Beautiful Color Photo of the Longhorn Motel on Route 66 in Glenrio, Texas (While Still in Operation)

Photographer Tom Gentle generously offered to let me post his photograph of the long abandoned Texas Longhorn Motel taken in 1967

2026: 100 YEARS OF ROUTE 66

THANK YOU to Tom Gentle for the generous loan of his wonderful 1967 photograph of the Texas Longhorn Motel while still in operation

I recently received a message from Tom Gentle with permission to post his colorful photograph of the motel on Route 66 in Glenrio, Texas — which is now essentially a ghost town.

Tom’s story behind the wonderful photograph:

“Photo of the Texas Longhorn Motel taken in winter 1967. At the time my wife and I were on our way home (Eugene, Oregon) after three years in the army. I think I took it with a Pentax SLR I bought from an army pal. Or it could have been an Agfa 35mm camera I bought on leave in Germany. The film was Kodachrome—probably 25 asa. I took the photo because of the twilight color. We didn’t gas up, eat or stay at the motel, but kept driving into New Mexico. I remember simply loving the colors and stopping to get them on film. But this photo is one of the few I keep coming back to all these years. It’s sad to think the world captured in the photo has disappeared.”

Photograph of the Longhorn Motel at Sunset in 1967, on Route 66 in Glenrio, Texas. Photo by Tom Gentle, used with permission. — Photograph of the Longhorn Motel at sunset in 1967, on Route 66 in Glenrio, Texas. Photo copyright Tom Gentle, used with permission. Please do not reproduce.

From Tom’s vivid photograph we can see that the motel also included a cafe and a Phillips 66 gas station. There was also a garage for car servicing. The photo gives us a very real sense of the big sky in that part of the country.

In this close-up we can see someone getting a fill-up at the pumps. A gallon of gas in 1967 would have cost somewhere between 31 and 33 cents. On the left can be seen the silhouette of a monument sign by the road, which I think may have marked the state line.

Because Glenrio straddles the Texas / New Mexico state line, the motel’s big sign famously said “Last Stop in Texas” on one side (visible in Tom’s photo), and “First Stop in Texas” on the other side.

In this close-up we can see the cool late-'60s cars parked at the Cafe, which is well lit and looks quite inviting. A Bell Telephone sign in front reminds us of the importance of public phones in the days before cell phones. Glenrio was an isolated location then as it remains today. — In this close-up we can see the cool late-’60s cars parked at the cafe, which is well lit and looks quite inviting. A Bell Telephone sign in front reminds us of the importance of public phones in the days before cell phones. Glenrio was an isolated location then as it remains today.

About the Texas Longhorn Motel

The Texas Longhorn Motel building was situated directly on Route 66 in Glenrio, Texas (Glenrio straddles the state line of Texas and New Mexico). In 1967, when Tom made this photograph, the community would have been still quite vibrant with Route 66 traffic. Interstate 40 opened very close to Glenrio in 1975, allowing interstate travelers to easily bypass the town, sealing its fate as a ghost town within a few years.

My Video of the Abandoned Texas Longhorn Motel

By the time I arrived at Glenrio in late 2021, this old motel was completely abandoned and in ruins. Below is my video record of the site. My understanding is that the structure has recently been purchased for renovation and has been stripped-down to just the bare walls left standing.

Images of the Texas Longhorn Motel Shown in the Video

Below are several screen shots from the video showing its condition in December 2021 when I visited.

An image of the Texas Longhorn Motel in ruins in December 2021. At far right can be seen the blacktop of Route 66, rarely driven in now in comparison to 1967 when Tom Gentle made his photograph.

Front of the Texas Longhorn Motel in ruins in December 2021. On the left was the Phillips 66 and garage. On the right was the Cafe. Motels rooms ran in a U-shape around the back and can be seen on the left and right sides of the image. — Front of the Texas Longhorn Motel in ruins in December 2021. On the left was the Phillips 66 and garage. On the right was the cafe. Motels rooms ran in a U-shape around a courtyard in the back and can be seen on the left and right sides of the image.

A Route 66 shield painted near the former location of the fuel pumps.

A peek inside the building that once housed the gas station and cafe of the Texas Longhorn Motel in Glenrio.

My Book of Photographs of Abandoned Places Along Route 66

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Route 66, I published a book of photographs of Route 66 that features many abandoned locations, including the Texas Longhorn Motel and other spots in Glenrio.

Signed copies can be purchased on my website here.

Keith Dotson: Sixty-Six Photographs of Route 66

(ISBN 979-8-234-00391-1)

$25.00 + $4.50 Flat Rate Shipping

72 pages plus cover, black and white photographs plus facts and history of the locations in the photographs.

Published March 2026
72 pages plus soft touch cover
Softcover
8.5 x 11 inches
Perfect bound
Beautifully printed
Flat-rate shipping within the U.S.

Here I am on Route 66 holding a copy of my 2026 book Sixty-Six Photographs of Route 66. Portrait by Teena Young. — Here I am on Route 66 holding a copy of my 2026 book *Sixty-Six Photographs of Route 66*. Portrait by Teena Young.

Front and back covers of my 2026 book *Sixty-Six Photographs of Route 66*.

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