Gallup, NM (GLP)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$945,947

Station Ridership

FY 2011

14,433

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The Amtrak stop in Gallup is a two-story stucco station built in 1918 in the Mission Revival architectural style. It was originally constructed to serve as an area headquarters for the Santa Fe Railway, the successor to the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad.

A Harvey House hotel and restaurant, El Navajo, designed by master architect Mary Colter, was connected to the west wing of the depot. The hotel portion of the depot officially opened in 1923, with local Navajo singers and “medicine men” giving a performance to celebrate the opening. Much of the hotel portion of the depot was demolished in 1957 to widen U.S. Route 66.

The city of Gallup renovated the depot in 1996 in order to preserve it. This measure was successful, and the Gallup Cultural Center opened inside the depot that same year. In addition, the station in now home to Gallup’s Visitor Center, which relocated to the station in June of 2004; the Southwest Indian Foundation; the Storyteller Museum and Gallery of the Masters; the Kiva Cinema and a coffee shop.

The area was inhabited for centuries by Navajo, Acoma, Hopi and Zuni tribes. The region was reached by Spanish Conquistadors in 1540, contributing to an expanding ethnic diversity. Centuries later, while the railroads were expanding westward, the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was built through the area.

In 1880, here is where the railroad located a headquarters for its paymaster, David Gallup. The phrase “going to Gallup” became part of the common lexicon for workers in the area seeking their pay, eventually contributing the name of the city when it was established the following year.

Today, Gallup serves as a tourist area, where those who visit generally come to see Native American arts and crafts. There are approximately 110 trading posts, shops and galleries located within the city. It is also the location of the famous Four Corners Region, indicating where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah converge.

Gallup is the only municipality in McKinley County and serves the County Seat with nearly one-third of the county population. The majority of the County’s land base is Indian Reservation and more than 70 percent of the population is Native American. The county is home to portions of the Navajo Nation and the Pueblo of Zuni. Prominent geographic features include the southeastern range of the Chuska Mountains, extensive cliff formations known as the “Red Rocks” and the Zuni Mountains.

Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services at this facility. The Cultural Center is open when Train #4 arrives in the morning. A caretaker opens the lobby in the evening before the scheduled arrival of Train #3.

Gallup is served by two daily trains.