Following Historic Route 66 east from Daggett, the quality of the road deteriorates near Newberry Springs; but they keep patching the old "Mother Road" with more asphalt. Soon the surface is going to be more "patch" than "road." The trip is kind of like a drive down memory lane!
Along the way there are many old abandoned estates, gas stations, and motels that were once popular when people migrated west after WW II. Some of the old gas stations have even been converted to homes.
I remember when there were stands along the road were you could stop and purchase fresh fruit and product that was grown in the immediate area.
And, of course, every few miles there was a rock shop and quite often the rock shop building had a "bottle wall."
For the tourist from back east, throughout the southwest there were Indian jewelry stands that sold a variety of "Indian Jewelry." Of course, you always had to bargain about the price!
In 1883, the town of Bagdad was founded along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway between Daggett and Newberry Springs to provide services for the Orange Blossom and War Eagle mines. With the opening of the National Old Trails Road and Route 66, Bagdad remained a thriving community even after the mines closed. Then, in 1973, Interstate-40 was constructed and bypassed Bagdad; so, the businesses closed and people moved away. In 1991 the few remaining buildings in Bagdad were razed.
However, in 1987 Hollywood wanted to produce a movie in the area; so, they renamed the Sidewinder Cafe in Newberry Springs "Bagdad Cafe," which became the name of the movie. Then in 1990, CBS produced a television series called Bagdad Cafe that was based on the movie. The television series stared Whoopi Goldberg and Jean Stapleton. The "Bagdad Cafe" is still open and a popular stopping spot along Historic Route 66.
I was surprised when the Welcome Sign said that the population of Newberry Springs was 2815 because there were only a few buildings along the road. Then, I noticed on the sign in fine print that the town area contains 117 square miles! As the sign says, there is "Plenty of room for you!"
From Newberry Springs, the Historic Mojave River Road runs north up to Interstate-15.
In 1776, Fr. Francisco Garces was the first recorded European to follow this route on his way to reach the Southern California Missions. In 1826, Jedediah Smith was the first American to use the road to reach the California Coast via an overland trail. Kit Carson and John Fremont also followed the road on their westward journeys.
After various Indian raids, in 1860 the U.S. Army established Camp Cady along the Mojave Road about 9 miles east of "Forks of the Road," which was the junction of the Mormon Trail, (part of the Old Spanish Trail) and the Mojave Road. The adobe fort was 40 feet square and manned by 80 troopers from the 1st Dragoon Regiment.
In 1861 the regular troops left for the Civil War and the roads were patrolled by California Volunteers until 1865 when the 4th Cavalry regarrisoned the post. By this time, about 2,000 wagons were using the road each year. In 1871 the road was considered to be safe, so Camp Cady was abandoned.
When I followed the Historic Mojave River Road, the sand plows had been out so four-wheel-drive was not required. Above the north bank of the Mojave River I even located the Camp Cady monument.
When I reached Interstate-15, I found the abandoned Jeremy's facility; and a lot of "junk." Since the Mojave River runs underground at this location, it appears that Jeremy's Boat Rental business didn't do too well.
Following Interstate 15 toward Las Vegas, Dunn (CA) is located on the north side of the freeway. Based on a sign in front of the Market, this probably would not be a good campaign stop for Bernie Sanders! Just remember that "love" spelled backwards is part of the Ron Paul "revolution."
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