Barstow to Needles, California – Route 66

DAGGETT ghost town

The skies were cloudy and grey as we drove the Barstow to Needles section toward the ghost town of Daggett ten miles east of Barstow. This small town was founded in the 1860s, but it wasn’t until 1883 when silver was discovered that it became Daggett – after John Daggett, who at the time was the Lieutenant Governor of California.

Daggett was quite a big city in the 1890s. It had three stores, two restaurants, three saloons, three hotels, a lumberyard, and even a Chinese eating place.

Silver and borax brought homesteaders to this region, but by 1911 it was on the decline. Even being a stop for Route 66 travellers, once the I-40 bypassed the town, it saw its demise and this once-prosperous townsite became derelict.

The town itself is divided by the railway, and each side has excellent photo opportunities. South of the railway is Alf’s Blacksmiths dating back to 1894; the Desert Market built 1908 and the Daggett Garage.

The garage that wont sit still

The Daggett Garage holds a lot of history. Initially built in the town of Marion in 1880 and used as a train repair shop. In 1896 it was moved to the Waterloo Mine near Calico, then in 1912 to its final resting place here in Daggett where it has had several uses.

Opposite the garage is The Stone Hotel, built in 1875. The adobe and stone walls two-feet-thick. Originally this building had two stories, but after a fire in 1908, it was re-modelled with just one.

Being the only hotel in town, it has housed some notorious people. Naturalist John Muir, Wyatt Earp, Death Valley Scotty and Shorty Harris all frequented the establishment.

Next door is the People’s General Store which dates back to the early 1900s.

To the north of the railway is the Pioneer Cemetery containing graves dating back to the early 1900s.

The Russian House c1926 was a visitor centre and gas station.

Mugwumps Garage a 1950s style petrol station, Kelly’s restaurant sign and a few other buildings.

NEWBURY SPRINGS – another ghost town

Bagdad Cafe in Newberry Springs is named after the movie by the same name. Initially built in the 1950s and known as Sidewinder Cafe in its heyday, it was the location of the 1988 film and then in 1995 renamed, taking advantage of the films link.

The first time we came through this way, the café was closed. This time, however, it was open, and we decided to grab a coffee

The interior is filled with memorabilia. T-shirts and flags adorn the ceilings, stickers and one-dollar bills are on the walls and door, along with hats and posters.

I must admit, the cleanliness needs improving, and there was a health notice hanging up saying “Major violations.” We decided that we wouldn’t get anything to eat or drink as it appeared that the employees hadn’t taken heed of the notice! But it is worth a stop.

The history of Newberry Springs does go way back. Originally being a Native Indian trail, it was discovered by settlers during the 1800s. The site then was known simply by “Water” and became “Newberry” when the railroad came through in the late 1800s. It wasn’t until 1967 that the town became “Newberry Springs.”

Today, there’s not much to the town. An old barn open for beers, a shop, a tiny motel, (which I’m not sure is still open as a motel) and an old gas station.

You can still see the remains of the Henning Motel, and its neon sign which is slowly rusting away.

LUDLOW

Next stop is the small railway town of Ludlow. It was once a water stop during the 1880s until ore was discovered in the mountains. Then it became a mining town.

The townspeople of Ludlow moved Main Street north to line up with Route 66 when it was established in 1926. One of the main stops was the Ludlow Café.

Unfortunately, the original café burnt down and was situated further along the street.

Here are photos of the ghost town of Ludlow, including Murphy Brothers General Store, Post Office, Richfield Service Station and others unknown!

These buildings were great to mooch around; however, we were on the lookout for snakes and other bities!

Between Ludlow and Amboy, there are several towns which didn’t survive the I-40 bypass. These can’t even be called ghost towns. Literally, all that remains are piles of rubble and some foundations.

ghost town of siberia

Siberia is one such place, but we decided to drive up the dirt road to check it out.

Once a water stop and a rail siding for the Santa Fe Railroad. When diesel replaced steam, it was just a stop for Route 66 motorists with a store and a Texaco Gas station with a garage since the 1930s.

That too became a thing of the past in 1973, and the town became deserted.

AMBOY CRATER

The crater dominates the skyline as we drove towards the town of Amboy. We decided to drive to the crater parking lot and check it out, although on this occasion it was far too hot for us to hike to the top, so we figured we’d return sometime to do more exploring.

(UPDATE: We returned in November 2018 and hiked to the top and again in April 2019) It is a beautiful hike, best done early in the morning. Click the button to read more and see our pics.

the town of Amboy

Amboy is another of those “almost ghost towns.” Abandoned buildings, boarded, dilapidated and yes, graffitied! Hey, nothing new with the latter!

Roy’s Motel, Café and Gas Station opened in 1938 and was once filled with a hive of activity, being the only services in the area. Now it sits pretty much deserted just like the town.

After being defunct for many years, Roy’s is currently undergoing restorations serving only as a gift shop, like so many other establishments throughout Route 66.

Meet Manny Jr. He and his father Manny Sr. run the shop.

The motel rooms are empty. Their only residence being the creepy crawlies of the desert. However, the original sign still stands, remaining unchanged.

Next to Roy’s is the neglected school of Amboy. You will no longer hear the creaking of the swing sets, the bell chiming after recess or much of anything from the fenced-in yard dawning Posted signs. Except for the deafening silence of abandonment as the wind howls through its uninhabited hallways. 

Across the road from the school are a small church, a post office, an empty garage and a house.  

UPDATE: April 2019 – Fortunately, we were lucky enough to get permission to explore the school and grounds, which is now owned by Albert Okura who is the same person who owns the McDonald’s Museum. In fact, he owns the whole town of Amboy! You’ll find him flipping chicken at Juan Pollo in San Bernadino. He owns that chain of fast-food restaurants too!

If you’d like to see what we found in the school and the grounds, click the button.

roadside art – Barstow to Needles

Crossing over a small bridge, and passing the shoe trees, we came across two carved marble lions on the right side of the road. 

These two “foo dogs” or guardian lions appeared, as if by magic, at the side of the road. No one knows why or how or who put them there. It’s a total mystery. Further along the road, we saw a couple more.

Foo Dogs are Chinese guardian lions and are always in pairs.

The female represents yin and holds a puppy symbolizing nature. The male, yang, holds a ball symbolizing the world.

The Mother Road seems to be littered with vintage neon signs and remnants of what once were bustling establishments where travellers took homage—spending the night, filling their bellies, or topping up their vehicles.

Here another 1950s era sign standing within the grounds of Road Runner’s Retreat Restaurant. Once a motel and restaurant is a retreat no more!

There are too many places like this on-route. You want to go back in time, if only for a few hours, and see these relics relive some of their happiest moments. Watch silently from the sidelines, smile in tow as these ghostly vestiges serve a purpose once again, drawing in the weary traveller with one last siren call. 

(UPDATE: Dec 2018 – The road closure is still in process and expanded due to some bridges being out. At present you are unable to even drive to Road Runner’s Retreat)

The road was closed through to Essex, and the only alternative way was to detour onto the I-40 until we could once again return to the Mother Road.

GOFFS GHOST TOWN

Goffs, previously known as Blake, is a ghost town, and absolutely a great area to explore. Once a popular Route 66 stop, until a more direct route bypassed the town in 1931 making the place a thing of the past.

Formally a railroad town where once stood a buzzing railroad station, a general store, and a schoolhouse built in 1914 is now a ghost town.

We spent a couple of hours at Goffs. Click the link below to read about this old town and see our pics.

Leaving Goffs, once again the old road reunites with the I-40, and we arrived in Needles.

NEEDLES

The towns name came from the range of volcanic mountains with jagged needle-like pinnacles known as “The Needles”, located about three miles southeast of Topock.

There are many reminders here of Route 66.

In the name of “progress”, the colourful neon signs are diminishing, and the hotels have closed or are unrecognizable with the amount of restoration they have undertaken. Most of their charm lost, and now looking like the millions of other motels around the country, which is honestly just so sad.

el garces hotel

The El Garces Hotel on Front & G Street opening in 1908, was once one of the grandest Harvey House Hotels with a magnificent restaurant and served as the main train depot. The hotel operated until 1949; however, the station remained in use until its closure in 1988.

With the small green park in the front, it is easy to imagine the opulence of this once iconic building.

Where, at one time, stood a grand overnight accommodation for the fatigued rail rider, now stands a modernized transportation centre, aka train station.

Here is an old postcard of how this Harvey House once looked. Pretty impressive eh?

On the east side heading out of town, we drove by the 66 Motel, looking very much like a private residence, although keeping its original appeal.

Previously part of the El Rancho Motel (long since gone) this old borax wagon now stands as the main “Welcome To Needles” sign. A reminder of the early mining days.

Once this wagon was filled with borax (a type of salt) and pulled by a team of 18 mules and two horses from the mines to the railway sidings.

It does give you a perspective on the scale of this wagon and what a vast undertaking it was to haul the borax.

arizona – we see you

We didn’t hang around in Needles, eager to cross the border into Arizona. We made our way to the old stone billboard, to see the bridges for our last few photos of ‘The Golden State.’

This is a dead-end road (Park Moabi Road East) and the former site of The Red Rock Bridge. Here, there is a great view of the steel structure of The Trails Arch bridge. 

It was assembled in two halves, one on each side of the river before being hoisted into place and linked together with a ball and socket hinge. It no longer carries traffic, now housing a natural gas pipeline. Directions to these sites can be vague, so here’s how we got there.

Exiting the eastbound freeway, turn left onto the overpass and continue to the stop sign, then turn right. This road takes you to the viewpoint.

Saying “Goodbye” to California and ending the Barstow to Needles leg, we crossed over the mighty Colorado River and entered our second of the eight states of Route 66.

OUR TAKEAWAY ON BARSTOW TO NEEDLES ROUTE 66

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a note about harvey & travelling with a dog

{For those of you wondering, Harvey is a trained and certified service dog, so we are able to go pretty much anywhere with him.  However, even a service dog has limitations. We are always checking the pavement/asphalt to make sure it is cool enough for his paws. He is never left in the car as the heat in the car can get to 20 plus degrees hotter than outside, and when we go on walks/hikes etc we are mindful of the high temperatures and carry extra water for him.  (normally going early morning or later in the day). Much of the time we tend to miss certain hikes out because of the heat. If it’s over 70 degrees we give it a miss.  Remember, they have a fur coat!

So if you are planning on travelling with your pet, please remember to be aware of the weather conditions, the heat of the ground and also biting things. (Harvey also went through rattlesnake training so he alerts us if there is a snake nearby). Personally, I would strongly suggest you leave your pooch at home with a wonderful dog sitter.}