance with research in several archives across the country, as well as for her time, support...