Even though Barstow is a small desert community in the Mojave, its importance to travel to California has made it a cultural icon. As a main watering hole on the Spanish Trail, the Southern Mormon Route which brought settlers from Salt Lake City to California, the Santa Fe Railroad, Route 66, and now the busy Interstate 15 to Las Vegas, millions of people have passed through Barstow. Until I developed an interest in following Route 66, I just zipped past Barstow without taking the time to explore. Come see all that I had missed!
The El Rancho Barstow Motor Motel and Restaurant is a fixture on Main Street.
Standing at 100 feet into the sky and covered in neon, this sign is probably the most recognizable in Barstow. The supporting structure is built entirely using railroad ties to pay homage to the Santa Fe Railroad which is the city's most important industry. Built in 1947, Marilyn Monroe was a guest in this establishment.
In 1982, the Santa Fe Railroad abandoned the motel and it fell into a state of complete disrepair. In 1987, Rick Byers, an Orange County developer, bought the motel and sunk $400,000 into repairs, temporarily restoring it to its former glory. Hard times have caused it to decline again though.
The Village Hotel and Cafe has been serving up Chinese food with a slice of Americana since owner Henry Wong bought the place in 1974.
The hotel was built in the 1930s and has tiny rooms that just squeeze in a bed with narrow halls. I wouldn't be surprised if a ghost or two roams here at night. The Entrance to The Village Hotel and Cafe is rather nondescript though.
The Palm Cafe is another place to get Chinese food in the desert.
Chinese came in huge waves of immigrants to Southern California to build the railroad so you can find many old-time Chinese restaurants in the smallest desert towns along the Santa Fe rail which Route 66 followed.
Main Street, Barstow is rich in vintage motels, which I love to photograph. The Torches Motel, built in 1942, is currently on the market. For $1,025,000, you could own a piece of Route 66 history that comes with 18 rooms to rent.
The Downtown Motel was built in 1946 is also on the market and is being offered for $1,400,000 for 20 rooms. I love how all the signs from this period have the neon arrows pointing to the establishment.
Outer space themes, like in the Stardust Motel sign, come straight out of Googie architecture: the popular style of the 1950s and 1960s which mimicked Disneyland's Tomorrowland.
I especially enjoy old motel signs that have the Color TV by RCA on them like the Sands Motel.
The parking lot of the Route 66 Motel pays homage to the classic cars and retro gas station signs.
The Do Drop Inn is a favorite landmark for Route 66 enthusiasts; although it has deteriorated to almost nothing now.
Besides old motels, I really love old-fashioned drug stores and downtown Barstow has a really great one that has been serving customers for over 40 years.
Route 66 is very fun to drive through Barstow. However, the town is much older than the automobile and the highway system.
Before it was named Barstow, the town was called Waterman Junction, back in 1870, when the railroad first passed over the Mojave River in this location. This mural pays tribute to William Barstow Strong, the president of the Santa Fe Railroad, who inspired the name that is used today.
Although not on Route 66, no trip to Barstow is complete without seeing the beautiful Harvey House at the Santa Fe Railroad station. A railroad museum, which is free to visit, is also attached.
I regret all the times I zoomed past Barstow without taking a closer look because this desert outpost is really a gem on Route 66.
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Comments: 60
Thank you, Sheila!
Sue, maybe that's why I like these old signs, because they remind me of old-time Florida along the coast. I wouldn't want to stay in one of these hotels either. I did stay in a really cool 1940s motel in Williams once and it was so clean and so comfortable and very reasonably priced for being convenient to the Grand Canyon so I guess you just have to do some internet research before pulling into a classic motel.
Thank you so much, Larry.
Thanks so much, Shaunee. It's so nice seeing you on Gather again!
Thanks, Ron! This was a really neat drive. I was so surprised when we got off the freeway and this really old downtown was there. We've stopped a million times in Barstow to gas up but we were on the other side of the freeway.
I hope to drive route 66 some day...
I had relatives that lived in Barstow, that is before they died. Yes they died quite awhile back. However, I've eaten at some of those joints on my way either to nowhere, or coming back from nowhere. I must have gone thru Barstow a thousand times, and stopped maybe 50 or so times.
God what a desolate place. Big sigh! It's also very nice.
Nice pictures, by the way. And memories also.
Thanks
Richard, that is so cool! Barstow has probably changed so much. Now there are many many franchises and the outlet mall. This Thanksgiving holiday, the traffic was so backed up on Interstate 15, as it always is on holidays, so when we got off in Barstow to gas up, we saw the signs for Historic Route 66 and started following it. We didn't realize it's a "back way" to Victorville. It does add miles compared to the 15, but we were almost alone on the highway while the traffic was at a crawl on the freeway. The entire Mojave is so big and desolate. It's amazing how much land is out there and how few people. Thank you so much for sharing your memories. It was fun thinking of Barstow in earlier days.
Lisa, I certainly hope so too. I love vintage signs, but many people wish that the city would bulldoze all those old motels and build new franchise restaurants and Holiday Inns instead. I especially enjoy all that Googie architecture. We have many of those space-age cafes out here in San Bernardino that are sitting vacant for many years and if I had the money, I'd would buy one and restore it.
If not ya might want to make a trip up there just to get some Apple Pie.
Bhawana, thank you for accepting my connection request! I was so pleased and surprised that this article was on the front page.
Thank you so much, Renda. I am so sad that I didn't think to explore downtown Barstow much sooner -- considering it took me over 15 years. But, honestly, I thought that the stuff you see from the freeway was all Barstow was about.
Nana to Seven Cutiepies, the pictures from Barstow were actually TWO great roadtrips. The downtown photos were from a Thanksgiving roadtrip to the Grand Canyon with my husband and the photos of the murals and the El Rancho Barstow were from a great road trip to Death Valley with my daughter in February.
Richard Frisbie, for me summer is the time to take a break from road trips - I don't do well in the heat out in the Mojave. I'm looking forward to fall and cooler days to get myself back on the road :-) Thank you so much for your nice words.
Verie, doesn't this just look like a typical small-town downtown? The funny thing is that is so rare in Southern California where every thing is so franchised and Starbucks rules every block. I like the drug store in Barstow. You can see so many cute towns like this in Utah, like St. George has a nice downtown. But, I can't think of many places like this in the Los Angeles area.
Madame Donna, do tell!!!! Which dive joints did you eat at? We usually stop for something to eat at the Big Boys just because the kids like the sign so much - but I'm ready for a change. When we drive out to Death Valley, Barstow makes the perfect resting area before heading out to "nowhere". Barstow sure has grown recently though with all those franchises and outlet malls. I've been stuck in some pretty nasty traffic jams there and I've even gotten lost in what used to be a tiny desert outpost. I can't believe how much all the desert communities have expanded in just the past 5 years.
Priscilla, I love old motels - not that I would be super tempted to stay at one unless I had a good recommendation - but I love the signs and how a lot of them look like little bungalows. Honestly, I was sort of tempted to buy an old Route 66 motel and renovate it. But, I bet that is a good way to lose money. Thanks so much!
This reminds me of when we lived in gallup new Mexico right off of Route 66. I worked at the Hoilday Inn there in the early 70's.
I remember driving in some horrible snow white outs along that highway also.
Thanks again for the trip down memory lane for me today.
Thanks so much, Julie! Like I said, I was through Barstow so many times, and I didn't know about the historical downtown and how well preserved Route 66 was here until I started doing photoessays on Gather.
thanks for making my birthday special....was quite the treat to find all the pings and comments!
hugz,gayle
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The history of Barstow included with each photo was also awesome!
I love Route 66 and hope to one day drive the entire length of it and see the sights.
Thanks Jennifer.