Gallup, New Mexico

We left Santa Fe and arrived in Gallup three hours later. Although shopping for Southwestern jewelry is a huge draw for tourists, we learned there is so much more to this fascinating community. Gallup was named America's Most Patriotic Small Town in Rand McNally's Best of the Road contest in 2013.

The Navajo Code Talkers' Museum, which commemorates the Navajo World War ll soldiers who helped to battle the Axis by using their native tongues, is located here.

"From the Navajo Code Talkers to 'Hershey' Myamura and the many young people who choose to enter the armed services, Gallup epitomizes American patriotism," said Governor Susana Martinez.

Gallup began in 1881 with the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad. Workers used to go into town to collect their wages from a very important person, paymaster David L. Gallup. Known as "The Gateway to Indian Country," because of its proximity to the huge Navajo and other Native American reservations in the Four Corners region, Gallup later became an oasis for travelers along Route 66.

The native American world long ago designated Gallup its busiest trade center. Today a high percentage of all Native American jewelry passes through Gallup, which has some of the Southwest's largest trading posts. The town also hosts the world-famous Inter-Tribal Ceremonial annually--this August marks the event's 95th year. The community today has a diverse population, including its Native residents as well as descendants of Japanese, Mexican, Italian, and Slavic immigrants who built the railroad and worked in the coal mines.