N.M. State Road 78 appeared on maps before 1927 but remained a gravel highway in several sections in Arizona and New Mexico through the 1960s. By 1971, all but one stretch near the border had been paved. Area rancher Curley Traynor was instrumental in securing a paved road connecting Arizona and New Mexico, and in 1974 the route was dedicated as the A.M. Curley Traynor Memorial Highway.