Table of Contents
California Cruise - Route 66 Motor Tour
Museum Musings by Mark Ward
Amboy Bus Trip Brings Out the Best by Kara Hewson Nelson
But Who Wrote the Postcard?
Mormon Rocks Stand As Sentinels Over Cajon Pass
Eats on Route 66
The Lonesome Road by Stacy Vellas
'Get Your Kicks' Fair Brings Out Historians
CALIFORNIA CRUISE, HISTORIC ROUTE 66 MOTOR TOUR Sponsored by California Historic
Route 66 Association and Supported by ABATE of California
Friday, September 26 Santa Monica to Barstow, Saturday, September 27 Barstow to Needles
We invite you to join us. Included for your registration fee will be a Keepsake Trip
Guide showing how to get to those remote parts of Route 66 and pointing out many
historical locations, a cruise pin, chances on raffle prizes, a complimentary copy of the Roadsigns
Commemorative Issue, and evening programs in both Barstow and Needles.
We will leave Santa Monica Pier early on Friday morning and travel in a caravan to meet
at pre-determined locations along the route for tours of historical places.
We will meet in Barstow on Friday evening for a great program of speakers and such for
your enjoyment.
The following day several tours are planned for the morning before heading for the
border. We will gather in an air-conditioned restaurant in Needles to compare notes on
Saturday evening.
Pre-registration is necessary as is proof of primary vehicle insurance. The Trip Guides
will be mailed prior to the cruise in order that you may become familiar with the
itinerary.
We’ve cruised the route in short afternoon trips during the past year, finding the
history at our fingertips. Now plan to join us — and bring your friends — for
our final cruise of the summer.
MUSEUM MUSINGS, a letter from President Ward to Senator Pete Domenici.
CHR66A received a copy of the following letter on a California Route 66 Museum,
Victorville, California letterhead and suggest you contact your local and national
representative to ask for support of this important legislation. — editor.
Hon. Pete V. Domenici
United States Senator, New Mexico
Washington, DC 20510
Senator Domenici,
We have been following your interest and support for the Preservation of Historic Route
66 over the last couple of years and understand you will be presenting a "Route 66
Preservation Bill" in the near future. We strongly encourage you to move quickly on
introducing this bill, as each month that goes by sees more of this world-wide recognized
piece of Americana lost.
In a much more efficient manner than the "Rebuild L.A."-style revitalization
efforts, costly, and a bit unwieldy in nature, a preserved Route 66 actually has the
potential to return to some level of commercial viability through the private
sector only if we can preserve what remains. In our own case, our Old Town
neighborhood went into deep decay following the I-15 bypass. Capitalizing on Historic
Route 66 has brought new life to our neighborhood and visitors and tourists from all 50
states and 45 countries in the last year alone. It is high time for a nationally
coordinated effort.
Please put this high on your priority list for 1997.
Sincerely, s/Mark C. Ward, President, California Route 66 Museum, Victorville, CA.
AMBOY BUS TRIP BRINGS OUT THE BEST by Kara Hewson Nelson
Amboy is not listed in the Auto Club Tour Guide Book for California. It was established
in the early 1800s first as a mining camp and later as a water supply depot for the
railroad. But there’s not much there now.
"Because it IS there" was the reason for the bus trip and 22 people
from CHR66A got up early one Saturday in June and braved the heat to make the journey.
Bill Mutschler did great commentary from La Verne, then we picked up Joe Pizzitola in
Newberry Springs for an in-depth view of the whole area from there to Amboy and back.
Joe has lived in the area most of his life. He is a business owner, (Auto Parts
Oasis) and also currently has the maintenance contract for microwave relays from the
California border to the top of the Cajon Pass. What he doesn’t seem to know about
our destination I guess we really don’t need to know anyhow!
We lunched in the delightfully cool café at Ludlow before short leg-stretches at what
remains of Siberia and Bagdad. Then it was on to the booming metropolis of Amboy for
souvenir shopping and refreshing soft drinks.
Amboy is known mostly now as the location of Roy’s Motel and Café which was owned
and run for years by Buster Burris, a desert character in his own right. The town was
purchased recently by Tim White and Walt Wilson who have actively marketed the area to
movie and advertising concerns.
Traffic on Route 66 once supported seven wreckers working out of Amboy. As the traffic
was diverted onto I-40, Amboy has managed to cling to some sort of life as it sits at the
cross roads between Twentynine Palms Junction and the Mojave National Preserve within the
Providence Mountain State Recreation Area.
Nature graced us that day with a relatively cool temperature, only 98 in the shade with
an occasional soft breeze.
After we dropped off Joe back in Newbery Springs, we watched the video of Huell Howser
trekking up the side of the Amboy Volcano Crater and were glad we had decided not
to attempt that side trip.
Stacy Vellas brought her photo albums to share and told us of her earlier visit to the
Amboy School. At that time they had one teacher, one aide, and five students. A school bus
took the high school students to Needles. They had a cook who served lunch at noon and the
teacher, the aide and the bus driver all sat down and ate lunch with the children.
Several of the travelers that day helped us to determine various plants growing along
the road and Bill pointed out many things of which I was unaware, even though I’ve
traveled over Route 66 for some sixty years.
BUT WHO WROTE THE POSTCARD? Postmarked Needles, Calif. August, 1953:
"My Dears, The drive across the desert has been just beautiful. Vast expanses of
perhaps six or eight great desert valleys sweep down in places to meet in the curved space
of dry lake beds, with whole mountain ranges looming up all around. Black ones and red one
and pink and doe colored.
"The sky began to be blue at the Lytle Creek crossing. The big elephant rocks
halfway up the Cajon Pass are pink as always and San Andreas rift is still a lovely soft
blue green. John found a delightful place for lunch up on a red tufa rock under some
blooming tamarisks (full of bees) at Newberry Springs Maintenance Station. It was such a
good lunch! I wished we had all four been enjoying it together. It got hotter from there
on and we stopped at Ludlow for 7Up’s and watched a small spare desert finch with
yellow wings drink and wade in the shade of a bright green palo verde tree that was
getting a drink too. From there I drove to Amboy while the wind blew through the car like
a breath from a blast furnace. Beer at Amboy! Oboy, Oboy, Oboy.
"Wait til you see the turquoise brightness of the Colorado with patches of green
cottonwoods all along it!
"This trip we must do together soon, now to the telephone. Love, xxx’x
&x’s. We got here at 7:00 pm. Nice town. Big moon, Huge."
What an observant person it was who wrote this card, different from the typical
"having a good time, see you soon" most cards have on them.
MORMON ROCKS STAND AS SENTINELS OVER CAJON PASS
Officially named the Rock Candy Mountains, an unusual formation of sandstone rocks is
located at the intersection of Highway 138 and I-15 just north of San Bernardino. Locally
they are known as the Mormon Rocks.
The strange rock formations are unusual in that they give the appearance of
light-colored fudge where the bubbles have burst. Eroded by the wind and rain, the
freezing temperatures in winter and the hot summer sun, there are thousands of holes in
the rock faces.
The local name as applied when large wagon trains of Mormons camped along the river on
their way to settle in the San Bernardino Valley.
Photographers never seem to tire of using them as subjects for their work. Best picture
taking is just after the noon hour when the sun highlights the holes and other erosions.
They are spread out for some distance along Route CA-138 leading to the town of
Wrightwood. Off I-15, take 138 west, cross the railroad bridge and then pick your spot.
Also in this area you will see several former alignments of Old Route 66.
EATS ON ROUTE 66. Frequently when we are talking to people who traveled The
Mother Road during its heyday they mention a memorable meal consumed in a now
long-forgotten café along the way. As an army travels on its stomach, so did the intrepid
folks who made their way west on Route 66 over the years. Roadsigns salutes those
restaurants in business today with the following articles.
RUSTY’S SURF RANCH, Original Owner Charles Looff
Rusty’s Surf Ranch, an acclaimed yet affordable restaurant with live entertainment
and dancing, is located at the western terminus of Route 66 on the Santa Monica Pier. The
"Billiards Building" which houses Rusty’s is located immediately west of
the Hippodrome, home of the historic carousel made famous in The Sting with Paul
Newman and Robert Redford.
The Billiards Building originally contained eight billiards tables and eight bowling
lanes — one of the first on the west coast with Brunswick patented pin-setting
devices.
For its Grand Opening on January 17, 1917, a bowling tournament was held pitting a team
of civic leaders from Los Angeles against a team from Santa Monica. An audience of five
hundred watched the local team beat the visitors. In a personal battle of high interest
Santa Monica Mayor Berkley lost two out of three games to Police Chief Ferguson. The chief
won a silver plated bowling pin for his efforts while the mayor went home with a
ceremonial bottle of ketchup as a consolation prize.
Today the building houses three smaller uses including Rusty’s Surf Ranch.
Rusty’s continues the historic tradition of the building with two pool tables which
sit beneath historic photos of the building in a room at the rear of the restaurant. There
is also an extensive display of pre-1970 surfboards, photos of early Santa Monica
lifeguards (including Olympic Champion and film star Buster Crabbe) and other memorabilia,
including the bathing suit worn by Pamela Anderson Lee in the Baywatch TV series.
Owner Russell Barnard has been a long-time supporter of Route 66 and held the 66th
Anniversary event on the pier in 1992 in association with CHR66A and provided the starting
place for the 70th Anniversary Run To The Heartland in 1996.
Rusty’s is a great spot to begin or end your tour of America’s Main Street,
and enjoy a good meal and all the fun of Santa Monica Pier in the bargain. Both the BBQ
specialties and the sea food are excellent and a full selection of cocktails is available
As an added bonus, show your membership card from any Route 66 Association and receive a
10% discount on your food and beverage.
BONO’S building is over 100 years old; the Bono family has owned it since 1936.
When one steps inside the Bono family restaurant on Route 66 in Fontana it is like
walking through the gate into a friend’s garden. Trelliswork forms the ceiling and
faux walls. Large black and white floor tiles link the entry and service desk with the
open kitchen and dining areas.
Joe Bono takes your order himself at lunch and it is passed on to the chef by a server.
The customer serves him/herself to drinks and then picks up the meal. And what meals!
Pastas, homemade soups and sandwiches are all works of art. A special-of-the-day
sandwich is frequently more than one can comfortably eat — unless one does not plan
on dinner until after midnight!
Joe’s mom ran the establishment for many, many years. Joe is now following in her
footsteps with her variety of great recipes handed down over the years.
Well worth a stop for lunch. He currently is not open for the dinner trade. Hours are
10 am to 4 pm and the staff will package almost everything for takeout.
FAIR OAKS PHARMACY AND SODA FOUNTAIN serving travelers on America’s Historic Route
66 since 1915.
Known as a neighborhood meeting place for local residents, the store was first named
South Pasadena Pharmacy, then in the 1920s and 30s it became the Raymond Pharmacy.
When Michael and Meredith Miller purchased Fair Oaks Pharmacy in 1989, they were
enchanted with the idea of restoring the pharmacy to its original turn-of-the-century
style, complete with a soda fountain and lunch counter.
The Real Thing. Their quest eventually led them to the circa 1900s McGee Pharmacy
in Joplin, Missouri. There they located a complete set of pharmacy fixtures and an
original soda fountain. This treasured find also included antique stained glass cabinetry,
marble-topped counters, heavy chrome bar stools and original Hamilton Beach malt mixers.
Pharmacy owner, Grace McGee, agreed to sell her heirloom fixtures to the Millers only
after they promised to maintain them as a complete set and to use them in an actual
pharmacy.
The Millers have added to this collection other authentic soda fountain and apothecary
memorabilia which combine to create Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain’s delightful
vintage atmosphere. Whether it is a banana split, old fashioned milk shake, or frothy
phosphate, the soda fountain specialties are sure to arouse the senses of the
young-at-heart wishing to relive the good old days.
Lunches for travelers. For hungry travelers on California’s historic Route 66,
lunch menu items such as the "Vintage Vegetarian" or the "Roadside
Special" offer a chance to refuel and relax. The Pharmacy is located on the corner of
Mission and Fair Oaks, one of the several alignments of Route 66.
While the pharmacy is made of golden oak cabinetry with glass doors and counter tops,
its operation is anything but old fashioned. Offering private pharmacist consultations and
convenient home delivery, Fair Oaks Pharmacy offers state-of-the-art computerized
pharmaceutical services, accepting most third-party insurance plans.
Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain also features an array of unique, one-of-a-kind
gifts, greeting cards, toys and decorative accessories, reflecting the era of the original
store as well as various classic collections from vintage film and television eras. So
browse, eat, enjoy and return!
THE LONESOME ROAD by Stacy Vellas
It was 1944 and war time. James and Olive Vellas, with their six children and their
dog, Pal, were on their way to an exciting new life.
I was sixteen in 1944 when we finally had enough money to move to California. Daddy
bought a 1929 bus from the Hill City School, towed it to Wynkoops Station and had it
overhauled. The bus was in top-top shape when we pulled out of Hill City and left behind
the land of snow.
To save on tires and gas, the speed limit was 40 miles an hour. Daddy had to get war
time gas stamps to buy gas for the whole trip. In order to save even more he drove 20
miles an hour. It took 14 days to reach California.
Each evening before dark, Dad would pull off on the side of the road and make camp for
the night. He built a fire in the little stove and Mama cooked us a hot meal. Then we
would all pile into the beds in back and go to sleep. It was warm and comfortable snuggled
up between my sisters.
It was a long way between towns, so when the little kids saw a filling station,
they’d holler "A Shell Station, Daddy, a Shell Station!" That would be his
signal to stop and everyone would jump out and run to the bathroom while he checked the
oil and filled the gas tank. Sometimes Mama went in and bought a few items if they sold
groceries.
At one small station, Rose, 10, and Lisa, 6, were asleep in back so no one woke them.
We took care of our needs, got back in the bus and Daddy drove on.
While we were inside the station, Rose and Lisa woke up and, without putting on coats
or shoes, ran to the bathroom. When they came out and looked around — the bus was
pulling out! They ran and ran but they couldn’t catch up. No one looked back.
It was February, with snow on the ground as Rose stood there trying to decide what to
do. Then she remembered a big sister had told her she had seen a man standing out on the
highway. Each time a car went by the man put up his thumb. In a little while someone
stopped and gave him a ride. So Rose knew what to do.
The road was bare of snow so she and Lisa got out on the highway in their bare feet and
Rose put up her thumb. The first car that came by stopped and a young serviceman opened
the window and asked "Where are you girls going?"
"My dad drove off and left us," Rose told him. "They’re going to
California." She neglected to tell him it was accidental.
"Where is he going?" he queried. "What road is he taking?"
"He’s going to California in a school bus. I don’t know what road they
are taking. They went that way," Rose said, pointing west.
The young man drove as fast as he could to catch up, with Rose and Lisa searching the
horizon for the bus.
Meanwhile, Daddy kept to his twenty-mile-an-hour speed. No one looked in the back.
It was about half an hour later when Daddy looked out the side window as a car pulled
alongside of the bus.
"Hey, Olive, look-a-there. There’s a little girl looks just like Rosie!"
Then he turned back to his driving.
When they pulled alongside the bus, Rose and Lisa waved at Daddy, the man honked and
honked his horn, pointing for him to pull the bus over, but Daddy didn’t pay any
attention. He kept going. Finally, the man pulled half way in front of him and made him
stop. Daddy got out.
"Whatta matter, you?" he scolded.
About then, Rose and Lisa jumped out of the man’s car just as Mama stepped down
from the bus.
The young man was so angry! "How dare you go off and leave your children! What
kind of people are you anyway? You should be ashamed of yourselves!" he shouted.
"No, no, no, we don’t know they aren’t here," Daddy told him.
When asked why they didn’t just wait for us to turn around and come back for them,
Rose said "I had just read the story Hansel and Gretal and I didn’t want
to take a chance!"
Well, Mama never got over the embarrassment as long as she lived. She didn’t like
it when we brought it up at family gatherings and laughed about it over the years. She
would get up and leave the room
And Rose cried for years when she talked about being left. She said, "I
didn’t even thank him!
‘GET YOUR KICKS’ FAIR BRINGS OUT HISTORIANS
CHR66A members again staffed a booth at the San Bernardino County Fair in Victorville
early this summer. We showed much of the Mojave Exhibit, the great photo display of early
Route 66.
Our thanks to Bill Mutschler for his maintenance of the exhibit. Other members helping
us staff the booth were "Chi" and Jim Hamilton, Gordon Wall, and Kara Nelson.
We had the opportunity to chat with several old-timers from this history-rich area.
Member Armand Ramirez spent an afternoon with us recalling days in the late 40s and
early 50s when his dad worked for a produce market in downtown Los Angeles. Armand went
with his dad via Route 66 to many local fields, bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to
market.
A pre-teenager at the time, he spoke of being wakened while it was still dark and
traveling for what seemed hours before breakfast at Nealy’s Corners. The first rest
stop after that was Victorville and that seemed like "hundreds of hours with the sun
in our eyes as we went over the Cajon".
Also stopping by our booth was Ken Hallenbeck of the High Desert. For 27 of his 81
years, Ken worked at Victor Cement.
He described the first air filters used at the cement plant in the early 1950s: A
special room was constructed and bags 60 to 80 feet long were installed over the vents to
the smokestacks. An automatic shuttle closed off one smokestack and opened the other.
Smoke and dirt were caught in the filter bags, allowing only the filtered smoke and heat
to escape into the air.
Ken also described his later position as a supervisor over machinists working on
lathes, a very dull job. He started telling short jokes or doing a silly pantomine to
liven up the day. One man got so he laughed when Ken walked into the room
Coming to the High Desert in 1947, Ken and his Edna have been married 57 years.
Ardene Weeks and her mother, Olive Lomker, chatted for a few minutes. Ardene had worked
in Ludlow for sixteen years and found several of the photos in the Mojave Exhibit of
interest. Olive was a postmistress in one of the desert towns for several years.
Drew Boucke told of riding in his dad’s car when a child while dad spoke over a
loudspeaker to announce the opening of gas stations along the old highway. Drew’s dad
was a "honcho" with an oil company back then.
Norman Smith and his two sisters went to Barstow High School from where they lived in
Yermo. His dad was in charge of the inspection station, retiring after 43 years with the
state.
Marsha White told us of her dad drilling water wells in the high desert. "My mom
has lots of stories", she confided. So we’re looking forward to hearing from
Charlotte Scoggin in the future.
Many other folks shared a few minutes to an hour or so with us, helping to add to our
collection of the stories that make up the history of Route 66.
