Historic Route 66 - Harvey House - Barstow, California, USA. - National Scenic Byways on Waymarking.com

Barstow Amtrak Station. The station should not be confused with the Barstow Station, which actually a restaurant/food court located about 2 miles away.

Casa del Desierto was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The site of the former Harvey House was then designated as a California Historical Landmark in 1976.

If you trip route 66, and you stay in one of the Iconic Mother Road Hotels along the Mother Road, as you lay in bed & listen to the trains all night, you will know that if you can not see or hear the trains, your probably not on Route 66.

From the National Parks Web Site:
"At its creation in 1926, the alignment of Route 66 ran adjacent to the Harvey House Railroad Depot. It is not coincidental that Route 66 is in close proximity to the railroad along most of its length. The railroads did extensive surveys across the country to locate the most efficient path according to the topography. Because the route the railroads chose moved through the landscape in harmony with local topography, Route 66 runs parallel to the railroad for most of its length. Today, motorists along Route 66 will find many places where the railroad tracks and interstate highway parallel each other. As airplanes cross the skies above, the layers of transportation history are visible on the earth's surface reflecting the evolution of cross-country travel in the United States." Text Source: (visit link)

"Casa Del Desierto was built in 1911 by the Santa Fe Railroad. The building replaced an earlier one built in 1885 that burned in 1908. The historic Casa Del Desierto was considered one of the jewels of the Harvey House system. The depot closed in 1973.

The City of Barstow obtained the station in 1990 and moved some city offices into the building. The Barstow Area Chamber of Commerce operates out of "Barstow Harvey House". Other tenants are the Western America Railroad Museum, which can be found on the east side, and the Barstow Route 66 "Mother Road" Museum with its entrance on the north side. The station also serves as an unattended Amtrak stations with two trains a day." Text Source: (visit link)

"Fred Harvey is credited with creating the first restaurant chain in the U.S. Harvey and his company also became leaders in promoting tourism in the American Southwest in the late 19th century. The company and its employees, including the famous waitresses who came to be known as "Harvey Girls", successfully brought new higher standards of both civility and dining to a region widely regarded in the era as "the Wild West". The popularity of the Harvey Girls grew even stronger in 1946, when Judy Garland starred in the film version of Samuel Hopkins Adams’ novel The Harvey Girls." Text Source: (visit link)


Address of Icon:
681 N. 1st Ave. Barstow, California, USA.

Program: America's Byways Website: [Web Link] Official Name: Historic route 66.

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