Petition to rename “Motel Boulevard” in honor of legendary lawman gains traction
Out of the dozens of motels in the City of Las Cruces, there is only one motel on Motel Boulevard.
“Motel Boulevard is not the most attractive name for this road,” said Doña Ana County Commissioner John Vasquez, who represents District 5.
That could soon change: a committee is collecting signatures to rename Motel Boulevard after the legendary lawman Pat Garrett, the two-term sheriff of Doña Ana County who killed Billy the Kid. On Tuesday, commissioners voted unanimously to support the petition.
“This victory is outstanding,” said Bob Gamboa, the committee’s chairman. “We are so happy with the support that we got from the county.”
However, Motel Boulevard is in the jurisdiction of Las Cruces, not the County. For the city to consider the name change, Gamboa will have to get 75 percent support from the 94 businesses and properties on Motel Boulevard.
The Doña Ana County Government Center, located on Motel Boulevard near Picacho Avenue, is one of those properties.
“This would be a cheap way to actually increase our visibility as a destination based on our heritage,” said Commissioner Billy Garrett, who represents district 1.
The Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office has a museum with many tributes to Pat Garrett. Sheriff Enrique “Kiki” Vigil expressed his support for the resolution.
“I believe that by changing the name from Motel Boulevard to Pat Garrett Boulevard, I think that would bring us business here,” Vigil said. “I would have that museum open every Saturday.”
Gamboa, a native Las Cruces resident, has lived in the city for close to eight decades. He explained to commissioners that the city build Motel Boulevard in the 1960s after I-10 was introduced.
It was originally intended to divert traffic to a number of motels west of the city. The hotels, however, never came.
“We think that this is going to happen,” Gamboa said. “Everybody agrees that this name change needs to take place and probably should have taken place a long time ago.”
