¡Colores!; 1205; Route 66 in New Mexico; Interview with Lee Marmon

good now please tell me a little bit about the way that Native Americans were portrayed in the old postcards and the sort of silliness well the early postcards that that I can remember they they dressed the most of the Indians up in a lot of feathers and made them look like the planes Indians then they had pictures of TPs which aren't typical of this area they had pictures of the jackalopes which a lot of people believed you know the the jackrabbit with the horns they did have a few of the of the potters and someone making pottery but generally speaking they tried to dress them up with feathers and make them look like the planes Indians wonderful I think we got

some of that with that wind and let's try that again yeah some of the early postcards were really funny because they portrayed most of the pueblos out in here as planes Indians they tried to dress them up in a lot of feathers and headdresses and they had a lot of photographs of TPs and things of that sort which isn't typical of this area they they had some of the potters and some of the scenery things pretty pretty good but mostly they tried to glamorize the Indian people sort of like the movies did which wasn't really a true picture of the southwestern pueblos very nice now let's try one more time yeah one of the early in the early days they had a lot of postcards out and most people from back east had never been west so they believed pretty much everything they saw

so the early postcard people realized that they better stick with the typical the stereo of the Indian with feathers that were from the planes let's try one more time okay and anytime in the early days the postcards were typically more of the planes Indians rather than the pueblos they they had a lot of post pictures of dancers and they had feathers on them and they showed TPs and things of that sort and of course I think the funniest one was the was the jackalope the the tourist bought a lot of the jackalope the so -called giant jackrabbit with horns but that was typical of those days and it's it hasn't changed a heck of a lot and some of the things you look at right today wonderful and

anytime yeah I think it's it's important for us to laugh at the laugh at ourselves and the in the early postcards we had a movie company out here that made a that made a movie not too many years ago and they they build a kiva and it was a Hollywood kiva and I took a picture of it and put it on a postcard and when people come to Laguna they're looking for that kiva but that was a Hollywood kiva so it's it's something that we need to laugh at and things have changed and I think people realize that very nice there's a car coming tell me about that again some of the early postcards were very funny and and we should be able to laugh at them things have changed and I think our perception of the Indians have changed quite a bit but still they're hangs on the Hollywood type Indian but they were they were humorous and

I think we we laugh at them today I think it's important how did this road that we're on right here actually once we're standing on all highway 66 that dates way back the original highway 66 that changed this part of the country and particularly the lives of the people of Laguna and Akaman on west particularly in Laguna the old highway went around my house which is the old Santa Fe railroad station and I can remember the early tourist and it gave an outlet to the ladies that made pottery and the people that get arts and crafts but most of all that opened them to the outside world meeting people from all over the world

the railroad came in 1881 but it wasn't a big of change I think it's a highway was down in my good space room for you with that right angle yeah sure it's perfect so Lee tell me a little bit about this road well this is the original highway 66 which was I'm stuck right there go ahead and look at right at me please oh yeah yeah this is the original highway 66 that of course prior to that was the wagon road and then came the automobile in 1920 I guess this road was actually officially in 1926 or 27 and of course this highway 66 here is the one that changed changed America actually it changed the the demographics of population east to west changed the pueblos it was one of the great

changes that came to this part of the country was highway 66 you know of course of course you lose the clouds but the weather is more stable and so I got some new print drying screens and I got a negative washer and I'm supposed to get so let's talk about the importance of the fact that route 66 had on places like the Pablo and the west here basically yeah we're standing on the old highway 66 right now and it was paved over 1934 yeah we're standing on highway 66 right now

and it brought great changes to the pueblos and to course western New Mexico and probably to the whole country the traffic has increased dramatically since the early days as I can remember and I spent many a mile on highway 66 in the past 70 years so 77 years but changes came rather quickly and it influenced a lot of the pueblos and in the people in the pueblos dynamite good I'm going to listen to that one more time and then we'll be done anytime okay we're standing on all highway 66 it used to go through the reservation here and since it's been abandoned it's still partially being used but it is the road that made the changes to the pueblos and made the changes to the people and brought several the several changes probably to New Mexico

good we got a car coming here now let's try I like to do that I said I lied so there's the last time I like it so tell me how this highway here what what it is this is and how this change we got a jet so tell me a little bit of tell me a little bit about how this what that where we are and how this changed everything for this area we're standing on all highway 66 this heading west into Laguna and this is a highway that changed America it changed the pueblos great deal particularly Laguna pueblos because what right through Laguna pueblos right around my house and it opened the area for outsiders to come in for the people to sell pottery and arts and crafts and things of that sort and as course as the automobiles came more and more than there was motels and service stations and changed the

whole landscape dynamite okay let's get us closer shot and anytime we're standing here on all highway 66 the highway that changed the New Mexico and the pueblos and probably the whole country it went through our pueblos up here at Laguna and it certainly changed there because of the tourists coming through and the automobiles and headed west to California and through the early thirties the dust bowl people coming through it was the main street of America