Kewa Pueblo Awarded $1-Million to Restore Historic Trading Post

Federal Economic Development Administration Grant Award breathes new life into once famed Trading Post

 (Kewa Pueblo, NM – July 29, 2010) - The U.S. Economic Development Administration formally awarded Kewa Pueblo (formerly Santo Domingo) $1-million to restore its historic Domingo Trading Post. The trading post, adjacent to the Kewa Rail Runner station, was once the most recognized building on the Native American landscape, before it was consumed by fire in February of 2001. Restoring the Trading Post will bring new economic development opportunities to the area and provide services to Rail Runner commuters, tourists and local residents.   

“I am happy and proud to see the revitalization of the trading post taking place after many years”, said Kewa Pueblo Governor Tony Tortalita. “I thank the Economic Development Administration for the generous investment in this project and look forward to the partnership. The trading post has been an icon of our history and now will stand as a testament to our future as we plan to use this as an avenue to showcase our culture and traditions through arts and crafts. Many of our artisans at the pueblo had used the trading post as a way to sell their jewelry, pottery, and such to tourists passing via the train and now we can revive that tradition with the newly opened Rail Runner station just across the street. I am excited for all our pueblo members who grew up seeing the trading post everyday and can once again see it rebuilt to its original state.”

History Revisited

Located on the 1926 alignment of Historic Route 66 where it intersects the railroad tracks at Domingo, New Mexico, the site is on Kewa Pueblo lands, 2.5 miles west of the Kewa Pueblo. The post’s location on Route 66 and the Aitcheson, Topeka, and Santa Fe rail line made it a well-known stop for tourists traveling on the AT&SF railway’s “Southwest Chief” and for motorists in the early years of cross-country automobile travel. It continued to be a major tourist attraction for the next 60-years, visited by dignitaries such as President John F. Kennedy and others well into the 1990’s. The trading post was listed on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties in 1997 and on the National Register of Historic Properties on in 1998. The trading post business closed in 1995 and the structure was severely damaged by fire a few years later. 

“The Domingo Trading Post is a historic landmark that deserves to be revitalized,” said U.S. Senator Tom Udall. “I am pleased this award will help ensure that the iconic stop will be restored to its former glory and that it will be available for younger generations of the Kewa tribe to utilize and benefit from.”

Restoring the Past

The restoration project received immense community, statewide and national support, including support from the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Office, the Cornerstones Foundation and the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning, as well as New Mexico State University’s School of Engineering. The Mid-Region Council of Governments provided technical support on the EDA grant, and coordinated planning for the site in conjunction with the $2.1 Million Kewa Rail Runner station. 

“Communities along the corridor of the New Mexico Rail Runner Express have seen the benefits of commuter rail in terms of increased transportation alternatives and growth in their local economies”, said Dewey Cave, Interim Executive Director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “The Trading Post will provide passengers an opportunity to browse, shop, or simply take in an important piece of New Mexico history.”

The Pueblo expects the Trading Post facility to generate 30 long term jobs. The site plan also includes a restaurant which will further enhance the Kewa station and the community at large.

Contacts:  Augusta Meyers, Mid-Region Council of Governments, 505-239-8612, ameyers@mrcog-nm.gov

 

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