Harvey House Barstow

cliff ⋅ Attractions, California, Historical, Route 66 ⋅

Harvey House Barstow

A stone’s throw away from that popular historic road known as Route 66 and a little north of downtown Barstow lies one of the more historic gems that the Mojave Desert region has to offer – the Harvey House. Originally named Casa Del Desierto (meaning “House of the Desert”) when it first opened in 1911, this Harvey House was one of a network of restaurant-hotels built and operated by the Fred Harvey Company in conjunction with the Santa Fe Railroad. Casa Del Desierto was one of the crown jewels along the Santa Fe route.

Necessity to Feed Passengers

Harvey Houses were built out of the necessity to feed railroad passengers on their long journeys across the USA. In the late 1800’s, trains didn’t have the ability to cook meals on board so the railroads built restaurants roughly 100 miles apart where passengers would disembark the trains to be fed and then continued their journey with a full stomach.

Fred Harvey began building his empire of restaurant-hotels after being awarded a contract by Santa Fe in 1878 and is credited with opening the first restaurant chain in the United States. Most of the Harvey Houses existed along Santa Fe’s railroad network, mainly along its mainline between Chicago and California. Harvey’s company was well-known for hiring young, single women from all over the country to work as waitresses and was the inspiration for the movie “The Harvey Girls” starring Judy Garland in 1946.

During the height of train travel popularity, roughly between the 1920’s and 1940’s, a passenger train stopped every 30 minutes at one of the eight platforms still visible in front of the Harvey House. Just like a modern airport hub, passengers riding trains coming from points east, mainly from Chicago, would have to change trains at the Harvey House to continue their journey to destinations such as San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Naturally, the same was true going the other direction.

Dining Rooms

Passengers entered the Harvey House through the main lobby and then chose to eat at one of the two dining rooms. The formal dining room, also known as the east-end ballroom, served breakfast, lunch and dinner. Back then, formal meant that men had to wear dinner jackets. If patrons did not have one, they could borrow one from a rack of jackets and then return it at the end of their meal. If you were not formally dressed, you could sit at a table but you wouldn’t get any service.

The second dining room was known as the west-end dining room. It was less formal and there was no jacket required. It had an enclosed, semi-horseshoe shaped lunch counter that seated 50 people.

Both dining rooms were served by and connected to one kitchen located directly behind the lobby. This kitchen made its own ice cream and many other treats that couldn’t be shipped in. It was a hive of activity as each dining room would typically serve about 150-200 people every 20 minutes.

Movie Stars

Many well-known movie stars and celebrities passed through the Harvey House from 1920 until the beginning of the jet age in the 1950’s. When you visit the Harvey House, it’s fun to think about all of those famous people who walked on the same floors that you are now walking on.

In the early 1900’s, railroads developed kitchen and diner cars and many of the Harvey Houses were no longer needed. Casa Del Desierto stayed open, however, serving as an important train station because Barstow was a key junction for Santa Fe.

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View of the Harvey House from the 1st Ave bridge
The front of the Harvey House
Amtrak still stops at the Harvey House
Looking at the platforms thru the arches

Virtual Tour on YouTube

The First End of the Harvey House

When the era of classic rail travel officially ended in 1971 with the formation of Amtrak, none of the Harvey Houses were needed anymore and they all closed. Many were torn down and Barstow’s Harvey House sat in disarray for over 15 years before the City decided to pour a significant amount of money into it. It reopened in 1999 and today the beautiful Casa Del Desierto building stands as its own museum and houses two other museums to show future generations how things used to be. The Fred Harvey Company still lives on today as Xanterra Parks & Resorts operating many classic facilities built by Fred Harvey such as El Tovar in the Grand Canyon and Death Valley’s Furnace Creek Inn.

One of the other museums here is the Western America Railroad Museum which has two sections. One is outdoors where you’ll see the retired railroad rolling stock (old rail cars) and the other is the indoor collection of railroading equipment, old pictures, paintings and even a massive collection of railroad nails.

The second museum is the Mother Road Museum showcasing the Route 66 lifestyle. The two museums are open Friday thru Sunday. The City of Barstow also leases office space for businesses that want to operate out of the Harvey House. The lobby, which houses the Chamber of Commerce, is open daily except for Sundays, for you to stroll through the beautifully restored dining rooms or visit the gift shop.

Getting There

To get to Barstow’s Harvey House, take I-15 to the Barstow Road (Hwy 247) exit. Head north, down the hill, until Barstow Road ends into Main Street, which is Route 66. Turn left. You’ll go through a few traffic lights as you pass through Barstow’s old downtown. Turn right on First Avenue and head over the old steel bridge that crosses high above the many railroad tracks below you. You’ll see the Harvey House on the right.

Whether you need a break from the drive to Las Vegas or are looking for a nifty day trip, we recommend a visit to the Harvey House. The best days to visit are Friday or Saturday as both museums and the Harvey House lobby are open on those days.

Route 66 from Victorville to Helendale

cliff ⋅ Byways, California, Route 66 ⋅

Route 66 from Victorville to Helendale

The Mother Road. America’s Main Street. It would be a fair guess that everyone in the World has heard of Route 66. People make the trip down Route 66 to see the nostalgic sites and perhaps experience a once forgotten slower-paced lifestyle.

Many segments of the original Route 66 were literally erased when the more modern Interstate freeways were built on top of the old roadbed. When engineers building the Interstate system found shorter routes to use, some old segments of Route 66 were saved and remain in use today. Thankfully, some of the old nostalgia can still be seen along these segments, along with newer Route 66 pop-culture consisting of things that people have constructed after the highway was decommissioned in 1985.

The segment of Route 66 that stretches between Victorville and Barstow, which passes through the towns of Oro Grande and Helendale, is a great 38 mile (60 km) mini road trip that can be experienced when driving I-15 in Southern California. Exit the busy freeway in either Victorville or Barstow and follow the signs for Historic Route 66 and get back on I-15 when you encounter it 38 miles later. It’s a great little break from any hectic road trip and there’s plenty of nostalgia and pop-culture to see along the way.

About The Trip

Our virtual road trip starts at the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville. It covers half of the segment of Route 66 from Victorville to Barstow. This trip ends in the town of Helendale. Keep your eye out for the other virtual road trip that covers the segment between Helendale and Barstow.

MAKE SURE that you are careful and mindful of the traffic along the route when you decide to pull over to take a closer look at the various sights. Between I-15 and Helendale, the road is very busy with traffic because of a large community near Helendale named Silver Lakes. Furthermore, there is a lot of truck traffic that uses the road to access a large cement factory in Oro Grande.

We’ve written several articles on things to see regarding Route 66 in this area. Click here to see a list of all our articles.

Route 66 Museum

If you have some time while you are in this area and want to learn more about Route 66, we recommend that you visit the fine folks at the museum in Victorville. The California Route 66 Museum is well stocked with historic and interesting items related to the Mother Road. See their website for directions and when they are open.

The Trip

Starting at the museum in “Old” Downtown Victorville on D Street, head northeast towards I-15. Make sure to watch the virtual tour to learn where you will see points of interest along this segment of the road.

Much of Route 66 that passes through California is also known as National Trails Highway. In some cases, it’s even known as National Old Trails Highway. This is what it was originally named before it got it’s official U.S. 66 highway designation. Keep this name in mind when referring to maps and street signs.

Cement Plant to Steel Bridge

After passing underneath I-15, you can’t miss the large cement plant on the right. The roots of this large factory began around 1910. Mining limestone around Victorville has been a key part of the local economy here for over 100 years.

Originally, this was called the Southwest Portland Cement Company. It mined limestone from several quarries nearby, but now its main quarry is north of Apple Valley. It is serviced by a private railroad. This mine is now owned by a large Mexican company named Cemex.

Hollandburger

Not far after the cement plant, you’ll spot Hollandburger on the left. This famous eatery has been in operation for decades, including the time when Route 66 was in full swing (before the I-15 age). It is still owned by the same family today and is still a favorite among Route 66 travelers. The eatery has been showcased on several TV shows.

If you are planning on making this road trip, try to schedule your trip for a breakfast or lunch stop here. You won’t be disappointed and the waitress might just spill some mustard on you.

Shortly after Hollandburger, you’ll notice a lot of power lines. The oldest of these power lines were built in 1930 and are the main lines between Hoover Dam and Los Angeles. Since 1930, many other lines have been built to help with increasing demand in Los Angeles.

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Virtual Tour on YouTube

Click and move mouse back and forth to see a 1940 to 2011 comparison of the steel bridge.

Steel Bridge

The steel bridge that Route 66 crosses over roughly 3 miles from the museum is unique in many ways. For one, it’s design is unique whereas the steel trusses meet at odd angles because of the way the bridge was built over the Mojave River. It is also the only bridge of this type that Route 66 crosses in California. The railing along the roadbed exemplifies ornate ironwork that was common when the bridge was built in 1932.

Oro Grande

After the steel bridge, 1.5 miles of pavement later will land you in Oro Grande. This is the oldest town in the Victor Valley. It is the home of antique shops and another large cement plant. Like Victorville, Oro Grande, which means “big gold” in Spanish, has been a mining town since roughly the 1880s.

Sammy’s Eye

This segment of Route 66 contains some tales regarding the eye of actor/comedian Sammy Davis, Jr. As many people probably know, during much of his carrier, Davis only had one eye.

On November 19, 1954, Davis was driving home to Los Angeles from Las Vegas late at night, when he lost control of his car and crashed. Common in those days, Davis had a ball installed on his steering wheel to make it easier to turn the wheel. When he crashed, Davis’ head swung forward into the steering wheel and the ball crushed his left eye.

Many people claim that this crash occurred at the previously mentioned steel bridge or another spot – where the road goes under the railroad tracks just north of the town of Oro Grande. The crash did not occur at either of these locations. The crash occurred at the corner of Route 66 (Cajon Blvd) and Kendall Drive just south of Devore at the entrance to the Cajon Pass. See our article on Route 66 in the Cajon Pass for more details.

Roy Rogers Ranch

Three miles after passing underneath the railroad tracks at Oro Grande, Roy Rogers and Dale Evens’ Double R Bar Ranch can be reached by turning left on Bryman Rd. It is a 1.2 mile round from Route 66 to see the old ranch where Roy and Dale boarded their animals. Still today, there are festivals held at this ranch commemorating Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

Bottle Tree Farm

There was once a famous Route 66 roadside attraction in Hesperia named “Hula Ville”. It was located a mile north of I-15’s current intersection with Main Street. It was the crazy invention of Miles Mahan. In the 1950s, Mahan, a retired carnival worker, bought two acres of land along Route 66 and began collecting and displaying various artifacts (aka junk) on his property. It soon became a landmark for travelers traveling Route 66 towards Los Angeles, reminding them they were nearing their final destination.

Mahan began creating “bottle trees” consisting of bottles hanging from wooden posts. He called it his “Cactus Garden”. He also acquired a nine-foot metal sign of a dancing hula girl and he placed in the front of his property. This is how Mehan’s roadside attraction got its name.

Mahan’s health deteriorated in 1995 and had to live in a rest home. In 1996, the California Route 66 Museum dismantled much of the attraction and rebuilt it inside their museum in downtown Victorville. So today you can still see much of Mahan’s famous Route 66 landmark.

In 2000, a private landowner started his own bottle tree farm, which was inspired from Mahan’s work. Today, you can see this new bottle tree farm 11.3 miles (18 km) from the trip’s start. There is no connection between the new bottle tree farm and the one Mahan created in the 1950s.

Sagebrush Annie

Another place of interest along this trip is called Sagebrush Annie or Sagebrush Inn. Located about 12 miles (19.2 km) north of the start of the trip, this cluster of very mature trees and old buildings that are now private residences is the site of many seemingly good times. Supposedly, this area was outside of County law enforcement jurisdiction and several businesses popped up starting in 1930 that supported gambling and prostitution.

In 1932, construction began on the huge electrical power line project between Hoover Dam and Los Angeles. These power lines and major switching station was seen on the trip just after passing the Holland Burger Cafe north of Victorville. This project brought a lot of construction workers to the area for a number of years.

During the construction years, the businesses at Sagebrush Annie thrived. The construction workers that mostly consisted of single men, ventured over to Sagebrush Annie for drink, gambling and women, all without the fear of trouble from the law. After the construction years, Sagebrush Annie continued to thrive until the 1960s. During these years, it became a roadhouse inn, dance hall and also a Texaco gas station.

Just like so many other businesses along this stretch of Route 66, after modern-day I-15 was built in the late 1960s, the number of customers dwindled and Sagebrush Annie couldn’t survive. Today, you can still see the roadhouse and gas station on the west side of the road, which is now a private residence.