Snake Pit at The Hitching Post, Moriarty: Signs dubbed it "The Den of Death." Tourists were encouraged to throw money into the pit and make a wish that would surely - with a wink - come true. John's son Don remembers that every spring he would scrape out the coins. After washing and rolling them, he and his sister counted hundreds of dollars collected in a season...

(Text selection from Route 66 New Mexico: A Visual Tour)