Ludlow, a great respite along Interstate 40

Old mining cars on display in Ludlow, California

I spend a lot of time driving along that black ribbon of Interstate 40. Do I enjoy it? Sometimes. And it is the path from here to there I need quite often for expediency. Though, Route 66 is my preferable stretch of road. It’s slower, more scenic, and allows me to just ponder.

Pondering is important. .

No one likes things weighing on my mind. But I do like to think about, or reflect every now and then. To consider things soberly, quietly, or with some good old rock and roll playing in the background. I’d even say I contemplate some things deeply, as if I were a great deep thinker of soul searching meanings, but honestly, I’m often more of a surface kind of guy.

But I do like the term ponder. It rhymes with wander. So, wandering as I do gives me time for pondering.

‘He’s just a wandering and pondering sort of fella.’

So recently, while wandering along Interstate 40 and passing the exit for Ludlow, I began pondering about the history of this small berg fifty-one miles east of Barstow and ninety-two miles west of Needles. Passing it so many times during my eons on this planet, I never gave the history of the town much thought. No offense to those who reside in Ludlow - a lovely group of folks - but when I’d stop in Ludlow, there was a specific reason for said stop: pump some gas, grab a meal, or a big delicious and calorie filled DQ desert, and hit the road again.

The town deserves better. 

Time for some research. 

I discovered that Ludlow was once a booming town. But, as with many such towns that hugged Route 66 like a belt on a pair of pants after Thanksgiving dinner, a diet was in the near future. And that diet was the completion of Interstate 40.

That darn Interstate 40! But, I digress.

Ludlow was once such a happening place that it once hosted an automobile race in 1914 from Los Angeles to Phoenix along National Trails Highway, later known as Route 66, with the famous race car driver, Barney Oldfield as the main attraction.

It was reported that people as far away as Death Valley, descended on Ludlow to view the Cactus Derby, with the hopes of catching a glance of one of this country’s racing legends.

But there is so much more to Ludlow. And I’m not just writing about the reopening of the DQ there – though, that is pretty big news.

Hmmm, banana splits on a hot summer afternoon. Oops, digressing again. 

Turns out that this small community began in the 1870’s. In 1882, the actual town of Ludlow was founded as a water stop for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, and named after William Ludlow, a train car repairman who did such a good job repairing things, that clearly, the railroad needed to name a town after him.

The small railway stop started to really build into something grand when gold was discovered in the nearby hills. Where there is gold, there is a boom. And a boom was a-booming.

As miners flocked to the region, entrepreneurs also moved in offering all sorts of distractions for those tired and grubby guys with pockets full of gold to spend on lonely weekends. 

One such person was Mother Preston, who built or purchased buildings to convert into a general store, hotel, boarding house, a saloon, café, pool hall, and even a few homes. She was one smart business woman. 

According to an article in the San Bernardino County Sentinel, Mother Preston became so wealthy, she sold her holdings to the Murphy Brothers, who already owned the rest of the town, and promptly retired to France.

It is reported that Mother Preston stated, “Ooh, la la!” after the sale of her holdings. A rough translation is – “Wow, is Versailles for sale?”

In 1900, gold was discovered in the Bagdad-Chase Mine, and became the largest gold-producing mine in San Bernardino County. In fact, the mine produced half of all the gold mined in the county.

Ludlow was also utilized as the southern railhead for the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, which was owned by the Pacific Coast Borax Company.

Borax, the answer to those nasty stains in clothes. A little here and a little there, and whammy, just like brand new.

“Johnny, your clothes are filthy!”

“Don’t worry, ma,” Johnny replied. “A little Borax, and they are good as store bought.”

“You are a smart young man, Johnny. You may end up writing for a newspaper someday.”

“My dream of dreams, ma.”

Anyway - with all that gold, and the Borax pouring in from Death Valley, Ludlow began to truly prosper.

For the next few decades, the town continued to grow, as new mines were established, trainloads of Borax along with other minerals coming through, and the advent of the automobile, there didn’t seem an end to the expansion of this town in the Mojave Desert.

But by the 1940’s there wasn’t much use for all the rail activity with the ore playing out and other avenues being found for the delivery of the minerals. The railroads became more efficient and water stops no longer played much of a roll in their daily lives. 

The love of the American automobile came to the rescue to Ludlow. Vehicles roared by on Route 66, right through the town where visitors could grab a night’s sleep at a motor court, grab a meal at the Ludlow Café, fill up at the gas station, or just relax under the branches of a shady tamarisk tree.

But then in the late 1960’s, Interstate 40 was completed, and even though it was merely inches from Ludlow, travelers didn’t need to stop any longer.

“Can’t we stop? I’m hungry,” a child was heard to whine, through the open window of a passing Chevrolet.

“Can’t stop, we’re on a mission to get east of here,” the father replied. “There’s boating fun to be had on the Colorado River.”

So, the people sped by and Ludlow dwindled in population and importance.

Though, it is still an important stop in my mind. Here I go with pondering again.

History is alive here in this little highway town. Strong and independent people took a shot at life in a very hostile environment - threw the dice and survived.

No, not only survived, but prospered. 

Sure, now there isn’t much to the town. Deserted buildings, empty lots, ruined structures, and an old cemetery – but the town truly lives.

There’s a hotel, café, gas station, and the planned re-opening of the revamped DQ attached to a gas station on the north side of Interstate 40.

A great place to stop and eat in Ludlow, California

Most of my sources agree that Ludlow is a ghost town. I say nope, this town is alive, and all the times I’ve stopped there – not one ghost have I seen.

Recently, I stopped at the Ludlow Café and had a great and healthy breakfast (that was for Laureen’s benefit, she worries about me). I pondered on how much grit the early settlers had in settling in such hostile and questionable surroundings. They had it, no matter the obstructions thrown in their path.

And their legacy lives on.

Ludlow might be thought of as a little community, but one with a large part of the history of the Mojave Desert. There is so much to explore in the area, if you have the time. 

And a place to rest your head for the night in Ludlow, California

Albert Einstein once wrote; ‘People like us who believe in physics know that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. Time, in other words, is an illusion.’

Can’t argue with a guy rumored to have an IQ of ten thousand, but I know that time, in this world is not an illusion.

Watching your children grow up, a person realizes that time is real and it’s precious. Time for us mere humans is finite.

That’s why I travel and look for new things. New doesn’t mean new construction, but things I didn’t know were there. The history of Ludlow is just one more example. 

Boron, a welcoming town

John R Beyer welcomes you to Boron

I was working on my second Street Taco, when Patricia, the owner of Lola’s Diner in Boron, came over to our table.

“How are the tacos?”

Laureen smiled, “Some of the best I’ve ever had.”

“I like the salsa,” I mentioned. “Not too spicy but with enough kick to let you know it is salsa.”

“Our own recipe,” Patricia replied.

We had been driving along Highway 58, after visiting the Rio Tinto open pit borate mine and decided it was time for a bite.

Just a small section of the Rio Tinto borate mine

Lunch and then some wandering around this small berg to see what it had to offer.

Turns out, Boron has a lot to offer, and the folks we spoke to say the town in Kern County, has some truly big plans.

Docent Debi, of the Twenty Mule Team Museum, in Boron, told us that the museum is getting a whole new make-over.

New carpet, new display cases, new this and new that. We thought it was a pretty good museum as is, with all sorts of things to interest any tourist. The entire history of Boron, including nearby mining operations, was there methodically laid out through the large building.

The town has something for everyone

“Everyone who volunteers here takes pride in this place and want each visitor to leave knowing the history of our town.”

There is no way a person could leave without understanding each development in Boron’s history. The museum is broken up into three separate, but equally informative sections. There’s one room which is the entry and gift shop, but with displays of the different ore specimens found in the area. The second room details the people and effort it took to conquer this part of the Mojave Desert and set up their homes and businesses there. And the last room explains the danger and benefits of such mining that surrounds the town of Boron. There are videos dedicated to the history of Boron, a working model of a Twenty Mule Team wagon, including moving mules and a driver snapping a whip. 

A model of a team at the local mine

A closeup painting of a pretty mule

And of course, there is information concerning some of the movies filmed there, such as Erin Brockovich (2000), Dragon Day (2013), and my favorite Apocalypse According to Doris (2011), just to name a few.

With Hollywood only a hundred and nineteen miles southwest of Boron, the town is a perfect backdrop for all sorts of movies.

“We’re getting a lot of tourists coming in now, and we know that in spring and summer this place will be seeing a lot more each and every day.”

As of now, the museum is still averaging fifty or more tourists per week. Not bad for a place that does not advertise itself, but that is about to change.

“We’re going to redo the signage near Highway 58, inviting travelers to the historic part of town,” said Jerry, who was busy building new shelving for the museum. “This town has a lot of draws, but it will have more once everything is in place.”

Jerry seems a determined man. As he explained how the museum’s exterior park, filled with all sorts of old mining equipment, picnic tables, walkways, and an actual outdoor stage, is also getting a face-lift.

“We want the town to come alive again,” he said. “We want people to feel welcome and enjoy their time here in Boron.”

Main St., Boron

Exiting the museum grounds, we noticed an old railway depot standing just to the west. It was in mint condition – as if it had been recently painted, just waiting for train passengers.

Turns out the depot, built in 1896 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway company, served rail customers in nearby Kramer, now Kramer Junction, until 1941 when it was moved to Boron as a freight depot.

“Makes you wonder how many people stood outside that depot waiting for their tickets to so many varied destinations,” Laureen mused.

“Two hundred and thirty-three thousand,” I replied, believing it was a good guess.

Laureen simply rolled her eyes.

Boron rose from the dusty desert landscape in 1913 when a water well was being drilled and Borate evaporites in the form of colemanite were discovered. This was the beginning of a mining boom. The claims were purchased by the Pacific Coast Borax Company and more mining and exploring for further valuable sites was begun. In 1925 commercial mining began in the area, and as the old saying goes, the rest is history.

Boron became a major dot on the map in this part of the Mojave Desert. 

In 1938, the federal government knew the community was growing with all the new mining operations and opened a post office there. 

“Ma, we got us a post office,” it is rumored that little Tommy squealed in delight.

“Yes, son – we are in the big leagues now,” his mother replied. “And soon, probably a Starbucks too.”

Today, the largest employer for Boron is the nearby Rio Tinto mining company. Of its eight hundred employees, many live in the nearby town. And five miles to the east, just across the San Bernardino County line is one of the world’s largest solar power production facilities, with some of their employees also residing in Boron.

“One of the largest, in the little old Mojave Desert,” a stranger once hmphed.

Yes, doubtful stranger, that is true. In fact, the Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) is so big, that it is rumored that the plant can supply power to every human on Earth, twenty-four seven.

That's a lot of panels

“And if they do not treat us correctly, we will simply switch the power off and plunge the world into darkness,” one of the SEGS managers reportedly said, with an evil laugh and wringing of his hands.

No wait, that was Mr. Burns from an old Simpsons episode. My apologies to SEGS.

The solar plant covers over sixteen hundred acres and can supply power to nearly two-hundred and fifty thousand homes during peak outlay and displace nearly three-thousand eight hundred tons of pollution each year.

There are also over nine hundred thousand mirrors pointing sunward at the plant. That is a lot of mirrors, may not be enough for some Hollywood celebrities, but for the common person – that is a heck of a lot of mirrors.

But this column is not about solar energy collectors or big pits in the ground to mine borates. It is about a small but charming town by the name of Boron.

After visiting the train depot, we sauntered over to the Saxon Aerospace Museum, which was named after Colonel Vernon P. Saxon Jr., a former Vice-Commander at the Air Force Test Flight Center at Edwards Air Force Base. There we met up with Alison, who seemed to know everything we did not about this flight museum.

The museum has a place set for one's no longer with us

“The museum needs some work,” Alison said, as we signed the guest book at the entry. “It’s been closed for a couple of years, and it needs some dusting off, but we are making great progress toward that goal.”

To state the museum had a lot of artifacts, would be an understatement. The building is literally filled to the rafters with every sort of aeronautical thingy-bob one could only imagine.

The motto of the museum is simple, but to the point – ‘To collect, interpret, preserve, and display aeronautics and aerospace materials relevant to flight research performed over the skies of Boron and the surrounding Aerospace Valley.”

Just one of many aircraft on display

That is one large mission statement, but as Alison showed us around the museum, the statement became increasingly true.

Since the opening of the museum in 1997, the collection of exhibits has grown so much that a larger building could be in order. She explained that there are so many donations, the entire volunteer staff are currently busy trying to figure out who donated what and if they want to leave the item in the museum.

“We just don’t know,” she said. “A lot of these items are extremely valuable, and I just want to make sure the families want to keep sharing them with the general public.”

There are cockpit control panels, landing gear, plane engines, flight trainer simulator, parachutes, photographs depicting the entire advent of human flight, mannequins dressed up as pilots, mannequins dressed up as various military personnel, and mannequins dressed up as mannequins.

So much to see and according to Alison, the museum wants visitors to take their time and look at each display as long as they would like.

Sounds good, if that visitor had a few extra months to spare, since there is so much to experience.

Our favorite item, I’m speaking for Laureen and myself here, was the wooden ski sleds that Admiral Richard Byrd used during his famous exploration to the south pole.

Admiral Byrd's skis

We were staring at history – and it was cool.

So, a slight jog off Highway 58 had found us in the small but inviting town of Boron. 

As we drove east toward Kramer Junction, I looked over at my darling wife and said, “That was really a pleasant stop.”

“Yes, a lot more then I expected,” she replied. 

And that what traveling is all about – not to expect too much but then to be pleasantly surprised when you find so much more.

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