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Newberry Springs
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[HOME] [WESTERN AMERICANA GALLERY] [ROUTE 66 HOME] [ROUTE 66 WEST] [ROUTE 66 EAST]
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Newberry Springs
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Newberry Springs |
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Newberry Springs gas stations service tumbleweeds now. |
The area around Newberry Springs has been a source of water in the arid Mojave Desert since the earliest days. The site of Camp Cady is located a few miles from present day Newberry Springs, and was a resting place and watering hole along the Mojave River for wagon trains coming to California in the 1850's on the old Mormon Trail. In the 1880's the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad hauled tank cars of water from Newberry Springs to the stations and towns in the area making life in this arid land possible. |
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| Bagdad Cafe, a movie centering on old Route 66, was filmed in the Newberry Springs area. The Bagdad Cafe located in Newberry Springs is not the original Bagdad Cafe, the original cafe was located in the town of Bagdad between Amboy and Ludlow on old Route 66. Nothing remains of the old cafe in Bagdad. The Newberry Springs cafe is a Route 66 survivor though and was once known as the Sidewinder Cafe. After the movie was filmed here the name Bagdad Cafe just seemed to stick. It is open for business today serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you are coming through the area I would recommend stopping here. Say hi to Andrea Pruett, the proprietor, while you're at it. She has done a great job of keeping the Bagdad Cafe alive for all us Mother Road fans. If you're lucky, maybe General Bob will show up and entertain you with his colorful stories from the past! | |
| Visit the Bagdad Cafe Web Site from the links section on my Route 66 Home Page. | |
| Daggett - Formerly Calico Station | |
This town was founded as a mining supply center to support the silver mines in Calico. A narrow gauge railroad hauled the silver ore to Calico Station which had the stamp mills for processing the ore. In 1883 the name of the town was changed to Daggett in honor of the new California Lt. Governor. In its early days it was a major shipping center for the silver and borax industries. Some of the old buildings are still standing in the old downtown section of Daggett. The old Stone Hotel built in 1883 was once the "office" of Death Valley Scotty, and Wyatt Earp is said to have stayed here on his way to mining claims in Parker, Arizona. |
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The old California Inspection Station mentioned in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath was located in Daggett. The Inspection Station featured in the 1939 move version of his book was built in 1930 and used until 1953 when this newer Inspection Station replaced it. This was the third Inspection Station built in Daggett. When the Interstate came the Inspection Station was moved east on I-40 to Needles. Today it provides shade for numerous trucks, machinery and engine blocks. |
| Daggett's beloved landmark on the southwest corner of Main Street is a quaint and unique structure that was once a cafe from the 1930s. It served travelers on the Mother Road for many years and is still a traffic stopper today. With its delightful curved-roof design and steep roof it reminds me of a Russian home built for the snow country; strangely out of place in the Mojave Desert. Perhaps the original builder came from Siberia (California that is). |
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Photographs taken January and March 2001
Click on an area or city of Route 66 on the map below to take a cyber tour of that section of the Mother Road |
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NAVIGATION NOTE: Buckle up and hold on to your mouse! These pages are arranged like the map above, Pacific Ocean being West Route 66 and the Colorado River East Route 66. I have set up this site as if you were traveling from EAST to WEST, much like the Joad family in The Grapes of Wrath. You can click on the Route 66 shields to "travel" the Mother Road in either direction though. Clicking West Route 66 or East Route 66 will take you to the next town or area on the map in that direction. Or you can select any shield below to take you to that specific state. |
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