Arizona State Route 61
State Route 61, also known as SR 61, is a state highway in northern Arizona running generally southwest to northeast, from its southern terminus at U.S. Route 60 east of Show Low to the New Mexico border at Zuni, where it becomes New Mexico State Road 53. Parts of this route, particularly near St. Johns, overlap US 180 and US 191.
Route description
The southern terminus of SR 61 is located at a junction with US 60 east of Show Low. From here, the highway heads towards the northeast towards an intersection with SR 180A. After this intersection, SR 61 begins to follow a more easterly heading to a junction with US 180. SR 61 runs concurrently with US 180 from this intersection eastward to an intersection with US 191 in St. Johns. While US 180 continues to the south concurrent with US 191, SR 61 begins to run concurrently with US 191 to the north. The two split north of St. Johns with US 191 continuing to head north and SR 61 heads off towards the northeast. SR 61 reaches its northern terminus at the New Mexico border while the highway itself continues into New Mexico as New Mexico State Road 53.History
Before the creation of Arizona’s state highway system, roads in Apache County were primarily wagon trails and military routes serving ranches, farms, and mines. During the Territorial period , the U.S. Army constructed long-distance roads connecting forts such as Fort Apache to supply routes across northeastern Arizona (Arizona Transportation History, 2011. These routes often passed through the White Mountains and toward St. Johns, establishing corridors that later influenced state highway alignments.In 1913, the National Old Trails Highway Association mapped a cross-country automobile route that included an alternative alignment through Springerville and St. Johns to Holbrook, reflecting the importance of the corridor that would later form part of State Route 61.This route was incorporated into Arizona’s Seven-Percent Federal-Aid Highway System in the 1920s, ensuring federal investment in road improvements across Apache County.
State Route 61 was officially designated in the 1930s, connecting U.S. Route 60 east of Show Low with U.S. 191 in St. Johns before continuing to the New Mexico state line. Early construction relied on gravel and oil surfacing, with federal-aid and New Deal work-relief programs in the 1930s improving many rural roads in northeastern Arizona. Paving and modernization continued through the mid-twentieth century, paralleling statewide efforts to replace older dirt and oiled roads with asphalt highways.