In the Cajon Pass, between the Cleghorn and Kenwood exits in I-15, there are several bridges that the “drive-able” road passes over that were built between 1920 and 1952. Most of the bridges have the years stamped somewhere on the side of the railing.
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Blue Cut was originally a rest area for Route 66. It was named for the bluish tint on the rugged hillside to the south. This bluish rugged hillside is the San Andreas Fault. In the 1930s, this was also the spot where authorities stopped refugees from the Dustbowl regions of the mid-west that were looking
Located in the middle of the Cajon Pass is a monument that marks an intersection of the Santa Fe and the Salt Lake Trails. The monument was erected in 1917. Originally known as the Mormon Road (1847 – 1855), it stretched from Salt Lake City to San Bernardino. Later, the Salt Lake Trail (1855 – 1905), used
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Daggett is one of the oldest towns in the entire Mojave Desert. When the Santa Fe railroad arrived in 1882, Daggett began as a major railroad town. Because of the railroad, it was a supply point for many desert outposts, including the mining camps of Death Valley. Mining from mid 1880s through the 1890s also
About the Garden Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden is a private, nonprofit research and education institution devoted to California flora. It was established in 1927 by Susanna Bixby Bryant in Orange County and was moved to Claremont in 1951. The plants on display are native species or cultivated forms that were developed from them. A
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Already iconic before Disney’s Pixar movies released Cars in 2006, the Wigwam Motel follows a style that was duplicated at other motel sites along Route 66. The original concept was born in 1933 by Frank Redford. He built his first motel in Horse City, Kentucky and named it Wigwam Village. Several more Wigwam motels would be
Not actually part of Route 66 history, this is the site of the first McDonald’s. Opened in 1948 by brothers Richard (Dick) and Maurice (Mac) McDonald, this site shares similar history to Route 66 as they were both growing during the same period of time. The McDonald brothers began franchising their fast-food system beginning in
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The museum is located across the street from the Victorville transit center, which used to be the old railroad depot. It is here where the center of town began. The old depot burned down in 1983. The museum was founded by Old Town Victorville Heritage Preservation, Inc. It opened its doors on November 11, 1995.
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These engineering challenges were solved when engineer John Drake Mercereau conceived the idea of curving the bridge 50 degrees to the south. This solution coupled with a graceful design of soaring arches and a curved deck created a work of art that received Historic Civil Engineering Landmark designation and listing in the National Register of
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The steel bridge that Route 66 crosses over is roughly 3 miles north of the California Route 66 Museum and 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
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