1940 street scene in Hobbs showing shops at 118-120 West Broadway. The three cars parked diagonally in front of the shops all have 1940 Coronado Cuarto Centennial license plates. Courtesy David L. Minton.
A 1940 Official plate is seen on this 1940 Ford fire truck belonging to the Española Fire Department. Courtesy Rick Holben.
1940 Coronado Cuarto Centennial plate on a brand new 1941 Chevrolet. Though the photo is undated, we can see that it was taken in late 1940, after the trees in the background had lost their leaves and after the 1941 models had already arrived on dealer lots. The man in the photo is unidentified. NMplates.com archives.
Hobbs, 1940. This photo was taken on Broadway at the intersection of Turner St., with the camera facing northeast. The pickup at the right side of the photo in the center-street parking zone is a 1936 Hudson Terraplane with 1940 Truck plate #6811. Though registration records for 1940 have not survived, we do have the 1938 records which show just one 1936 Terraplane in Hobbs that year, and that one registered to the Pierce Furniture Company. Above and to the right of the pickup is a building with signage for Pierce Furniture (just in front of the bottom of the Pierce Hotel sign and partially obscured by the movie theater marquee). From this we can reasonably infer that the truck in the photo is the same one found in the 1938 records. The illustration here is a detail from a much larger photo showing additional businesses on Broadway. Courtesy David L. Minton.
Filling up with 20 cent gasoline in Pie Town, 1940. Russell Lee photograph, U.S. Farm Security Administration, Library of Congress photo archives.
1940 Coronado Cuarto Centennial plate on a circa 1940 Chevrolet coupe. Note the “John E. Miles for Governor” topper above the license plate. Miles, a Democrat, was first elected in 1938 and reelected in 1940. A full-color closeup photograph of one of these toppers can be seen on our Booster Plates & Advertising Toppers page. Courtesy Sam Jackson, Santa Fe Car Club member.
Katie Beverly of Lovington with daughter Bettie Lou, 1940. Courtesy David L. Minton.
Downtown Hobbs in 1940. Note the Coronado Cuarto Centennial license plates on the cars. Courtesy David L. Minton.
“Stage in front of the post office at Pie
Town, New Mexico. This stage comes through daily except Sunday.” The partially
obscured 1940 Commercial plate carries a weight/capacity seal (“tab”) which,
though not readable in this photo, states the vehicle's weight and the number of
passengers it rated to carry. The car is a circa
1937 four-door Plymouth sedan. Russell Lee photograph, U.S. Farm
Security Administration, Library of Congress Photo Archives.
“On the main street of Mogollon New Mexico,” May 1940, Russell Lee photograph, US Farm Security Administration. The car in the foreground wearing the 1940 Coronado Cuarto Centennial passenger plate is a 1936 Oldsmobile. Thanks to Steven Graeter for locating this photo.
A 1940 double zia license plate is the highlight of this photo of a
shiny Ford sedan and its unnamed owner. Though the owner’s name is not
known, she and her family are believed to be from Cuervo, N.M., some 16 miles or
so east of Santa Rosa. Author’s collection.
Convertible top, rumble seat, and a 1940 Passenger plate attached to the spare tire with baling wire. “People at the Fair, Pie Town, New Mexico.” Russell Lee photograph, U.S. Farm Security Administration, Library of Congress photo archives.
1940 Truck plate on gasoline truck, Pie Town, NM. Russell Lee photo, Library of Congress photo archives.
This photograph of a 1940 Packard came from a family by the name of Mabie, said to have been owners of the Packard dealership in Roswell. The car in the photo bears a 1940 double zia Dealer plate, #D93. Author's collection.