Tucumcari New Mexico White Cottage Camp Roadside 1930 Real Photo Postcard
White Cottage Camp in Tucumcari, New Mexico, exemplifies the rise of roadside accommodations that catered to the burgeoning automobile tourism of the early to mid-20th century. These "cottage camps" or "auto courts," visible with their individual cabins and a "Tourists Drive In" entrance, offered independent lodging units and convenient parking, a distinct evolution from earlier tent camps or traditional hotels. They provided a nascent form of motel experience tailored for the self-sufficient motorist.
Tucumcari's strategic location along early transcontinental auto routes, later famously including U.S. Route 66, made it a critical stop for travelers traversing the American Southwest. The proliferation of such camps was a direct response to the increasing affordability of automobiles and the desire for more flexible travel, fostering a new commercial landscape centered on the automobile and contributing significantly to the town's economy during this era of westward expansion and recreational touring.
Tucumcari's strategic location along early transcontinental auto routes, later famously including U.S. Route 66, made it a critical stop for travelers traversing the American Southwest. The proliferation of such camps was a direct response to the increasing affordability of automobiles and the desire for more flexible travel, fostering a new commercial landscape centered on the automobile and contributing significantly to the town's economy during this era of westward expansion and recreational touring.
