Bagdad, California
Encyclopedia
Bagdad is a ghost town
in the eastern Mojave Desert
, in San Bernardino County
, California
, United States
.
, east of Barstow
and Ludlow
, and west of Amboy
and Needles
.
The town was founded in 1883 when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
railway line between Barstow and Needles was built.
Bagdad was long a thriving town along the National Old Trails Road and the famous Route 66. It was bypassed by the opening of Interstate 40
to the north in 1973, and lost travelers business and resident population.
Bagdad holds the record for the longest dry streak in United States
history with 767 straight days without rain, from October 3, 1912 to November 8, 1914. It is to the south of the Granite Mountains
and the Mojave National Preserve
, and north of the Bullion Mountains
.
."
The Café location shooting was actually done at the 'Sidewinder Cafe' to the west in Newberry Springs
, which has since been renamed the 'Bagdad Café.'
In 1990 the Bagdad Cafe (TV series)
ran for one season.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in the eastern Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Geography
Bagdad is located along the historic U.S. Route 66U.S. Route 66 in California
In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 66 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.-History:U.S...
, east of Barstow
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
and Ludlow
Ludlow, California
Ludlow is a small town in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 40, located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The older remains of the ghost town are along historic Route 66.-Geography:...
, and west of Amboy
Amboy, California
Amboy is an unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, in California's Mojave Desert, west of Needles and east of Ludlow on historic Route 66. It is roughly 60 miles northeast of Twentynine Palms.-Geography:...
and Needles
Needles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
.
The town was founded in 1883 when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
railway line between Barstow and Needles was built.
Bagdad was long a thriving town along the National Old Trails Road and the famous Route 66. It was bypassed by the opening of Interstate 40
Interstate 40 in California
In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 40 has its western terminus in Barstow. Known as the Needles Freeway, a major east–west route of the Interstate Highway System, it heads east from Barstow across the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County past the Clipper Mountains to Needles,...
to the north in 1973, and lost travelers business and resident population.
Bagdad holds the record for the longest dry streak in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
history with 767 straight days without rain, from October 3, 1912 to November 8, 1914. It is to the south of the Granite Mountains
Granite Mountains (California)
The Granite Mountains is a small mountain range in San Bernardino County, California, USA, located in the Mojave Desert.They are in the Mojave National Preserve, in the National Park Service system.-Geography:...
and the Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve is located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress...
, and north of the Bullion Mountains
Bullion Mountains
The Bullion Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert of California southeast of the city of Barstow. The mountain range stretches for approximately 50 miles in a northwest-southeasterly direction north of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms....
.
Bagdad Café
Bagdad's fame has spread internationally, after its being bypassed. The old Bagdad Café was located there and became the fictionalized setting of both a popular novel and the motion picture called "Bagdad CaféBagdad Café
Bagdad Café is a 1987 German film directed by Percy Adlon.The film is a comedy set in a remote truck-stop café and motel in the Mojave Desert. The plot is centered around two women who have recently separated from their husbands, and the blossoming friendship which ensues. It ran 95 minutes in...
."
The Café location shooting was actually done at the 'Sidewinder Cafe' to the west in Newberry Springs
Newberry Springs, California
Newberry Springs is an unincorporated area in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, USA...
, which has since been renamed the 'Bagdad Café.'
In 1990 the Bagdad Cafe (TV series)
Bagdad Cafe (TV series)
Bagdad Cafe is an American television sitcom starring Whoopi Goldberg and Jean Stapleton. The series premiered March 30, 1990 on CBS. The show is based on the 1987 Percy Adlon film Bagdad Cafe.-Cast:*Whoopi Goldberg as Brenda...
ran for one season.
See also
- El Garces HotelEl Garces HotelThe El Garces Hotel is a historic railroad station and hotel located in Needles, California. Built by the Santa Fe Railroad under contract with the Fred Harvey Company in 1908, the El Garces is designed in an elegant Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts style and was considered the 'Crown Jewel of the...
- Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees HotelKelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees HotelThe Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel or Kelso Depot, now also the Mojave National Preserve Visitors Center, is located in the Mojave Desert within the National Park Service Mojave National Preserve, on Kelbaker Road in Kelso, California, between Baker and Interstate 15 to the north and...
- Harvey House Railroad DepotHarvey House Railroad DepotThe Harvey House Railroad Depot, known as the Casa del Desierto - its original name, is a former Fred Harvey Harvey House located in Barstow, in the Mojave Desert within San Bernardino County, California...
- Category: Communities on U.S. Route 66
- Category: Communities in the Mojave Desert
External links
- Ghost Towns.com - Bagdad Webpage about Bagdad, CA with numerous photographs.
- Bagdad, California Brief history of Bagdad, CA.
- "We don't want a war either, says Bagdad, California" Article published in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...