El Rancho Hotel and Motel in Gallup, New Mexico, was built in 1937 by R.E. “Griff” Griffith as a base for movie productions in the surrounding landscape during the early growth of filmmaking in the area. Set on old U.S. Route 66, it combined a dramatic, lodge-like interior with a distinctive rustic exterior and became a temporary home for many Hollywood stars during the region’s major years of location shooting. After declining following the opening of Interstate 40, it was restored by Armand Ortega and his family. Today it remains a notable Gallup landmark tied to both Route 66 and the Southwest’s film history.