Frozen in time. Abandoned cafe and gas station in Desert Center, California.
Still in good shape inside. WARNING TO ANY VANDALS: THE RAGSDALE FAMILY (DESCENDANTS OF THE TOWN FOUNDER) STILL OWNS MUCH OF THIS TOWN (INCLUDING THE LAND UNDER THESE BUSINESSES) AND KEEPS A WATCHFUL EYE OUT. TAKE ONLY PICTURES. DO NOT VANDALIZE OR STEAL.
Although are no services these days (no food, no gas, no lodging), many truckers still stop here.
Desert Center is a census designated place in the Colorado Desert in Riverside County, California. It is in southern California, between the cities of Indio and Blythe at the junction of Interstate 10 and State Route 177 (Desert Center-Rice Road), about halfway between Phoenix and Los Angeles.
The town was founded in 1921 by Stephen A. Ragsdale, also known as Desert Steve, and his wife, Lydia. Ragsdale was an itinerant preacher and cotton farmer, originally from Arkansas. In 1915, he left his farm in the Palo Verde Valley along the Colorado River to attend to some business in Los Angeles. The road between Phoenix and Los Angeles was mostly sand, and Ragsdale's vehicle broke down near a place called Gruendyke's Well. This featured a hand-dug well and was inhabited by a prospector named Bill Gruendyke. Gruendyke rescued Ragsdale and gave him food, shelter, and water until his vehicle was repaired and he could resume his journey to Los Angeles.
In the early 1930s, Dr. Sidney R. Garfield, who had just graduated from University of Southern California, went to visit a former classmate with a practice in Indio. The practice was thriving to capacity, while Garfield was nearly without business in Depression-era Los Angeles. Garfield's friend explained that he was the closest doctor (50 miles) to 5,000 men digging the Colorado River Aqueduct under direction of The Seven Companies, Inc. The project site's headquarters was just southeast of Desert Center. Garfield borrowed money from his father and constructed a 4-bed clinic near the construction site. The clinic was cooled by an ammonia air-conditioning system and at the time was the only air-conditioned building between Riverside and Phoenix. Garfield would treat the men, who would promise to pay on payday, but who would usually go to Blythe or Indio and drink their paychecks. Within a year, Garfield was broke and announced that he would pull up stakes.
Hearing this, Henry J. Kaiser, whose division of the Six Companies, Inc. was building the stretch of the Colorado River Aqueduct through the Desert Center vicinity, visited Garfield at his clinic. His idea was to take a nickel a day out of each man's paycheck to prepay for that man's future medical treatments, should an injury occur while he was working. If the man wanted to be covered for the remainder of the day, after work hours, another nickel would be deducted. If the man had a wife and/or children he wanted to cover, this would cost another nickel. Within a short time, Garfield had a steady income stream and things improved for him immensely. When the aqueduct project was finished, Kaiser's next venture was the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, and he took Garfield with him to manage the workers' health care, but this time there were 50,000 men, not just 5000.
Garfield's Contractors General Hospital evolved into Kaiser Permanente, the largest managed health care system in the world, but its origins are in Desert Center. In 1992 a roadside historical marker at the site was unveiled by Garfield's sister next to the grocery honoring Desert Center as the birthplace of Kaiser Permanente.
The site of Kaiser Steel Eagle Mountain Mine, one of the largest open-pit iron mining operations in the world, is located about 13 miles (21 km) north of Desert Center. The rich iron ore deposit was discovered by geologists employed by Henry J. Kaiser during construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct in the early 1930s. The Eagle Mountain Mine operated at capacity from World War II until Kaiser closed the mine and the town of Eagle Mountain in early 1982.
Today, though showing its age, the town barely survives. The United States Post Office is the only remaining business, serving both locals and travelers crossing the vast expanse of desert between the Colorado River and Indio. The nearest gasoline and fast food are at Chiriaco Summit. Desert Center is home to agricultural farms, two mobile home parks frequented by snowbirds, and the Lake Tamarisk community, which includes a golf course and that was founded by the Kaiser Steel Corporation for mine management.
George Patton Memorial Museum California
The General Patton Memorial Museum is a military history museum with exhibits ranging from World War I through the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Established in 1988 to honor the memory of General George Patton, the museum is located at the heart of the Desert Training Center from World War II. Established by General Patton in 1942 to train American troops in desert warfare in preparation for the invasion of North Africa, it became the largest army training facility in the United States. During the course of the war the Desert Training Center trained 60 divisions and more than one million soldiers.
The museum is located at Chiriaco Summit, close to Camp Young, which was General Patton's headquarters. Joe Chiriaco, the son of an Italian immigrant, established the store and gas station there with his small family in the 1930s. Having surveyed the entire area for the aqueduct system a few years earlier, Patton called upon Joe to show him the area, which led Patton to finalize his decision to base the training center there.
The Chiriaco family initially established the museum in 1988, which became a non-profit entity dedicated to honoring America's veterans. The large majority of the artifacts on display and in storage have been donated by veterans or the family of veterans over the years. The museum also includes a large tank yard with tanks ranging from World War II through the Vietnam War.
The museum also has a large gift shop specializing in military themed toy, apparel, souvenirs, t-shirts and books. Located at 62510 Chiriaco Rd Indio, CA 92201 For more information Call us at (760) 227-3483
The Thing on Interstate 10 in Arizona [North American Road Trip #66]
Today we are leaving Hot Well Dunes and heading towards Tucson. Along the way we stop at a roadside attraction called The Thing. Once we arrive in Tucson we see mobile propane delivery truck and there is a little mishap with the filling of our tank.
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2K18 (EP 18) US Route 50 in Nevada: The Loneliest Road in America
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INTERSTATE 10, WEST TEXAS, USA
East of El Paso, Texas
Where speed limit on a non-toll road is the highest in the country: 80 MPH.
MUST stop at the Border Patrol Checkpoint before you're able to continue driving eastbound:
Drive safely.
I-40 Westbound in Arizona into Needles, California
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FREE BLM Camping Near Joshua Tree National Park - Campsite Review
Want to visit Joshua Tree National Park and stay in a free BLM campsite?! I have the perfect spot - easy to get to with plenty of sites! Check out the blog post on our website for more details!
The GPS coordinates for the site we stayed in are 33.673996, -115.807075
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While visiting Joshua Tree National Park for the first time we knew we wanted to stay inside the park but needed to get our bearings and began researching BLM land around Joshua Tree. We found 2 main places that we could camp - Joshua Tree North BLM and Joshua Tree South BLM. We decided to stay on the south side because it was warmer and according to some reviews the ground was more hard packed making it easier to get level. We stayed during peak season in Joshua Tree in February 2018. We were able to find a quiet private spot and it was wonderful. We highly recommend staying in this BLM spot!
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Music Credits
Song: Sunroof
Music by: David Cutter Music -
November 2018 Edition Of The Guide Now Available
Looking for some fun things to do around the Coachella Valley in November? Our November 2018 Coachella Valley Calendar of Events, courtesy of our colleagues Peggy Sue, Catherine and Kathleen at First American Title, might give you some ideas:
• Cars, Stars, and Rock and Roll & Indio Bbq State Championships | Nov. 1-4 | Big Rock Golf & Pub at Indian Springs Golf Course, Indio
• Passions Ball – An Evening of Heart & Soul | Nov. 3 at 6pm | Westin Missions Hills Golf Resort & Spa, Rancho Mirage
• Run with Los Muertos & Block Party | Nov. 3 from 6-9pm | Downtown 6th St., Coachella
• Rancho Mirage Art Affaire | Nov. 3-4 from 9am-5pm | Rancho Mirage Community Park
• USA Pickleball Assoc. Nat'l Championships | Nov. 3-11 | Indian Wells Tennis Garden
• Joshua Tree Int'l Improv/Comedy Festival | Nov. 9-11 | Hi-Desert Cultural Center: 61231 Hwy 62
• Veterans’ Day Heroes 5k | Nov. 10 from 8am | Frances Stevens Park, Palm Springs
• General Patton Memorial Museum Veterans Day Celebration | Nov. 11 at 11am | 62510 Chiriaco Rd.: Chiriaco Summit
• Cathedral City Hot Air Balloon Festival | Nov. 16-18 See website for schedule. | Downtown Cathedral City
• Props & Hops Craft Beer Festival | Nov. 17 from 12-5pm | Palm Springs Air Museum
• Brew in La Quinta Craft Beer Festival | Nov. 17 from 5-9pm | La Quinta Civic Center
• Martha’s Village & Kitchen Thanksgiving Day 5K | Nov. 22 | El Paseo, Palm Desert
• Cabazon Indio Powwow | Nov. 23-25 | Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio
• Dog Walk and Fundraiser | Nov. 24 at 9am | Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa
For more information and events, please read our blog post at:
The Briggs Group and/or First American Title Insurance Company, and the operating divisions thereof, make no express or implied warranty respecting the information presented and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions.
2011 May West on I-10 in California Desert Center A
landing los banos
landing los banos