The name Tucumcari is derived from the Comanche word, "tukanukaru," meaning "to lie in wait for something to approach." By the mid-19th century, the flat-topped peak served as a lookout for Comanche raiders preying on cowboys driving cattle along the Chisolm and Comanchero Trails.The town of Tucumcari itself got its start in 1901 as a tent city, known first as "Ragtown" and later as "Six Shooter Siding," along the Chicago, Rock Island and Union Pacific Railroad. When the railroad turned the camp into a division point in 1908, the settlement was renamed Tucumcari, after the nearby mountain. By 1910, Tucumcari was a major railroad centerâcomplete with a roundhouse, depot, and water towerânot to mention more than 60 thriving businesses.
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