Ludlow, California
Encyclopedia
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
.
and Barstow, California
. To the east on Route 66 is Amboy
, Amboy Crater
, and Essex, and on Interstate 40 is Needles, California
and the Colorado River
.
The Mojave National Preserve
and Kelso Dunes
, of the National Park Service
, is to the northeast of town. To the west is Pisgah Crater
in the Lavic Lake volcanic field
. The Bullion Mountains
are south behind the town, with the Bristol Mountains
to the east and Cady Mountains
to the northwest..
The Ludlow ZIP Code
is 92338, and the community is in telephone area code 760
. The population is about 23 residents, however the number fluctuates frequently as the town is a work camp.
for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad
in 1883. Ore was found in the nearby hills, leading to a boom. From 1906 to 1940 it was the southern railhead for the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
, operated by the Pacific Coast Borax Company
and bringing borax
and other mining products from Death Valley
and Beatty, Nevada
to long distance Santa Fe Railway lines.
. Ludlow providing a Motor Court
with bungalow
cabins, the streamline moderne
Ludlow Cafe, a gasoline-service garage, and shade. They operated through the late 1960s. After Interstate 40
was built bypassing town there was little business and most residents departed, leaving ruins of empty buildings and Tamarisk
trees that still stand flanking the old highway. Tourists following and exploring historic Route 66 pass through the ghost town
now.
was built in the 1970s, and contains two gas stations and a small tire and repair shop, a small motel, and a restaurant and fast-food cafe.
An earthquake
with a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter scale struck the Mojave Desert
, centered at Ludlow near Interstate 40, on December 6th, 2008.
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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...
on 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,...
, located 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...
. The older remains of the ghost town
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...
are along historic Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
.
Geography
To the northwest on Interstate 40 are Newberry SpringsNewberry 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...
and Barstow, California
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....
. To the east on Route 66 is 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:...
, Amboy Crater
Amboy Crater
Amboy Crater and Lava Field is an extinct North American cinder cone type of volcano that rises above a lava field in southern California. They are located in the Mojave Desert equidistant and about between Barstow to the west and Needles to the east, and southwest of historic U.S. Route 66, in...
, and Essex, and on Interstate 40 is Needles, California
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...
and the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
.
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 Kelso Dunes
Kelso Dunes
Kelso Dunes, also known as the Kelso Dune Field, is the largest field of eolian sand deposits in the Mojave Desert. The region is protected by the Mojave National Preserve and is located near the town of Baker, San Bernardino County, California and the Preserve Visitor Center...
, of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, is to the northeast of town. To the west is Pisgah Crater
Pisgah Crater
Pisgah Crater, or Pisgah Volcano, is a young volcanic cinder cone rising above a lava plain in the Mojave Desert, between Barstow and Needles, California in San Bernardino County, California. The volcanic peak is around south of historic U.S...
in the Lavic Lake volcanic field
Lavic Lake volcanic field
The Lavic Lake volcanic field is a volcanic field with extinct cinder cones in the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California, United States...
. 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....
are south behind the town, with the Bristol Mountains
Bristol Mountains
The Bristol Mountains are found in the Mojave Desert of California, USA, just west of Mojave National Preserve. The range, which reaches an elevation of 3,874 feet , is located in San Bernardino County, and crosses Interstate 40 between Ludlow and the Granite Mountains...
to the east and Cady Mountains
Cady Mountains
The Cady Mountains are a mountain range in the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California.They are found in southeastern California between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40, just east of Newberry Springs...
to the northwest..
The Ludlow ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 92338, and the community is in telephone area code 760
Area code 760
Image:Area_code_442.svg|right|Map of California area codes in blue with 442/760 in redrect 65 82 92 100 Area code 916rect 220 242 245 256 Area code 909rect 243 274 265 287 Area code 951rect 136 323 160 338 Area code 858...
. The population is about 23 residents, however the number fluctuates frequently as the town is a work camp.
Origins
The town started as a water stopWater stop
A water stop or water station on a railroad is a place where trains stop to replenish water. The stopping of the train itself is also referred to as "water stop". The term originates from the times of steam engines, when large amounts of water were essential...
for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad
Atlantic and Pacific Railroad
The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was a U.S. railroad that owned or operated two disjoint segments, one connecting St. Louis, Missouri with Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the other connecting Albuquerque, New Mexico with Southern California. It was incorporated by the U.S. Congress in 1866 as a...
in 1883. Ore was found in the nearby hills, leading to a boom. From 1906 to 1940 it was the southern railhead for the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, the T&T, was a class II railroad extending through remote reaches of the Mojave Desert from the Santa Fe Railway railhead at Ludlow, California, through Death Valley and Amargosa Valley, terminating at the Mining towns of Tonopah and Goldfield in the Great Basin...
, operated by the Pacific Coast Borax Company
Pacific Coast Borax Company
The Pacific Coast Borax Company was a United States mining company founded in 1890 by the American borax magnate Francis "Borax" Smith, the "Borax King".-History:...
and bringing borax
Borax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
and other mining products from Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
and Beatty, Nevada
Beatty, Nevada
Beatty is a census-designated place along the Amargosa River in Nye County in the U.S. state of Nevada. U.S. Route 95 runs through the CDP, which lies between Tonopah, about to the north, and Las Vegas, about to the southeast. State Route 374 connects Beatty to Death Valley National Park, about ...
to long distance Santa Fe Railway lines.
Route 66
By the 1940s, local mining and railway activity had ceased and the town survived supplying the needs of travellers on the National Old Trails Road, renamed to become the legendary Route 66 in CaliforniaU.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...
. Ludlow providing a Motor Court
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
with bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
cabins, the streamline moderne
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
Ludlow Cafe, a gasoline-service garage, and shade. They operated through the late 1960s. After 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,...
was built bypassing town there was little business and most residents departed, leaving ruins of empty buildings and Tamarisk
Tamarix ramosissima
Tamarix ramosissima, commonly known as Saltcedar, is a deciduous arching shrub with reddish stems and feathery, pale green foliage.-Description:...
trees that still stand flanking the old highway. Tourists following and exploring historic Route 66 pass through the ghost town
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...
now.
Interstate 40
A new small "Ludlow" just to the north at the off-ramps of Interstate 40Interstate 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,...
was built in the 1970s, and contains two gas stations and a small tire and repair shop, a small motel, and a restaurant and fast-food cafe.
An earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
with a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter scale struck the 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...
, centered at Ludlow near Interstate 40, on December 6th, 2008.
See also
- California Route 66 MuseumCalifornia Route 66 MuseumThe California Route 66 Museum is located on historic U.S. Route 66 in Victorville, California, in Old Town Victorville. Three display rooms and a gift shop are housed in the former Red Rooster Cafe....
- Western America Railroad MuseumWestern America Railroad MuseumThe Western America Railroad Museum is a railroad museum located in Barstow, California.The museum collects, preserves and shares the history of railroading in the Pacific Southwest...
- 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...
- (Mojave National Preserve Visitors Center) - Category: Mojave National Preserve
External links
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