The location and slow development of Jericho Gap makes for an interesting story to add to the lore and legend of Old Route 66. This most famous stretch of road lies in the Texas Panhandle between the towns of Groom and Alanreed or McLean, depending on the period of time of which you are speaking.
The ‘where’ of Jericho Gap can be explained by the study of a relief map of the area. The Rock Island Railroad follows a slender finger of land starting at Jericho and ending in the creek bottoms of Oklahoma some sixty miles to the east. This ridge defined the top of the watersheds between the Salt Fork of the Red River to the south and McClellan Creek and the North Fork of the Red River to the north. The railroad, Route 66 and Jericho Gap follow this ridge closely.
When driving this section of highway you will notice almost no bridges or larger waterways. At times, the water from the south bar-ditch flows south and the water from the north bar-ditch flows north. The Route 66/I-40/railroad corridor truly is the dividing point in the watersheds.
Known in local history as Old Trails Ridge, this winding hillock served man hundreds of years before the railroad, Route 66 and I-40 were conceived. Indian tribes spent the winters along the Oklahoma creek bottoms where water and firewood were plentiful. Spring found them moving west along the ridge to the Plains to hunt buffalo. At times they traveled on to the mountains for religious celebrations and to cut teepee poles for their lodges.
In the 1870s, the U.S. Army used the ridge to pursue the Indians in the Red River Wars. Later the U.S. Mail used the ridge as a mail route serving the frontier. Wagon trains traversed the ridge on their way west to settle the open ranges of New Mexico and Arizona. The first scheduled train of the Rock Island Railroad ran on July 6, 1902. Graded dirt roads soon connected the settlements born alongside the tracks.
These dirt roads existed long before the name Jericho Gap was coined. When the name appeared and the exact time these roads became Route 66 are still in doubt. The exact milage, destinations and routes of Jericho Gap are questionable and dependent on dates.
The reasons for the long delay in improving this section can be traced to the poverty of the two counties where it is located. It was ranch country, low rate of taxation, the area was remote, the road did not serve the county needs, and tourism income was negligible. Simply put, the condition of the road had little priority in spite of what Congress desired.
Common sense placed the location of Jericho Gap. Roadbeds with hills, curves, bridges and culverts cost more money than on flat surfaces so the road stayed on the flats. Ironically, the ridge tops and flats contained the black gumbo mud for which the road became famous.
The history of Old Trails Ridge and its evolution to modern times can be seen on the Trew Ranch in mile 132 and 133. Indian trails, wagon ruts, old county roads, the Rock Island right-of-way, Old Route 66 and the parallel pathways of I-40 can all be seen in a narrow area some two-hundred yards in width.
