Someone needs to revitalize U.S. Route 70’s identity as “America’s Treasure Trail,” an east-west highway connecting seven states on a corridor from North Carolina to Arizona.
Established in 1926 as a
federal highway, U.S. 70 is observing a centennial celebration of sorts in 2026,
attracting the attention of nostalgic road trippers.
North Carolina could leverage its colorful connectivity with images of pirates and their gleaming treasure chests overflowing with gold, silver, diamonds and other huge, sparkling gemstones. Arrghh!
Let it be known to all…far and wide…the only part of the entire Route 70 that is designated as a National Scenic Byway is the section of the highway that runs through Down East Carteret County.
Follow the signs to the “Outer
Banks National Scenic Byway” that are posted along the roadside of Route 70 East
just a little way beyond East Carteret High School north of Beaufort.
The highway rolls on Down East through the small communities of Bettie, Otway, Smyrna, Williston, Davis, Stacy and Sea Level.
On the map, Route 70 officially terminates in Atlantic at the
intersection with School Drive.
The pavement continues as
Seashore Drive for several blocks and dead ends at the marina on Little Port
Brook.
Atlantic is about the
lowest point along the entire Route 70. The elevation here ranges from 0 to
about 16 feet. Approximately 540 people presently reside in Atlantic.
During the early 1700s, these offshore waters were the playground of Blackbeard, the fearsome and notorious pirate. Surely, there are some of his treasures buried around here somewhere.
So, it makes perfect
sense to rely heavily on pirates to help reinvigorate North Carolina’s section
of “America’s Treasure Trail” – the brand for U.S. Route 70 that was selected
in 1951…but seems to have unfortunately “just faded away” over time.
Globe, Ariz. – the western terminus of Route 70 – was once a wild and wooly western frontier town with gunslingers, outlaws, saloons, prospectors, cowboys and cattle rustlers. A local landmark is Six Shooter Canyon.
Journalist Alicia Durette puts Globe in the top 11 “Old Western Towns in Arizona.”
“Arizona used to be the ultimate example of the Wild Wild West, where lawlessness reigned,” she said.
This is rich. Pairing North Carolina’s pirates with characters from Arizona’s Wild West seems like a “natural attraction” to truly restore the aura of U.S. 70 as “America’s Treasure Trail.”
It gets even better when we add to the mix the Native American heritage, as represented by the Mescalero Apache Tribe.
Route 70 passes through the Mescalero Apache Reservation within Lincoln County, N.M., along the Apache Summit, at an elevation of approximately 7,600 feet within the Sierra Blanca Mountains. The highest peak in the range is 11,980 feet above sea level.
Another noteworthy feature is that between Alamagorda and Las Cruces, N.M., Route 70 crosses a section of the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range. (It is the nation’s largest military installation, encompassing almost 3,200 square miles stretching across six counties.)
Motorists traveling on
Route 70 there can expect temporary roadblocks and closures (typically between
one to two hours in length) during active missile testing and military
operations.
The largest city served
by Route 70 is Nashville, Tenn., with a population of about 726,590.
Surely, we could find a
songwriter there to compose a country music ballad about “Scenic 70/America’s
Treasure Trail.”
Or…we might just leave it up to Jason Nutt, a singer/songwriter from Floydada, Texas, another community located on Route 70.
In fact, his band is named Jason Nutt & Highway 70. Ever
heard of the group?
Yet, there’s plenty of
musical talent right here in Carteret County – folks who could compose the
perfect melody.
“Seventy” is a tough rhyming word for a lyricist. “Heavenly” comes close. So does “pleasantry.”
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