The Route 66 Ghost Towns of Siberia and Bagdad
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2023
- As Route 66 winds through the Mojave Desert in California, the road is pretty empty. But there was once a number of towns along the road that have been lost to time. We recently visited two of them, Siberia and Bagdad.
Both towns got their start in 1883 when the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway was built between Needles and Barstow, CA. Within a few years several mines opened in the area, greatly expanding the population.
Bagdad would become the biggest town between Needles and Barstow, and even had a Harvey House at one point. But neither town could survive the end of the steam engine, or Route 66 being bypassed.
Siberia breathed its last breath in the 1940s and Bagdad held on to the 1960s, but both are long gone now, and little remains of both. But that doesn't mean nothing remains.
In this video we explore the two town sites, talk about the history, a couple of military tragedies in the area, and visit the Bagdad cemetery.
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Thank you for bringing up Jason Rother.
I knew him from I went to boot camp with him in 1987. We have the same first name. I knew he was gonna be a great Marine! It was such a terrible failure that cost his life. His command tried to say he was a deserter at first, I knew that couldn't be. I'm grateful everything was brought to light in his case after the Commandant got involved.
I think about him often through the years.
Semper Fi Jason Rother!
Thanks for commenting. The story has always infuriated me. I remember first hearing about it when I was in the Army years later and how even after dropping everything else he kept his weapon to the end. It never should have happened.
I was stationed with D Co 3 rd AAV Bn at 29 Palms when Lcpl Rother went missing, we spent quite a few days looking for him,but unfortunately didn't.
I remember hearing about him, lost at NTC. The National Training Center, outside of Barstow. I went there in '91, I think. Such a tragedy.
@@Svensk7119 His unit was training at 29 Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center not NTC in Barstow.
@@Tracks85 I may have misunderstood at the time.... still, they are not too far from each other. Either way, it was tragic.
About 30 years ago I talked to an old farmer in our area that used to have a watermelon stand during the summer on US 59(old Hwy 8). He said when air conditioners in cars became popular in the late 50s, people didn't need to stop and cool off. He and his brothers ran that stand until the early 60s and closed it after 20 years. I remember going out to it when I was a kid.
never heard of old highway 8 (google search turns up nothing)- was that in merced county?
@@tommurphy4307 I wikied it and it came up. It was one of original 25 Texas highways in 1917 that went from the Red River, New Boston to Port Arthur.
It's always sad when a town dies.
For years I would tell a driver his/her radiator was leaking.
The driver would always correct me, saying, "No it's air-conditioning but thank you for your concern."
We never had air conditioning in our cars not till the 80s
@@angelmist4253the sad truth is one word, economics.
The character portrayed in the graffiti at Siberia is “Chico,” mascot of the Santa Fe Railway post World War II.
The one in California is spelled Bagdad, the one in Iraq is Baghdad.
I’m a locomotive engineer for the BNSF railway that runs right through there and now I have a lot more to consider when I’m staring out the window and wondering what kind of hardy soul would brave such a place. Thank you for your dedication and research into history!
2:50 according to my coworker who grew up in those railroad towns between Barstow and Needles, those holes were for cold storage where they kept the ice that was delivered on a regular basis. He told me that as a kid they would sneak in to escape the summer heat and steal ice for a treat.
good comment- even if they couldn't use the ice they would still have the water left over- since there were no water districts there.
I know an Aussie ghost mining town with one. Father in law calls it the butcher shop. He grew up there in the days of horses. A cool room needed ice before refrigeration.
I was thinking along the same lines. It looked like a root cellar to me, a place for keeping things cool.
Since we all grew up in the era of diesel-electric locomotives, it's not always evident how dependent on readily available water steam locos really were. The movie images of the high balling trains weren't always the case. Nowadays the Amtrak Southwest runs that same route, although in much more comfort. 😊 Thanks to you, Steve, for braving once again the unforgiving nature of the Mojave Desert to bring us these episodes!
Steam trains operated into the 1960s in America, sadly well within my era...
The thing about Route 66 is that even if there is nothing to "see", it's the road itself and the landscape it travels through that is historic. The desert southwest is beautiful but brutal, and was especially so to our early travelers. Another fascinating video, Steve. Thanks!
Those words are so true. Me and my brother spent many years prospecting the Mojave. There was a mine silver lead mine off Essex road, brought back memories of our time out there, THE MINE WAS A GOOD PRODUCER , BONANZA KING MINE 1885, ALOT OF MEMORIES THERE. THANK YOU
Crazy to hear that "old" story about Corporal Rother. He was 3 months older than me and I was going out the I40 back in the summer of 1988 to Laughlin for Memorial day, 4th of July and Labor day. To think he was fighting for his life while I was vacationing with my friends acting like and idiot. Prayers to his family.
I knew the family who owned the "original" town of Bagdad (not the New Berry springs movie location). It was the Hartzler family that purchased it from Luther Friend (who owned Ludlow at the time) around 1953. I have a video recording of Mr Hartzler describing what it was like back when he owned the town. His son Don Hartzler Jr is still alive and lives in Lenwood Calif., with wife Carol. Don Jr has pictures and used to be a mechanic in Bagdad during the route 66 era.
think of all the studebakers and ramblers he worked on......
This is a 'top shelf' production. In 1968 as a British student I caught a Greyhound bus on a Friday night from Flagstaff and got off on early Sunday in Washington DC. I think the route covered much of Route 66. In 2010 I took a motorcycle tour from Phoenix through Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. In some places on I40 we stopped at the remains of Route 66 where long closed diners and gas stations were still advertising one dollar burgers and 50- cent gas.
You found more stuff than I did when I was cruising 66 out of curiosity and boredom.
You're the 'Huell Howser' of UA-cam!
huell howser was a southerner- and steve sounds more like a native californian. i enjoyed huell howser's 'california gold'- but i think he was mostly "book-smart" regarding california.
I really appreciate all the work and research you put into your videos Steve. Always enjoyable. 👍
Thanks 👍
@@SidetrackAdventuresYeah, I was also impressed by your research, and the respectful way you treat the memories of the folk who populated these out of the way places.
Brilliant history review. Just love these stories 👍👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Glad you enjoyed it
Used to manage the rail line out of Parker AZ to Cadiz CA and the desolate California desert is truly unlike anywhere else in the country.
Love the addition of the road and drone footage of the trains going through the desert. Really connects to the tale of old towns that once were and the lifeline between them. As always... really impressed by your storytelling and research.
The wind was really blowing and it stopped me from getting more drone footage sadly. I wanted to see if we could see the outline of the airfield but even in the bit I did get I was getting high wind warnings like crazy.
Mazzy Star filmed her Fade Into You music video at Bagdad - you can see the Bagdad tree in the background in several shots. In fact she filmed it at several stops along the route you took today. She filmed it in 1994.
Wow I cannot seem to get away from that song. Have been seeing it or seen reference to it all week for some reason.
Thank you for sharing that! I saw them many, many years ago when they came to San Diego to tour for that album. I don't know how many times I've watched that video but I do remember that tree and how most of it was shot in the desert.
Also, Mazzy Star was both Hope Sandoval and David Roback. D. Roback, sadly, passed away in 2020.
Her name is Hope Sandoval. Mazzy Star was a duo that she was in. The other half recently passed away.
I'm not sure if I've ever seen the video for that song, but I'm going to look it up.
She has the smoothest voice I've ever heard. It almost puts me into a trance@@SidetrackAdventures
This was a really good episode. Thank you for all the work and research it took for you to create it. That poor military man who was abandoned out there ! What a horrible place to die, and a horrible way to die, knowing there is no one coming and no hope. It makes me sad that the Chinese people weren't buried in the cemetery and are somewhere in the desert in unmarked graves. Thanks so much for this one. Maybe the best one yet.
Thanks, I appreciate it.
@@RogerDBDbgee Amen.
@@RogerDBDbgeecorrection: he was given 4 MONTHS in the brig.
well, think about what you commented- there prolly wasn't a proper cemetery there at the time because the railroad was just being built. even if the graves were marked by co-workers there was no way for them to return there to maintain them. desert grave ledgers or records should always be buried to protect them from fire and weather, but there also has to be some kind of marker for the ledger.
I was in Baghdad in April, 1977. That was a mere 5 years after old US 66 was bypassed by I-40. Back then there were still some remnants of the town but no residents. There was a large concrete lined rectangular hole in the ground probably around 5 by 10 feet wide and about 6 feet deep. In it was old cans and smashed bottles and a skeleton and hide remaining of a cow that had fallen into the hole, or was pushed and died without a way to escape. Years later I returned to find nothing there. The only thing remaining was the sign along the railroad tracks that you showed saying Baghdad.
was prolly a cistern
Bagdad not Baghdad.
I simply am addicted to your shows Steve ... So very much has been forgotten 😞
Steve, another great video. Very familiar with are as a retired Marine who seemed to spend too much time training at Twenty-Nine Palms my whole 20 years in. Sadly I was there in Aug 1988 when LCpl Rother disappeared. It was Combined Arms Exercise (CAX) 9/10-88 The rumor mill was going full tilt that he had left the base and was in Mexico drinking brews as it was almost 120* there at high noon. Everyone that was at Camp Wilson on Twenty Nine Palms was in one shape or form looking for him. Back in that time there was zero training on how to survive in a desert. Sadly he was forgotten as a “road guide” for a convoy and it was around 24 hrs before they realized he was missing. Yes it was his rifle that was never turned into the armory that was the first indication something was wrong. I recall us looking for 4 days from sun up to sundown. They flew every aircraft we had and covered supposedly over 100,000 square miles. It wasn’t until the fall that the local SAR unit in conjunction with some Archeological team found his remains. Sad story no doubt. I have ridden on Route 66 through Amboy heading east on my Harley… a true desolate place…
i guess that guy was a real beer-licker
As an avid railfan, my friends and I woulf visit locations such as these 40-50 years ago. It's cool to see and hear about railroad history, and how the country was built. Thanks!
That poem at 3:45 was about as dark as some of Edgar Allen Poe's. Of course, if I lived there I might be in the abyss mentally as that guy was. Thanks Steve for taking us along with you and your history and narration is tops.
I should transcribe that whole poem and put it in the description.
I told you about traveling on the closed portion of Route 66. After all of this rain I'm interested in doing it again to see if there are any changes. They have to fix the dirt roads going around the washed out bridges because there are people who still live out there. I absolutely love it when you visit these old town sites. This is my part of the world too. Many thanks.
people who live in such places usually have 4X4's
Wonderful video, as always! There's a little, terrific independent, quirky film "Bagdad Cafe" that's worthwhile watching. It's all filmed in the desert and is one of my favs. You'll recognize many of the places filmed, I'm sure!
It was filmed at the current Bagdad Cafe! I've actually never seen the movie though.
@@SidetrackAdventuresit's a great movie and I bet you'd dig it !
It was one of my favorite Jack Palance roles
that IS a weird flick- jack palance and. ......can't remember the lady's name.
I've seen the Bagdad Cafe movie. Now I want to watch it again. Thanks for the video. It was very touching how that man took care of the graveyard.
Best Teaching And Tour Guide In All Of UA-cam! You always Deliver The Goods Steve! My Dad was a 30 year Officer and Pilot in The USAF and one of his high school buddies was the same in The USMC. Our families were life long friends and I actually visited them out in 29 Palms one Summer. I remember seeing a Memorial on the base about Cpl. Rother so this was a surreal moment to see this in your video. I was wondering why that nice Gentleman named Roland wasn't buried at the very Cemetery he literally took care of for years before his passing! Your research and presentations are the Best as the comments from Fans suggest the same! Enjoyed the Icey Tundra of Siberia too! 🤣 MOO From COW-lumbus To The Sidetrack Community! 👋
Thank you. The LCpl. Rother story is so sad. He was probably close enough to see the road or at least cars on it.
My Mom worked out at 29 Palms Marine Corps Base. Been there many times from from a few directions. Once you been there you never forget it.
@@milt6208 Very True Milt! And Joshua Tree is a must see too! Cheers!
i would guess that roland's heirs didn't want him to be buried out in the desert. its possible they didn't even know he was taking care of the graves.
@@tommurphy4307 Good points Tom! Salute👋
I’m retired Marine. One day at Quantico, during the typical Marine Corps 1.5 hours we have for PT, every day, I was doing pull ups at the bar by Liversedge Hall, and three Marines came running by……then after a while a fourth came limping along. I stopped him and asked him what happened….he’d turned his ankle. I asked if the three Marines I’d seen were in his unit, he said yes. I asked him his name and unit and he told me. He as with the Combat Development Command.
After I changed and was back in uniform, I went to see the Combat Development Command’s Sergeant Major; he was more than a little surprised to see me in his office. He was older than me, and we both knew what happened with Jason Rother being “left behind”. I related my experience earlier in the day, with the Marine who’d been “left behind” by his fellow Marines. This was a somber, sober conversation between two Marines who knew what it meant to be a Marine. We don’t leave Marines behind. Dead or alive, we don’t leave Marines behind.
The Sergeant Major told me he would “take care of it”.
In 2000, I stopped at the Bagdad Cafe (aka Sidewinder Cafe). It was a cool place to visit. Their were all kinds of behind the scene's pictures and items. I bought a Tee shirt and a coffee cup while I was there. Many years later I watched a video someone posted. It had changed owners and The whole inside was changed. The cool stuff was gone, and so was the Magic. I was going to take my wife there for a visit, but after seeing the more current video, I saved a disappointing trip and lots of gas. It went from Museum to a tourist trap......
Love the desert and love your episodes. I especially appreciate how you don't belabor the obvious when photography can tell the story.
I was on one of the civilian SAR teams that the Marines flew down from northern California to help look for Jason Rother. The base was used for weapons practice and ammunition was scattered everywhere. We were warned not to kick stuff to see if it was real. The base commander told us if anything was alive out there he wanted to know about it. I'm glad that the Marines were at least able to use Jason's story to teach others.
About a year after Jason was found, we heard that another Marine had been killed in his sleeping bag when a vehicle drove over him.
We had a rock hound's guide book, and were headed north from Route 66 to look for desert roses. Imagine our surprise to find a brand new freeway blocking our trail, part of the new I40 where there was blank space on the map.
Love your videos, Steve, keep 'em coming!
Years ago, I heard about a former Union Pacific worker who retired to Kelso, figuring he could always catch a train to vegas or LA. Guessed wrong. I did stop at the station in 1969 or 70. Restaurant was still open, and the proprietor got daily supplies via the train. It was almost a ghost town then.
Such a well researched and visually interesting video! Thank you.
You do such a fine job of transmitting the feel of the area. Your research is amazing
Thanks again Steve. We have a Bagdad in Arizona,and it still exists . I t was, and I think to a lesser extent, still is a mining town . The high school is still in use, and their sports teams compete in one of the lower attendance divisions of the Arizona Athletic Association. It was primarily a copper mining town and one of only two remaining company towns in Arizona. The population is around 2000 .I actually think that their sport teams are called the Sultans !
I visited Bagdad AZ, just to say I did. Riding motorcycle around the country. I camped on the edge of town.
The small high school is completely encased in chain-link and razor wire. I don't think the locals have much respect for the education system.
making friends in AZ.....copper mining towns are really nasty places- especially if the smelting took place there. ruth, NV comes to mind....@@Ayn-Rand-Is-Dead
Thank you Steve for all that you do documenting our history, I belive your videos will be watched for many years to come, I've seen pretty much every one and last year they helped me get thru covid..keep them coming Steve! And thanks again! Terry
Steve - I so appreciate your attention to detail. Love following you on your unique journeys. Also you music choices are perfect. ✌
My family traveled along US 66, both directions, several times during the '50s. I was in grade school at the time, and can still remember how suffocatingly hot and dusty it was. This was before air conditioning was common, either in cars or in homes.
We had this evaporative cooler contraption that was tubular and hung on a partially rolled up window. There was a string you pulled, and for a minute or two, it would stream water-cooled air into the car, along with a few droplets of water.
My Dad had a couple of canvas "desert water bags" that he hung from the bumper guards in the front of the car, to replenish the cooler and just-in-case. Overheating was a real hazard back in those days.
Nostalgia dies hard, but cross-country auto travel is SO much easier these days.
My bucket list includes hopping on my motorcycle with a couple of my riding brothers and riding as many miles of Route 66 as possible, making stops along the way. I sure enjoy watching your videos, they just reinforce my desire to make that trip. I'm running out of time though, the years keep rolling by, I better do it soon. Thanks for another fun video!
This has to be one of your best, brother, what a great story, thank you.
David
I seriously love your channel and what you are doing... I'm a straight up earth bouncer covering all but 3 states so far.. Never much video'd my travels, but I also haven't been to locations like you are covering.. Seriously cool coverage!!! MUCH appreciated!! You are a gifted orator as well..
Thank you Steve! Another great video with a terrific story! Keep them comming, we greatly appreciate all of your fine work. Thanks also for honoring the memory of Jason Rother.
Thanks for all of these videos! My wife and I love the relaxed, adventurous format.
Super random question. We live in Ohio and our ghost towns are all (mostly) still standing. Any reason why folks chose to knock down those old buildings in Bagdad and Siberia instead of just letting them degrade with time?
Cheers From COW-lumbus! O-H
Just guessing is that the property owners(or county) took them down to discourage squatters or liability concerns that it could fall on someone.
didn't they have a fire thru town?
Depending on when the towns shut down, a lot of it is people just taking the wood etc to reuse for their own purposes. In the case of Bagdad they tore everything down that was left in 1991 because they had become magnets for vandalism from what I understand. Apparently the Bagdad sign is stolen quite often too.
i don't think they chose to knock them down- mother nature and humans did it.
I don't know what I see in these videos other than the desire to go back into history. My brother and I used to hike various trails in the Appilachian Mountains to old abandoned towns for petroleum and timber extraction. Your video gives a similar small keyhole view of how people made a living and lived in the past. A view that is not written about in the history books.
Love this channel. Always great topics. Highly recommend.
Very interesting Story. Happy Humpday into Siberia. Southwest Germany is waving a Hand 💯🙋♂🍻
Another great S/A. Thank you for your time and effort, you do a fantastic job.
Always interesting stories of sometimes obscure but fascinating locations and great research to go along with the videos.
wow, what a history. Thank you, Steve and family.
Another great video, Thanks for sharing your travels with us.
Very interesting information, thank you! I'll be traveling through the area in 2 days and see all the things you pointed out. Love your channel!!
Thank you for another great video. I love the history that you present in these. Soooo much to learn about our great state.
Love your vids Steve! Always good to "meet" another history nerd. 🙂
Nice one! I love trains, RT 66 and the desert. This has it all! Great job.
Seeing Dave feed those deer reminds me of the bobcat that hung around the service station near the town of Amboy near Amboy's crater and one day a guy drove in to get gas saw the bobcat and shot and killed it. Needless to say he got out of the AO quickly.
Bobcat was at Cadiz Summit about 12 miles east of Amboy. Long abandoned and in ruins, I used to buy food and gas there when it was operating up until the late 1960's when a freeway bypassed it.
I knew off the top of my head it was somewhere near Amboy, thanks for the clarification.@@janblake9468
Thank you for another great video!! Well done!
🐈⬛🐾🐈🐾👍
I've been to that Cemetery a number of times to do some landscaping and trying to straighten the graves up a bit.
Another great video. Thank you!!
Great material love your program Huell Howser would have been proud of you, can't wait for the next one keep it coming
it's amazing how much there is to see even in these empty and lost towns. Thanks Steve.
Great and informative as always. Thanks.
Great article! I do so enjoy your productions. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Steve. My wife and I enjoy your work. It is especially appealing to us since we live in the area (more or less). We are halfway between Phoenix and Tucson and many of the places you show us could be future destinations for us. Keep up the good work.
stop by and see us in alpine, ca. on your way to the beach- we are all excited as we have a brand-new jack-in-the-box that is almost ready to open (at the east end of town). i know its just a jitb, but we are sick of mickeyD's.
Really interesting. I really enjoy your content. Keep up the good work!
Wow, I really enjoyed this. Thank you bro.
Steve, your videos are so well done. Informative and entertaining. You should have 1M followers
Thank you so much for what you do. We must never forget our history. Semper Fi.
Enjoyed watching this video, Been roaming these towns for some years now here and there. I'm a member of the group who errects the monuments all over. Thank you for sharing, great video. Take care. 🇺🇲
Thanks for the content MrSteve😎
Thank you. Your videos are a treasure!
Another awesome informative video, keep up the great work.
I’ve just found your channel! And subscribed! Thanks, very interesting.
We loaded/unloaded tanks going to and from Camp Pendleton to Twentynine Palms at Bagdad in the mid 70s and spent several days there. We used the ramp you showed in the video. There was a small wooden building where they stored the chocks and other loading gear. While loading one day, the flatcars moved away from the ramp to where we couldn’t load. The ATSF hadn’t left any locomotives or personnel to assist so we used our tank retriever to push the cars back into place… Great memories, Thanks!
Steve I really enjoy your videos! Thank you. You can't get all this history in books
Been watching your videos and subcscriber. I like how you detail every road, highways, ghost towns, Route 66, etc. I also found out you were an ex-Army man so from an older generation Army man to yours, thanking you for your service. And without you telling the tragic story of Lcpl Rother, i wouldn't have known a Marine died senselessly in Bagdad, CA. I live in the desert myself, in perhaps the glitziest city in the Mojave desert...in NV.
Amazing video! Thank you for the history lessons
Well done…. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your sharing. It is very interesting.
Another great adventure in the books, Thank you for sharing this with us you are a awesome person for that.
The shot you got of the train from the front bumper of your car was superb sir. Well done.
This was an awesome video! Thank you! 🙏 😊 The Ghosts of Route 66.
I love your videos! I love that area of California and am glad i can revisit it through your videos. Thanks!
Great video! Thank you.
Just found your channel n I'm really exited to c when other jerseys you have and what may b coming up great videos from California
Awesome Steve!
Enjoy your channel, places we love to visit. Thx.
Good report, well researched.
3:21 Nice healthy looking desert iguana. And it appears to have grown its tail back, either a raven or road runner probably caught it and it had to ditch the tail to survive.
As someone who chased many of these across the Nevada desert as a kid, I noticed the tail too!
When I got to the cemetery I saw a larger lizard that was snow white but it took off before I could get a picture. Not sure what it was.
That stumps me too.@@SidetrackAdventures
I have explored Siberia Bagdad and Ludlow extensively I suggest to look at the santafe railroad museum in Kelso it's full of historical information
ludlow to baker via the old tonopah & tidewater railroad right-of-way- a great trek in the wintertime.
Really enjoyed this video. One of these days, I want to explore as much of Historic Route 66 as I can. Always been fascinated by it and the desert.
Thank you for your videos. I’m glad I found you ky
In the 50s and 60s my dad was a long-haul truck driver. Desert Center Cafe was a very busy truck-stop. He took my husband and I through there in the early 70s. We stopped for lunch at the cafe where my dad still knew everyone.
Some of the palm trees were still alive but not many.
Steve awesome work!!You are the New Huel Howser of UA-cam!!! Keep the vlogs coming!!!
Thanks,very informative.👍👍👍👍👋🏼
You got great Videos Steve thanks this definitely takes a lot of effort learning the history and been the narrator. When you get a chance my backyard is the Tijuana River valley. Off Dairy mart road there is some back roads there and they build a campground back there. Thanks again. 👍👍👍
Great video Steve
Interesting as always, thanks
Another great episode on 66. Thanks.
1st - I’m an avid fan.
Please consider taking the curvy road to Baghdad, Az.
The road is exciting. Hill rise and drop the road so you can’t see over the top enough to be a thrill
You can see Gil’s Monsters. I took a Harley ride there with a friend and we spent ten minutes watching a Gila Mounter SLOWLY cross the road. Don’t get close: they are poisonous.
Baghdad remains. Mining town, albeit small now.
There is an excellent diner there.
I want to go there for sure. I was not to far away a couple years ago when I stopped by Nothing, but didn't get a chance to check it out.
Good vid bro... thank you for sharing...God Bless
I traveled Rte 66 in January 1969, from the start all the way to Santa Monica. Actually started in Milwaukee.