Ludlow : The Town that Died Twice

Ludlow 

Article and photography bt Natasha Petrosova

Ludlow is one of the small towns that stands along the historic route 66 .  Route 66 was called a "Mother Road" - stretching from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California.  This 2448 mile road opened in 1926 and was not completely paved till 1937.  It crossed 8 states and three times zones,  Songs were written about it " Get your Kicks on Route 66" and 1960's television series was inspired by this iconic road.  

Towns that had sprung up were deserted when Route 66 was replaced by more modern four-plus-lane highways, which became very necessary as America became more prosperous and mobile.    

It said that town Ludlow died not only once but twice, although today there are still about 10 residents that reside there.  Ludlow was first established in 1882 as a water stop on the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad and named after rail car repairman Wiliam B. Ludlow.    

When the gold was discovered in the nearby Bagdad-Chase Mine in 1900 the town really took off.  The first samples milled from the mine yielded about 17, 000 per one thousand tons of ore so mine production stepped up.   However , there was not enough water at the actual mine to process the ore, Ludlow was famously known to be short on water , so water had to be shipped out via the Ludlow -Southern Railroad, beginning 1903.  From Ludlow, the ore was transferred to the mill in Barstow.  

Bagdad-Chase Mine was declared the town of Rochester and later Steadman as a "closed camp " where no liquor or women were allowed.  This gave Ludlow another boost because the miners came to town on Saturday night for entertainment.  Most of the town of Ludlow was owned by Murphy Brothers.  Another entrepreneur was known as Mother Preston, owned several buildings in town, including a store, hotel, boarding house, saloon cafe, pool hall and three homes.   She was known to be a good businesswoman and an expert poker player  Later on she sold to Murphy Brothers and retired in France.  

When borax was discovered in the area, Francis Marion " Borax: Smith built a railroad which ran from Ludlow to Beatty , Nevada.  The Railroad , the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad , was 169 miles long .  Three railroads running through Ludlow really benefited the town for as long as the mines were operational .  but unfortunately , it did not last forever.  

The Pacific Coast Borax Company started shutting down its operations in 1927-1928 , so the need for the T&T railroad declined , with the coming Depression rapidly drove to complete dismiss.  The Railroad line ceased operations in 1933 and by 1943 the tracks had been torn up.  The Ludlow _Southern Railroad had ceased its operations in 1916 , but not because gold mining operations declined.  Bagdad-Chase mine produced half of all the gold mined in San Bernardino County from 1880-1970.  

After two railroads ceased their operation , Ludlow began to decline.  However the opening of Route 66 made the town  thrive again  However,  when I-40 was built , the town was by -passed and Ludlow died again for the second time.  Today remains of first and second ghost town of Ludlow still stand: a shell of the Ludlow Mercantile Company ( originally Mother Preston's and then Murphy Brothers), railroad tracks, a neglected cemetery and the old Ludlow Cafe  and a post office. 

There is also Ludlow cafe , a motel and a gas station that still open and serve like a nice rest stop for refreshments and fuel .  

Ludlow Mercantile Company (originally Mother Preston’s and then the Murphy Brothers)

back of the building

interior

railroad tracks

abandoned house

 the ruins

Ludlow cemetary 

Junk cars graveyard

fallen down house

 Ludlow Post Office

post office interior

 Old Garage 

 interior

 Ludlow cafe 

Interior 

Ludlow Cafe still open 

Ludlow 

Town of Newberry Springs

abandoned house

Article and pictures by Natasha Petrosova 

The History of Newberry Springs can be dated back to 20, 000yerars.  Digs at the Early Man site found tools here dating prior to 20, 000 BC.  Back in a day  , most of this land was covered by the prehistoric  Lake Manix.  then, around 18, 000 BC , a massive earthquake caused the lake to be drained through what is now known as Afton Canyon  , also known as a Grand Canyon of the Mojave.  Early humans are thought to lived and hunted here where the swamps and marshes remained.  Because of a lot of water and food the region was inhabited throughout the centuries by various indigenous peoples  .  Modern man now enjoys the underground water source for both agriculture and recreation .  

First settlers discovered the oasis following old Indian trails.  It was in 1885, shortly after Santa Fe railroad laid tracks here, that the site began to supply potable water for arid points east, filling the tanks at section houses used by the steam locomotives.  at that time the town was called Water.  The completion of Route 66 further helped the area to grow.   The town by then was called Newberry.  Its water supply was a welcome respite for travelers on Route 66.  1950s were Newberry's hey-days and the town had five gas stations, four motels , five cafes, three bars, one grocery store, a general store and even a public swimming pool. During this period , Walter Knott, of Knott's Berry Farm , contracted with local farmers  here to supply the chickens for his famous restaurant in Buena Park.  In 1967 The town's name was changed from Newberry to Newberry Springs because the original name was causing confusion with mail often ending up in Newberry Park, California. 

After Interstate 40 was completed it was a deathblow to Newberry Springs as well as many small towns along Route 66.  Today Newberry Springs serves local and adventurous people who wander off the Interstate.  It is a nice stop for rest and refreshments.  Newberry Springs is also famous for its Bagdad Cafe from 1988 movie of the same name and serves as one of the road site attractions.  

abandoned houses 

It seems that someone was building this house and then juts stopped  

this dog from near by house was following us , i fell in love with him and wanted to take him home.

 would of been nice kitchen 

 living room 

 Bagdad cafe from the movie "Bagdad Cafe" 

abandoned motel from the movie "Bagdad Cafe "

 pitbull behind the fence on a metal chain seemed dangerous 

abandoned gas station 

 abandoned house 

 interior

 bedroom , we had a feeling that someone started living here 

 kitchen? 

 outside shower 

 fire place on a patio was a nice touch 

front patio 

Off the Map: Ghost Town Bagdad Story

Off the Map : Bagdad Ghost Town Story
Article and Photography by Natasha Petrosova 

Bagdad is a ghost town along the Historic Route 66.  The town got its name in 1883 when the Southern Pacific Railroad named the station after Baghdad, Iraq (sans the "h") because of its similar inhospitable climate.  The post office in this town was opened in 1889 and during those times the town was bustled with activity.  It had a telegraph office, hotels, school , library and a Harvey House restaurant.   

Bagdad became an important stop along the train route .  Water was brought from near by Newberry Springs daily in 20-car trains.  The Bagdad stop also provided coal and fuel oil .  During mining boom 1900-1910 Bagdad was a station used to ship out product from the Orange Blossom and War Eagle mines.  At the time of its boom, Bagdad had about 600 residents .  

When the mining in the area played out, Bagdad started to decline.  A fire of 1918 destroyed some wooden buildings.  In 1923 the post office was closed and in 1937 the library closed.  Former Bagdad's residents still remember the town's hey- days when Bagdad Cafe was the only place for miles around to get a drink and a dance floor.  It was known as a lively place back in a day.  

Since Iraq invaded Kuwait, many photographers, explorers and curious motorists  passing through the Mojave Desert stop to ask the way to Bagdad, California , the little ghost town that was named after the Middle Eastern capital.  There is a mark on a map that shows the location of the city , but no one can find it.  So where is it?  Well, Bagdad is no longer .  The town completely faded into history.  The last buildings were demolished in 1991.  All that is left of this town is the memories.   I guess the mark on a map is for acknowledgement  and historical significance , just to say,  yes,   once there was a town named Bagdad.    

Bagdad Cafe was an inspiration for 1988 movie of the same name.  However,  the film was shot at the Spiderwinder Cafe in Newberry Springs , that later changed its name to Bagdad Cafe.  

Bagdad Cafe from the movie  is still functioning and it serves as a  lovely stop for tourists and visitors.  It's a great place to stop for refreshments.  The motel from the movie still stands but it is abandoned  .  

One interesting fact about Bagdad that it stands true to its name and reputation being inhospitable .  From October 3, 1912 to November 8, 1914 the town Bagdad was known as the driest place ever in the United States - 767 days without a drop of rain.  

the motel from the movie "Bagdad Cafe", Newberry Springs

motel interior 

Root 66 

Ghost Town Garlock

The town of Garlock had several names throughout its history.  It had been named El Paso and Cow Wells back in 1889s.  The Californian  began calling the town Eugeneville in 1896 , and Los Angeles Daily Times article call the town Garlock in 1898. Both Eugeneville and Garlock are named after the Tehachapi businessman Eugene Garlock who put an eight-stamp mill at the location in 1895.   

The first mill in Garlock opened in 1896 and with enough demand ,  there were 5 additional mills that were built.  During this time Randsburg was growing strong but there wasn't a mill in Randsburg, so the ore from Randsburg was shipped to Garlock for processing.  

Garlock experienced its hey-days in 1899 and Garlock's population grew up to several hundred residents.  There were never many buildings in Garlock but they had a school-house also serving as a church, and meeting place for social groups.  The post office operated in Garlock from 1896-1904, and again from 1923-1936.  

By the end of 1903 Garlock was coming to the end.  The residents had packed and moved and the town was deserted.  The mills at Garlock still possessed a small amount of ore until 1907.  However, the addition of the mill at the Yellow Aster Mine in Randsburg was ultimately the cause of death for Garlock.  

Today some of the buildings in Garlock stand on a private property and have been fenced to keep the vandals out.  A few others are free to be visited and explored.  The ruins of Garlock can be found on Garlock's road , accessible either from hwy 395 or  hwy 14.  the town of Garlock is California Landmark #671  and a site of Garlock is marked by the plaque that reads "  In 1896, Eugene Garlock constructed a stamp mill near this spot to crush gold ore from the Yellow Aster Mine on Rand Mountain. Known originally as Cow Wells by prospectors and freighters during the 1880s and early 1890s, the town of Garlock continued to thrive until 1898, when water was piped from here to Randsburg and the Kramer-Randsburg rail line was completed".  

Perhaps one on the notorious facts about Garlock is "Burro" Schmidt tunnel.  Starting in 1902, William H.  Schmidt , also known as "Burro" Schmidt, spent 32 years
digging a half-mile-long tunnel through a desert hill for no apparent reason .  William Henry Schmidt was born in Woonsocket Rhode Island in 1871.  He came to California in 1894 and prospected around Kern County .  He finally established several claims in the el Paso Mountains near Last Chance Canyon.  There was no convenient way to get his ore to transportation center at Mojave or to the  mills in Randsburg or Garlock.  So in 1906 he began digging a tunnel thru Copper Mountain to provide access to the Garlock Mills.  At some point during the first few yeas of digging the mission became less goal oriented and more of an obsession.  In 1920 a road was completed from Last Chance Canyon to Mojave.  But Schmidt could not stop digging  due to his obsession, he continued to dig until 1938 when the daylight was finally observed at the far end of a more than 200-foot tunnel.  By this time Schmidt had moved manually 5800 tons of rock to complete his work.  He never used this tunnel to move his ore.  He died in January 1954 in Ridgecrest, CA.

In 1940 Schmidt's efforts were recorded .  They wrote, "Wm. 
H. Schmidt spent 32 years boring thru a mountain.  The greatest one man achievement in history". 

The tunnel is about a mile long and offers a nice , cool temperature on the  hot summer days.  


References:
He conquered the mountain with pick and shovel, by Roger Vargo: http://explorehistoricalif.com/ehc_legacy/may2014.html

Garlock Ghost Town: http://digital-desert.com/garlock/

W. H. Schmidt in his later years: photo courtesy  http://explorehistoricalif.com/ehc_legacy/may2014.html

Entrance to Burro Schmit tunnel 

Ruins of Garlock

Abandoned Cabin 

Interior

 a cabin with a flag pole , but no flag

Garlock's plaque