- Privacy
- Terms
- Stay Connected
The evening sun casts long shadows across the desert floor, illuminating the weathered remains of what was once a critical transportation artery through southern Arizona. Faint traces of graded earth, crumbling culverts, and occasional concrete bridge abutments are all that remain of the Borderland Route—a pioneering highway that once carried Model Ts, early transport trucks, and adventurous motorists through some of Arizona’s most remote and stunning borderland terrain. Today, as modern travelers speed along Interstate 10, few realize they’re paralleling one of Arizona’s most historically significant early automobile routes—a highway that helped connect isolated mining communities, ranching operations, and frontier settlements during a pivotal period of southwestern development.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | The Borderland Route |
| Established | Early 20th century (around 1912–1917) |
| Purpose | To create an east-west automobile route across the southern United States, connecting El Paso, Texas, to San Diego, California. |
| Route | – Followed a path from El Paso, Texas, through New Mexico, Arizona, and into southern California. |
| – Passed through key towns such as Tucson, AZ, Douglas, AZ, and Yuma, AZ, before reaching San Diego. | |
| Length | Approximately 750 miles |
| Historical Context | – Developed during the early era of automotive travel as part of efforts to establish a network of transcontinental highways in the U.S. |
| – Named for its proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border, which it closely followed in several areas. | |
| Key Stops | – El Paso, TX |
| – Las Cruces, NM | |
| – Lordsburg, NM | |
| – Douglas, AZ | |
| – Bisbee, AZ | |
| – Tucson, AZ | |
| – Yuma, AZ | |
| – San Diego, CA | |
| Terrain | – Traversed deserts, mountain ranges, and river valleys along the U.S.-Mexico border. |
| – Included challenging stretches in the Sonoran Desert and rugged areas near Yuma, requiring early travelers to navigate difficult conditions. | |
| Significance | – One of the earliest routes to connect the southwestern U.S., promoting trade, tourism, and settlement in the region. |
| – Played a role in developing early border towns and establishing economic ties between the U.S. and Mexico. | |
| – Was part of the larger effort to link southern transcontinental routes, including the Dixie Overland Highway and Ocean-to-Ocean Highway. | |
| Challenges | – Early road conditions were poor, consisting of dirt paths prone to flooding, washouts, and deep sand. |
| – Limited infrastructure, such as gas stations, hotels, and repair shops, made long trips difficult. | |
| Decline | – Supplanted by improved highways in the mid-20th century, such as U.S. Route 80 and later Interstate 10. |
| – Became less significant as faster, more direct routes were developed. | |
| Legacy | – Portions of the Borderland Route are preserved as local roads and historic highways, with historical markers commemorating its importance. |
| – Helped pave the way (literally and figuratively) for modern transportation infrastructure in the southwestern United States. | |
| Modern Status | – Segments of the route have been incorporated into modern highways, including parts of U.S. Route 80 and Interstate 10. |
| – Still recognized by historians and enthusiasts of early automobile travel for its role in shaping the Southwest. |
Long before the era of interstate highways and GPS navigation, travelers through southern Arizona faced significant challenges moving between population centers. The Borderland Route emerged in the early 20th century as one of the first designated automobile highways through Arizona’s border country, connecting El Paso, Texas to Southern California through a series of desert communities including Douglas, Bisbee, Tombstone, Tucson, and Yuma.
The route didn’t spring from a single governmental planning process but evolved organically from existing wagon roads, mining trails, and military routes that had served the territory since the late 19th century. The increasing popularity of automobiles after 1910 created demand for improved roads, leading local boosters, county governments, and early auto associations to advocate for a formalized east-west corridor near the Mexican border.
“Transportation infrastructure—or more precisely, the lack thereof—played a decisive role in Seligman’s development and eventual decline,” notes one historical account describing a community further north. This observation applied equally to the borderland communities that would be connected by the new highway, where isolation had both protected and constrained development.
The Borderland Route received its first formal designation around 1917 as part of the early national highway naming system. Initially known in various sections as the Bankhead Highway, Old Spanish Trail, or simply “the Border Route,” it represented Arizona’s first attempt at creating a continuous improved roadway through its southern corridor. The route was later incorporated into the U.S. Highway system as parts of U.S. 80 and U.S. 70, though substantial sections were eventually bypassed by Interstate 10.
Early travelers on the Borderland Route experienced an adventure far removed from modern highway travel. The road itself was minimally improved—often merely graded dirt with crude gravel surfacing on fortunate sections. Motorists faced frequent washouts during seasonal monsoons, sand drifts in dry periods, and limited services along vast stretches. A 1920 travel guide warned: “Tourists are advised to carry extra water, gasoline, and essential repair parts, as help may be many hours distant in the event of mechanical failure.”
The road’s challenging conditions didn’t deter its promoters. The Borderland Highway Association, formed by business leaders and local officials along the route, published maps, arranged signage, and advertised the scenic and historic attractions accessible via this “Gateway to Old Mexico and the Wonders of the Southwest.” Their promotional materials promised adventures through “the land of Coronado, Apache warriors, and America’s richest mining districts”—an early example of heritage tourism marketing.
The Borderland Route’s significance lay in its connection of previously isolated communities, particularly those that had originated during Arizona’s mining booms. Unlike later highways that often bypassed established towns in favor of straighter alignments, the early Borderland Route deliberately connected existing settlements, serving as their commercial lifeline.
The “Town Too Tough to Die” benefited significantly from its position on the Borderland Route. After silver mining declined in the late 19th century, Tombstone had entered a period of population loss and economic stagnation. The arrival of reliable automobile access helped transform the community from fading mining center to historic tourism destination.
“Unlike many Arizona mining communities that have vanished entirely or exist only as tourist attractions, Fairbank remains inhabited, though profoundly changed since mining operations ceased in 1985,” notes one account of a similar town. Tombstone followed this pattern but with greater success, leveraging its Wild West history to attract visitors traveling the Borderland Route.
These smaller mining communities along what became known as the “Ghost Town Trail” section of the Borderland Route experienced a brief second life thanks to automobile accessibility. As one historical document notes: “Gleeson, originally called Turquoise for its valuable mineral deposits, features a restored jail that now serves as a museum chronicling the town’s copper mining past. Courtland, established in 1909 during a copper boom, contains fascinating adobe ruins.”
For these communities, the highway arrived too late to prevent their decline as mining operations closed in the early 20th century, but it helped preserve their memory by making them accessible to curious travelers. Today, visitors following the ghost route of the Borderland Highway can still explore these remarkable ruins.
Positioned at the Mexican border, Douglas developed as a smelting center processing ore from Bisbee and other nearby mining operations. The Borderland Route connected this industrial community to markets and suppliers, while also facilitating international commerce with neighboring Agua Prieta, Mexico.
“The railroad transformed daily life in numerous ways,” notes a description of another Arizona community. For Douglas, the combination of rail connections and the new highway created a transportation hub that supported its industrial development through the early and mid-20th century.
Near the western section of the Borderland Route, Ajo represented one of Arizona’s significant copper mining operations. The highway’s development coincided with Ajo’s peak production years, facilitating the movement of workers, supplies, and processed materials.
“Ajo’s mining operations contracted in the 1970s and ultimately ceased in 1985,” recounts one historical summary. The community’s transition from active mining center to partial ghost town paralleled changes to the highway system, as newer, straighter alignments of U.S. 80 and eventually Interstate 8 diverted traffic from the original Borderland Route sections.
Tracing the original Borderland Route today requires historical maps, a keen eye for landscape features, and sometimes permission to access private lands. Unlike Route 66, which has enjoyed extensive documentation and preservation efforts, the Borderland Route faded more quietly into history as sections were improved, realigned, or completely bypassed during subsequent highway developments.
Between Douglas and Bisbee, portions of the original alignment remain as county-maintained roads, including a remarkable section through Mule Pass with stone guardrails constructed by early highway workers.
Much of this segment has been incorporated into modern State Route 80 and Interstate 10, though observant travelers can spot occasional abandoned alignments visible from the modern highway.
The most dramatic ghost sections lie west of Tucson, where several miles of the original route have been completely abandoned, reverting to desert or incorporated into private ranching operations. Near Ajo, one can still trace concrete segments that once carried travelers through this forbidding landscape.
The most distinctive physical features include early concrete bridges dating to the 1920s, stone culverts that channeled seasonal washes beneath the roadbed, and occasional retaining walls built to prevent erosion on hillside segments. Near border communities, observant explorers might spot old customs inspection stations, now abandoned as operations moved to modern facilities along the interstate corridors.
Behind the practical infrastructure of the Borderland Route lie compelling human stories that bring this ghost highway to life. The road wasn’t merely an engineering project but a lifeline that connected communities and facilitated commerce, migration, and cultural exchange across Arizona’s southern corridor.
Automobile tourist Edith Wilson documented her 1924 journey along the route in a travel diary preserved in the Arizona Historical Society collections. Her account captures both the adventure and challenges: “Left Douglas at dawn, hoping to reach Tucson by nightfall—an ambitious plan. The road between Bisbee and Tombstone proved barely passable after recent rains, requiring local men with mule teams to pull our Essex from a particularly treacherous wash. Such assistance cost us two dollars but prevented a night spent in the desert. Tombstone provided a welcome respite with hot meals at the Crystal Palace and tales of the town’s wilder days from old-timers eager to entertain tourists.”
For border communities, the route facilitated not just tourism but essential commerce. Mexican merchant Rafael Soto regularly transported goods between Nogales, Sonora and Arizona communities along the route during the 1920s and 1930s. His ledgers, preserved by descendants, document how the improved highway reduced travel time and expanded his business territory, allowing cultural influences and trade goods to flow more readily across the international boundary.
The route also played a critical role during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), when refugees fled violence in Sonora by crossing into Arizona border towns. Humanitarian aid and supplies moved south along the highway, while displaced families traveled north seeking safety. This human movement transformed communities like Douglas and Nogales, adding to their multicultural character.
Highway maintenance created its own human stories. Road crews, often composed of local Hispanic and Indigenous workers supervised by county engineers, endured brutal desert conditions to build and maintain the route. Their camps became temporary communities along the highway, some leaving behind artifact scatters that archaeologists have recently begun documenting as part of the route’s cultural heritage.
The Borderland Route’s decline came gradually through multiple phases of highway development. The first significant change occurred during the 1930s when federal highway projects realigned sections of U.S. 80 and U.S. 70 to create straighter, safer routes that bypassed some of the communities originally served. This process accelerated after World War II with increased automobile traffic demanding more efficient alignments.
The first significant change occurred during the 1930s when federal highway projects realigned sections of U.S. 80 and U.S. 70 to create straighter, safer routes that bypassed some of the communities originally served. This process accelerated after World War II with increased automobile traffic demanding more efficient alignments.
The decisive transformation came with the Interstate Highway System, authorized in 1956. Interstate 10 roughly paralleled the Borderland Route’s corridor but prioritized engineering efficiency over service to established communities. Many towns that had depended on highway traffic found themselves bypassed, sometimes by many miles, leading to significant economic challenges.
“The 1978 bypassing of Route 66 by Interstate 40 three miles to the south might have erased Hardyville’s last connection to the outside world,” notes one account of another Arizona community facing similar challenges. This pattern repeated all along the borderland corridor, with some communities successfully adapting while others faded toward ghost town status.
By the 1970s, the original Borderland Route had been almost entirely superseded, with some sections abandoned entirely while others were downgraded to county roads or local streets. The highway’s historical significance faded from public awareness, overshadowed by the more famous Route 66 to the north and the efficient but characterless Interstate 10 that replaced it.
Despite its relative obscurity compared to Route 66, the Borderland Route represents a significant chapter in Arizona’s transportation heritage. The highway played crucial roles in several aspects of the state’s development:
The route facilitated military movements along the border during World War I, the Mexican Revolution period, and the Border War era when Pancho Villa’s raid on Columbus, New Mexico prompted increased U.S. military presence. Army convoys regularly traveled the highway, and several checkpoint facilities were established along its length. These military connections shaped both the highway’s development and the communities it served.
For communities like Bisbee, Douglas, Ajo, and smaller mining settlements, the highway provided crucial access to markets and supplies during the transition from rail-dominated to automobile-era transportation. “The railroad’s influence extended to demographic patterns at Del Rio Springs,” notes one historical account of another mining region. “The improved connections made the isolated ranching community somewhat less remote.” The Borderland Route had similar effects on southern Arizona’s industrial communities.
Perhaps most distinctively, the route facilitated cultural and economic exchange between Arizona and Mexico during a formative period in borderland relations. Unlike Interstate 10, which runs well north of the international boundary through much of Arizona, the Borderland Route closely paralleled the border, connecting twin communities like Nogales, Arizona/Nogales, Sonora and Douglas, Arizona/Agua Prieta, Sonora.
This proximity fostered cross-cultural connections still evident in the region’s bilingual character, architectural influences, and culinary traditions. The highway helped create the unique borderland culture that distinguishes southern Arizona, neither fully American nor Mexican but a distinctive blend drawing from both traditions.
For modern travelers interested in experiencing the Borderland Route’s history, several approaches offer rewarding experiences:
This portion retains the most accessible and well-documented segments of the original route. Travelers can follow State Route 80 from Douglas through Bisbee and Tombstone, much of which follows the historic alignment. The road through Mule Pass features original stone guardrails and retaining walls dating to the 1920s.
The “Ghost Town Trail” connecting Gleeson, Courtland, and Pearce offers perhaps the most atmospheric segment, where the road passes directly through abandoned mining communities. As one historical account notes: “Courtland, established in 1909 during a copper boom, contains fascinating adobe ruins, the remains of the jail, and a haunting cemetery. Pearce, founded in 1896 following the discovery of rich gold and silver deposits, showcases the impressive Pearce General Store and historic post office buildings that stand as testaments to its former prosperity.”
Much of this segment has been incorporated into modern highways, though dedicated explorers can identify abandoned alignments visible from Interstate 8 and State Route 86. The Tucson-Ajo Highway (State Route 86) approximately follows the historic route, passing through the Tohono O’odham Nation where several roadside shrines mark locations along the original alignment.
This challenging desert crossing retains some of the most isolated segments of abandoned roadway. Near Dateland, sections of the original concrete highway lie just north of Interstate 8, accessible via dirt roads (high-clearance vehicles recommended). The Mohawk Summit section includes a dramatic abandoned alignment that switchbacks up the mountainside, providing views across the desert basin that modern interstate travelers miss entirely.
For those exploring the ghost highway, several practical considerations apply:
Unlike Route 66, which has benefited from national heritage designation and extensive preservation efforts, the Borderland Route has received limited formal recognition. Local historical societies in Douglas, Bisbee, and Yuma maintain some documentation and photographs, while the Arizona Historical Society archives contain materials related to the highway’s development and use.
Recent interest in “border studies” has brought new academic attention to the route as part of understanding borderland development. Archaeological surveys conducted by the University of Arizona have documented several segments, recording features like retaining walls, culverts, and associated artifact scatters that help reconstruct the highway’s history.
The most significant preservation work focuses on the remaining ghost towns and communities along the route rather than the highway itself. The Gleeson Jail has been stabilized and preserved, while ongoing efforts in Pearce aim to protect the historic commercial buildings. These preservation projects indirectly help maintain awareness of the transportation corridor that once connected them.
Several challenges complicate formal preservation efforts:
Despite these challenges, interest in the route’s heritage has grown among historians, archaeologists, and transportation enthusiasts. The Arizona Department of Transportation has installed interpretive markers at several rest areas along Interstate 10 and Interstate 8, describing the earlier routes that preceded these modern highways.
The Borderland Route, though now largely forgotten in public memory, played a crucial role in connecting and developing Arizona’s southern communities during the early automobile era. Before high-speed interstates linked the state’s population centers, this pioneering highway created vital connections for communities that had developed during the mining boom era but needed new economic linkages to survive as extraction industries declined.
The ghost highway’s legacy persists in settlement patterns that continue to the present. Communities that successfully adapted to changing transportation patterns—like Tucson, Bisbee, and Yuma—continue to thrive, while those that couldn’t pivot effectively joined the ranks of Arizona’s ghost towns. This pattern demonstrates how fundamentally transportation access shapes community destiny in the American West.
The route also left a cultural legacy in the distinctive borderland character of southern Arizona. By facilitating movement and exchange along the international boundary during a formative period, the highway helped create the bicultural, bilingual society that distinguishes the region. Food traditions, architectural styles, place names, and cultural practices all reflect this cross-border influence that the highway helped facilitate.
For modern travelers speeding along Interstate 10, little suggests the struggles, adventures, and human connections that played out along the earlier, slower route just a few miles away. Yet in abandoned segments of weathered concrete, crumbling adobe buildings of former service stations, and the multicultural communities that persist along the corridor, the ghost of this borderland highway remains—a reminder of how profoundly transportation networks have shaped Arizona’s development and continue to influence its future.