The Legend of Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway
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- Опубліковано 26 кві 2022
- In 1964, when Interstate 40 was being built through California's Mojave Desert to replace Route 66, construction of the interstate was set to cut right through Bonnie Margaret Orcutt's driveway. This would have cut her house off from Route 66, and every other road, but Mrs. Orcutt wasn't going down with out a fight. After letters were written to the President of the United States, it was decided that the government will build Mrs. Orcutt a road to connect her to the nearest onramp to I-40, four miles away.
The road, which became known as Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway, was well maintained, flat, and perfectly straight. Not to mention that since it only had one house on it, there was very little traffic. In the early 1970s someone from Car and Driver Magazine found it and realized it would be a great place to speed test cars. With a number of magazine articles and cars hitting over 200 miles-per-hour on the road, Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway became legendary.
After Mrs. Orcutt died, the road fell into disrepair and its no longer possible to hit the incredible speeds that were achieved on the road in the past, but the road still remains, an empty four mile road-to-nowhere on the edge of Newberry Springs, California in the middle of the Mojave Desert (the road is now listed on Google Maps as Memorial Drive).
In this video we explore Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway, talk about what a character Mrs. Orcutt was, and explore the ruins of her property.
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For years I was a truck driver who travelled that route. At the time, I was running (jogging) around thirty miles a week. Almost weekly I would park behind the Circle K and run eight miles on that driveway, four down, four back. I even explored the remains of those structures, wondering the whole time what they used to be. I had no idea the history I was traversing with every run. The Google algorithm feeds me this video, so now I know. Life can be serendipitous.
Wow... as a former distance runner myself I've been through some interesting locations that also had me wondering about the abandoned structures I'd passed. So cool that this video was able to not only jar your memory... but put some closure on one of your many journeys as you continue passing through life. Thanks for sharing!
Cool
Great history. Not only is awsome that you use to run that distance but also being able to check that location. I have been fascinated with abandoned places, it doesn't matter if it is a house ruin or an abandone road, I love googling everything and knowing the history of abandoned places.
praise the algorithm
Oh good let’s knows you used to do that. This wasn’t a coincidence.
Haha, no that’s rad you learned this about a place you ran
Mrs Orcutt was born near Richmond Indiana and attended DePauw University. She was petite. 4' 7". Her husband Kenneth was from Colorado, 10 years younger than her, and was killed in a small plane accident in Iowa in 1953. He raised chinchillas in Manhattan Beach, California.
Mrs. Orcutt planned to build a maternity hospital for unwed mothers on her Newberry property and name it Cywren ( her brothers name was Wren). She had many other plans for the property as well. Her lake on the property was 14' deep and a 1/4 mile long.
She died in 1987 at 77 years old.
I worked fro Mrs. Orcutt during my HS or College years. Not sure exactly when but between 1965-1970. She had a landscaping project around her lake. My friend, now retired and living in Newberry Springs, worked for her for a number of years. I believe she made those adobe bricks herself. She was a hoot. I remember she drove out to my parents house (about 10 miles away) just to see me and encourage me to go to college. Your description is accurate. She was the prototype of a community activist who knew how to work the levers of government. BTW, I lived there when the name was changed. The reason (we were told) the change was so easily made was that the historic name was Newberry Springs and all she did was to point out that it had never been officially/legally changed to Newberry. Regardless, at that time there were many lakes and alfalfa farms ( My dad put in an 8 acre lake at my house) so the "Lakes" addition was a great real estate move. Thanks for the vid. Brings me back many years to a grand old lady.
Thank you for replying. It's great to get a first hand account of Mrs. Orcutt.
@ John Brock The lake your Dad put in...is it the neat place with the jet skis on Route 66 East of Newberry Springs?
@@fckjb284 No, it is on the north side of Newber
ry, Springs about a mile east of the intersection of Riverside Road and Harvard.
Were there ever a race track built?
@@jorgendnilsson Maybe only the driveway dragstrip ha. 🏁
Been there. Driven that. At 190 mph.
I was on the editorial staff for Motor Trend Magazine in those days, and we top-speed-tested cars there many times during the 1990s. Car and Driver may have discovered it, but several magazines used it.
The road was really falling apart by the year 2000. Loose gravel from the deteriorating sun-baked tarmac, plus ruts and undulating surfaces, pot holes (especially toward the last mile, where'd you'd be nearing top speed) plus the natural hazards of tumbleweeds, cross-winds, high heat (or very cold winter temps.)
We drove the hell out of new Corvettes, Dodge Vipers, Z28s, Trans Ams, Mustangs, Porsches, Ferraris, and anything else fast, on that dead-end road. Occasionally we'd even get permission from the County to be there, and would pay for a CHP officer to watch over us. But, more often we'd just drive out there at dawn and go for it. No one ever complained, except...
One time, a very mad old lady in a pickup came speeding up to us as we turned the test car around at the far end, near our people running the test equipment (radar gun and timing lights.) The lady didn't identify herself except to say "I live on this road!" as she raised holy hell. We collected our gear and promptly left.
After we'd heard she died, we decided to venture further down the road to see where she had lived. You have the correct house in the video. But, back then it was only fairly recently abandoned, and there were still remnants of her stuff including a desk drawer crammed with her business paperwork that showed she and her husband owned a nut tree farm (almonds?) before moving there. I kept a couple of those papers, for historical sake, but haven't seen them in dozens of years. "Orcutt Family Ranch", I think it was called. In somewhere like Ojai CA, if I'm remembering correctly.
Thanks for the video. Was fun to see the old road again. Lots of untold stories live out there.
Thanks for posting this. Really cool to hear a first hand account of it.
We lived in Newberry Springs from 1966 to 1994, and we used to sell raw milk to Margaret. Yes, she had rifles by the turrets, she said she had to protect herself. She was an interesting character.
Oh wow. I think you are the first person to comment that actually had met her.
Sidetrack Adventures, please do a follow up interviewing Mr. Al Bowdridge, I would love to know more about the person.
I don't blame her for all the people who come up and down route 66.
Gunwalls
Being over prepared is better than being under prepared in possible life or death situations such as armed robberies/home invasions, I'm guessing that's how she viewed it.
Locals claim that Mrs. Orcutt's island-bound chickens swam to freedom around the time of her death and took up free-range lives in the surrounding desert. On some Saturday evenings, the descendants of her chickens gather on the driveway and hold races, but across the road rather than down its length, because they are chickens after all, even though rather eggcentric chickens.
This was great. 😂👌🏿
Lol great story.
So THAT is why the chicken crossed the road! 😂
finally we know why they crossed the road. their Orcut chickens
The Government will put a 4-way stop in driveway so chickens can cross safely
Thanks for this. I recall reading C&D back in the day and catching references to "Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway" but not understanding. It was all pre-internet so my information sources were essentially zilch. I wasn't sure if it was a pet name for a track or a lonely stretch of road, but figured that it couldn't *actually* be the driveway of some old lady named Mrs. Orcutt. How wrong I was! Very cool.
Dude! I love how you can relate a historical fact to the style of a storyteller! Not near enough of that type these days; less tech, more talk! ❤👍 P.S.- Mrs. Orcutt was a Champion!!
You did a great job with this story. My Dad knew her quite well and I was able to go out to Newberry with him to have lunch, I got to know the place pretty well and she was very nice to me when I was there. If you want to do a follow up get ahold of me and I can fill in the gaps about her ranch and the driveway. Thank you for bringing back some good memories
Yes! Id watch this too!
If she was a relative I was visiting I would have easily handled the problem after all it's her property something like every time I changed my oil but she didn't do anything to the driveway and kept it well maintained. She is a great person and anyone who enjoyed that driveway should give a prayer for her kindness Amen
Who owns it now?
I'm just wondering how do you fill and maintain a pond of that size in a desert?
@@paulbolus9399 come on out and we'll show you, it's pretty simple to build but you need to be dedicated to maintain them.
Because of the car magazines reference to Mrs. Orcutt's driveway, I did stop and look down that road. Yes, I've also stopped at the rest area that was on her old place. This holds an amazing place in automotive history and deserves at least a bronze historical marker. Please do so .......
Somebody should buy the property, restore the road and turn it into a dragstrip. Surely wouldn't cost too much to repave a mile of that to host 1/4 mile races.
I used to read the stories in Car and Driver magazine about their hi-speed exploits on that piece of tarmac. They were always vague about the location so as to not cause problems for Mrs. Orcutt. Enjoyed the update, thanks for the post.
My Dad was a construction engineer... and he laid a lot of asphalt out in the Mojave (29 Palms, Barstow, Camp Irwin),
This is a great old time story - but 4 miles of what is basically 2-lane blacktop, across that flat desert terrain, did not cost anything like 2 million dollars back then.
Actual construction cost was likely less than what they offered for her house.
That's what I was thinking. A bit odd how the government would choose to spend more money on building that road rather than forcing her off her property.
@@BlueOvals24 Yeah, unless someone could show me the receipts, I'll never believe that road cost anywhere near 2 million dollars.
1/2 a day's work with a road grader, very little compaction needed prior to laying the asphalt, and then lay a lightweight 2 lane asphalt strip? If it took the crew more than a week from start to finish, I would be surprised.
@theblackbear211 Doubt they would've had to do much terraforming either, looks like a very flat area.
Yes, in the late 60's the cost of 4 lane interstate construction was just passing one million per mile in the New England area, they did bring it back to just under that price by letting each direction "find" its best route through the terrain. Before that change both directions blasted through the same route with a fairly narrow median separating them in difficult terrain.
I think he implied that the cost would be equivalent to 2 million in today's dollars, not 2 million actual dollars at the time. At least that how I heard it.
I lived in Newberry Springs during the early 2000s. Every house out there has a well pump that connects to the the water table underground. It is the only way that it is possible to survive out there. I had never heard of Mrs. Orcutt before, it is a fascinating story! However, if you think her personality is unique, you should meet the people that still live out there and you would see that many of them are just like her! Living in the desert does things to people...
Anyway, my family was glad to move to the "big city" of Barstow after our time in Newberry Springs. I no longer live in the desert, but I appreciate growing up there.
living in the desert does things to people....yes...
We had a pistachio farm out there around the same time and if I remember correctly the dirt road to our farm to the paved road was right at newberry springs elementary... We live in orange county and would drive out there most weekends to be at the farm. It's really a great escape from everything now that I'm older and think back... It's hard for me to imagine what it would be like to grow up out there in sucha small community.. It seems like a dream to me now but growing up out there with all that nothing must of been an experience as a kid..
What an interesting story. I've driven by that offramp and often wondered why it was there with nothing around it. Now I know. Thank you for another great video.
i used to be a truck driver back in the 70’-2007,had to quit because I was a liability,but I always stop at the little fuel stop,&top off with fuel to make my next stop at Kingman,AZ,&more times I would stop at Newberry Springs,and sleep,many times I would pull out in the desert facing I-40,haven’t been to California since 2007,but have lots of memories all across I-40,all drivers out there ,be safe,stay safe🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
In 1976, my family went out to the outskirts of Newberry Springs for a kids camp retreat. I got to drive my mom's '65 Buick Skylark down that straight stretch at about 80mph before i was even old enough to drive. Also found an autographed copy of Dick Dale's Ride the Wild Surf at that camp. Good times. Thanks for making it.
the host of this program reminds me of Huell Hauser on "California Gold" program - for PBS? - & his many adventures throughout California . Same kind of vocal delivery/tone/rhythm, very informative - yet, brief, to-the-point. 9+/10
'nuf said, ALOHA 4 now.....😉😎
That low structure you guessed might be a doghouse, it's more likely what old-timers used to call a "root cellar"
I love your shows on Route 66 the best. Because I live on Route 66 in Oklahoma! I think about the days when Route 66 was the only road across the country and I could get anywhere I wanted on it not far from my front door! Keep up the great videos, I enjoy every one of them!
What a great story! I'm familiar with Newberry Springs from my own travels and I loved learning about Mrs. Orcutt and her property. I would have enjoyed meeting her! Thanks Steve!
Glad you enjoyed it!
What an amazing story. I grew up in S CA and my family camped out in the desert several times a year but this is the first I’ve heard of Mrs Orcutt and her driveway.
Great presentation and footage. BTW: I still have that copy of Car and Driver. It was their second serious attempt at 200 mph. The first was a white Cadillac running LNG. I've long forgot about Mrs. Orcutt's driveway until now.
My wife and I love all your videos, especially the Route 66 related ones, thank you so much for all the hard work you do just to share your adventures with us and allowing us to travel vicariously along with you. THANK YOU
I need people like u in my life
I'M only 60yrs and drove cross country from Michigan to San Diego from late 1970s. to middle 1980s. for work and to visit with my Sister. I drove the "driveway" in 1983. Easy, because someone lives at the end of road. I'm a lucky man and I should have knocked on the door just to to say "Hello" .Thanks for sharing, James
Great history lesson. Thanks so much. Newberry Springs is near to one of the longest underground rivers in the US. From Silverwood lake passing near Barstow, Newberry Springs, and empties into Soda Lake near Baker Calif.
Yes you are correct. The Mojave River begins in the San Bernardino mountains and is underground for the most part except certain locations like Victorville and Afton Canyon and is the only river in the U.S. that flows inland instead of out towards the ocean like all the others.
@@joewenzel5142The Kern River flows and stops inland.
@@user-qr9eo1wo8yThe Kern River is the only major river in the Sierra Nevada mountain range that drains in a southerly direction.
@@joewenzel5142 Any river flowing into the San Joaquin valley south of the Delta must travel north to flow to the ocean.
@@user-qr9eo1wo8y That's the entire point it's flowing towards the ocean...the Mojave River doesn't.
Such a sympathetic and pleasant host.
He takes us some amazing places.
Thank you from Sydney, Australia.
Watching from Melbourne Aus. I no doubt traveled that road back in the 80s as I made 3 trip to Cali from Indiana.
The Wife and I, love your Channel… you always find the “Stuff” that has been (unfortunately) forgotten… You’re the modern History Channel! Keep up the great work.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
That section of I40 came in around 1970; we drove it every summer. Before that, it was 66.
Great video, and what a wonderful piece of history. Such a shame that the house is in disrepair and left to the elements. We love stories like this. We have travelled Route 66 so many times and didn't know about Mrs Orcutt. What a gutsy lady!
Yeah, it seems like she had no heirs so the landed just went to the government who did nothing with it.
@@SidetrackAdventures Such a shame!
@@SidetrackAdventures It looks like the government didn't do much with it but much like a lot of other "unattended" old homes and isolated properties, unfortunately there are too many people on the loose who have no respect for places like this. The obvious malicious damage to Mrs. Orcutt's old home is evidence of the "lowlifes" who find that sort of destruction entertaining. Having lived in the desert and taken motorcycle trips past abandoned old places I've seen the remains of those "parties" that left a burned out pile of rubble. There's a lot history to be uncovered if you take the time to do some research. There are still many old stories out there in history of our Southwest.
Thanks for taking the time to check out her old home. It's been many years since I've heard of Mrs. Orcutt's driveway...
@@SidetrackAdventures went to the government, what a waste just like most everything they are involved in smh
I have driven that road in my Jeep, without knowing anything about the history of it. Thanks very much for putting out this video. The Mojave Desert is full of surprises.
Every road out there seems like a question waiting to be answered.
I really enjoyed your video, you articulate and edit very well. As a retired truck driver this was a common route for me. I was always curious about the many old structures off the highway. Thanks again for sharing, Jack
Thanks for watching!
Talk about driveways, I was is South Australia a few years ago and came across a letter box at the end of a drive way to a cattle station, we thought we would ask if we could camp there for the night, 135 miles and 3 1/2 hours later we got to the farm house. Yes we could camp, they were thrilled to have visitors!
That's crazy! Imagine being so isolated at the end of a driveway that long. Did they fly to town when they needed to go out?
Sarah Henderson had a property in NT and it was a 2 hour drive from home to the front gate of the station.
Wow, I saw a video recently there about a cattle ranch that is bigger than a lot of states.
Ken Matthew, you need to tell us more about that ranch. Shoot a new born calf would be half grown by the time mom got him to the first water hole. 😁
Seriously though I love hearing about Australia. I watch every documentary of Australia I can find. At 79 I've no hope of ever seeing it in person.
@@SidetrackAdventures Not just one 'station' but quite a few can be a million acres plus....
She knew how to get things done!
How the... what the... 😶 You are correct. This story is rather insane. I rather dig this lady & am glad to have learned about her. REALLY enjoyed this. Thank you for sharing! And agree with you on entering old buildings. The secrets to uncover inside is so rewarding but also feels like the perfect place for snakes to hang out.
Yes, I can just imagine a snake popping out of the pile of wood that was once the roof.
❤️👊😎
Miss the 60`s & 70`s and my dad telling me the great storiesTHANKS
Man you could run some sick Flying Mile events out there! Man, I like this Orcutt! She sounds like a real go-getter who doesn't take no crap and knows a trick or two! Hey if anyone wanted to live at their own racetrack and could buy they property - I don't think you even need to get a building permit if you rebuild the house to the original plans..
Wow! You put a lot of effort into that and it turned out really interesting. You have a real knack for investigating topics and shaping them into interesting and informative videos. Keep up the good work. 👍☮️🌞🌵🚧🗺
Do a little old lady from passadeana episode
Great stories are always better when told from the subject area. Thanks for bringing that story to life. Mrs. Orcutt must have been a pistol.
Yes, almost every time I found a story about her it made me chuckle. She was quite the character.
Wow! Someone should make a movie about this!
I just love your videos! One of my childhood friends grandparents owned a catfish farm out that way and I'd usually tag along for a week or so every summer. I think they had about 5 man-made lakes, the bottoms were so mucky! but it never stopped us from swimming. (Except when ppl were fishing: ppl paided to fish, I think they charged by the lbs) then we'd walk to the neighbors (it was only a couple of miles) and rent horses (it was 2 bucks for however long we lasted, lol) good times, great days! Your videos remind me of all those wonderful times!
I read a story in car and driver magazine about 20 years ago that was all about Miss orcutt's driveway and the high-speed test runs that were done on it 😀
I want to stress right up front that I am NOT a civil, or any kind of, engineer, but if she was complaining about a FUTURE Interstate 40, a much cheaper method would have been to grade the original drive down a bit, then lay in a culvert structure, whether a concrete box structure or a large diameter corrugated pipe, then built the interstate on top of that. The CA/AZ/NM desert is full of those underpasses. Two-three hundred feet of "culvert" underpass, I'm sure, is a lot cheaper than 4 miles of built and maintained road.
Keep up the good work.
Yes, I'm not sure how they decided on the road being the best idea.
Don't those ice up ?
@@Alvan81 Ice up? In the Mojave Desert? Not likely.
What a beautiful piece of Americana. I get sad knowing that great obscure historical stories like this one fall off the face of the earth forever unless someone finds it, dusts it off and presents it to people, extending the story's life for a few more years.
@@MrEazyE357 Not likely agreed. But not unheard of. Over/underpasses are subject to special conditions at higher Temps, not general/hard freeze icing.
In the 60s it often got below freezing in the Mojave Desert in winter.
Thanks for inspiring some of our best outdoor adventures near the Vegas area.
Our pleasure! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.
As a truck driver I go through there all the time I end up staying the night at the shell station a lot
What a fascinating story! You would think that the town would try to preserve that house and property with the unique story behind it. It's on my list of places to see that is for sure. Thanks for sharing.
I think its far enough from everything else and they probably didn't want to draw anymore attention to the road where people were trying to break speed records.
Really cool video! I knew of Mrs Orcutt's driveway from C/D articles. I remember one time they were testing some car at very high speed, when a CHP pulled up behind them. After explaining that it was a private driveway, the cops had to let them go. I think part of C/D's deal with Mrs Orcutt was that they could not divulge where her driveway was located. Thanks again for the video!
If she was a smart lady she made a lease with c/d that included maintenance of her driveway....maybe that was the secret to funding its upkeep.
@@fraidykat Good point. I don't think C/D ever mentioned if they had to pay her. She did seem like a pretty sharp lady-especially to get the gov't to put in a 4 mile driveway, and shotgun turrets around her house.
@@61rampy65 The road was in great shape until she passed away. She had it good with Someone!!
@@fraidykat Maybe the road was maintained because LBJ ordered its' construction.
@@mightymikethebear Only then I would imagine it would Still be maintained.
Thanks for sharing your adventures! Keep up the great work.
Thanks for doing the research on Mrs. O and taking us out to her property!
Interesting and quirky history surrounding route 66 and the development of the I 40. Thanks for taking us on a cool adventure!
Too cool. Im sure that woman was everything she could be, and it should be that way. When I die there will be no story. They will remember me for 20-30 years then life goes on. People can be standing on a piece of ground and not know anything of its past. Love this stuff thanks for sharing.
Got good chuckle out of this woman's saga lol Thanks for this video.
What a cool story! Also, I'm always saddened to see properties abandoned and buildings left to decay after someone dies. You would think someone else could have purchased the property and maintained it.
i am always saddened to see properties abandoned and building left to decay after somone dies...me too...
@@senthilnathanviswanathan4924 ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ me three ……… Let’s all go to Sugar rock Candy Mountain
We relie on people like yourself to educate us on topics like this. I too have passed that road many times and wondered. Thank again for your time and your effort is showing!
Demonstrating what every senior knows: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Well she left her mark on the world, that's for sure!
A very good guide, pleasant voice, non emotional, right to the point..
I love these kind of stories!
Me too!
Great video! I loved the bit about nature taking a break on Saturday.
So the legendary driveway was/is actually a driveway. WOW!! I read about the test strip back in the 80's and 90's and figured it was a myth or exaggeration. Thanks for the vid Sidetrack Adventures
Fascinating story....keep them coming please....
Another fun story! There's a lot of history along Route 66 that has fallen by the wayside of Progress. Knotts Berry Farm has roots in the Newberry Springs vicinity.
I've thought about going to the Knott's homestead site out there, but haven't made it yet. From what I understand there is nothing but open desert now, but it would still be cool to see.
This is the second video of yours that I have watched, and I really enjoyed it! You have a great way of telling the story! I look forward to your future videos! And I love that hat! Go Padres!
Thank you so much! Glad to see another Padre fan!
Out of nowhere comes an interesting story about a place that I must have passed a hundred times as an over the road driver back in the 90's.
Keep traveling and best wishes to you.
That was a fascinating story. Thanks for sharing.
What an excellent example of dredging up history.
I want to be like Mrs. Orcutt.
Me too!
@@kathypichey4306 Not really, I hope!..She sounds really cranky and misanthropic.
Well Damn! Our family were on vacation right out there earlier this year. No idea we were in such close proximity to such a significant piece of Americana.
Thank you so much for your informative content. It is always entertaining to view.
You're welcome and thank you for watching.
So fascinating. What an interesting, tenacious woman. Thank you.
AWESOME video Sir ....And the soft not too boomy music is nice too
Great video! Love the extra research and new ideas you gave to the story. It's one of the better legends in American history, so it's awesome to see it being shared around a little more. Hopefully with videos like these, the story will live on.
Thank you, we appreciate it. It's definitely a cool story that shouldn't be forgotten.
Very interesting, another one I didn't know. Shows how the people and the government go day-to-day. Some good some not so good
Thank you for taking the time to bring us this great video. What a wonderful story of a life well lived.
"to make even matters worse". "This road became known for being able to go really fast on it". Thank you, Jimmy, would anybody else from the third grade like to share?
Heck ya I remember those articles in Car & Driver! This mysterious driveway out in the desert was very intriguing. I always thought Mrs. Orcutt was some rich Howard Hughes-type recluse, with a big gated mansion and a dozen servants on a zillion acres, who thought it would be amusing to loan out her driveway to some go-fast young writers. Seems from this vid that the "driveway" was actually a public road, with her property only starting at the end. Dang shame how it's become decrepit, in my mind I figured there would be descendants taking over the place and driving their vintage Ferraris out for cocktails in Vegas. Perhaps it took the internet age for the location to become widely known, well past it's prime, otherwise I could see my fellow boomers making the pilgrimage out there to run their Corvettes and relive the adventure. Thanks for the presentation. Now I've got another destination on my bucket-list tour, along with Molassia and then the desert to snap a pic with an Alpine White Challenger and some crisscrossed tracks in the sand captioned " NEVADA - SATURDAY - 1:36 P.M. "
This is a great video. Totally awesome route 66 story and would absolutely love to see it myself someday!
Thank you, we appreciate it.
I simply love your videos - reminds me of California’s Gold and Huell Howser. Wishing you the best!
What a fantastic story of Mrs.Orcutt❤
May her soul rest in peace. Aamin
Love from Pakistan.
Very cool video! Thanks for the interesting story! However, I think you may have missed the actual big lake with the island. Directly east of Mrs. Orcutt's house is a very large depression with a raised bit of land near the eastern "shore". I suspect this was the big lake and Island. If you turn on the "topo" layer on google maps, you can see it pretty clearly.
that for sure was the lake . so she had a lake and a pond with and underground well , now thats how you do the desert. Im gonna go there fix it up drill a well a squat right there and call it mine.
I dont live in the states. But i sure do love your videos! Very informative
Thank you, I appreciate it very much.
Route 66 looks in really good shape.
Thank you for this story. I’m an Orcutt.
She sounds like my kind of people. Sadly, we're a dying breed.
I remember first reading the article about the 200 mph TransAm back in 1984 and smirking at the Mrs. Orcutt driveway details. Here's an excerpt of the actual article: “We felt it was high time we actually met Mrs. Orcut, who lives at the end of our 200 mph highway. (Sic). Contrary to the prevailing lore, the house has no gun slits, armed guards, or Dobberman patrols. As a matter of fact, the lady who answered our knock is sweet enough to be your grandmother” (Sic) As far as she’s concerned, we use her lane for fuel-economy testing. She doesn’t seem to mind”
I remember that article too :)
As a frequent reader of Car & Driver in the 1980s, I always imagined Mrs.Orcutt's driveway to be just slightly less awesome than Heaven.
That was a really great video and this precious lady was quite a character!! Thank you for sharing this exciting BLESSING of a piece of history that I didn't know of!! GOD BLESS you and your precious family now and always 🙏 🤗💞🙏
I remember that issue. CD did a ton of mods on an early 80s Trans Am to make it run 200. I remember their last test out there but not the car they were testing. They knew the party was over when they had to dodge potholes at 140. That was the end.
super interesting thanks for all of this. we have property not too far away, nice to find out about this fascinating place. looks like her land is currently owned by a small nursery company, maybe some day they will put something on it again (the road is all govt land)/ thanks for sharing!
Your delivery is inspiring. Thank you.
I don't know why, but I love this channel! I don't typically care for all that "mirco historical" stuff like railroads, highways and bridges, but man, in your videos it just has this certain apeal with all the adventerous acoustic guitar in the background. Don't ever change! My new favorite channel! I instantly subscribed!
Glad you enjoy it!
How do you find all these places? Watching you and your familie's happiness brings me so much joy. You're like the best friend I've never gotten to actually meet!
Thank you so much. A lot of times I'll read an article or something and just make a note to look more into it.
I really enjoyed this video - it's much more like your usual ones (unlike the disney cruise ad last time). Btw, Newberry Springs is the home of the famous Bagdad Cafe.
Before the movie it was the Roadrunner Cafe. I loved their burgers. They would sell 1/4 , 1/2, 3/4, and 1 lb. burgers.
@@OldPapaBear which movie??
@@kevinviperherbig7066 The movie was 'Bagdad Cafe' released in 1987. I wasn't around for the filming. My Grandfather moved from Newberry springs in the late 70's to be closer to health care. But I came across an article regarding the filming. I knew the place as the Roadrunner Cafe when I was young. They changed the name after the movie was filmed there. I thought they had some good burgers and always looked forward to going there with family.
@@OldPapaBear Used to be Great cheeseburgers there! Is that neat old short Airstream trailer still next to the cafe? I believe it's the trailer Jack Palance lived in in the movie? Last time I saw it the door was missing.
@@fckjb284 The burgers were great! Not sure if the trailer is still there as I haven't been to Newberry Springs since the late 70's. Might take a peek on google maps.
I remember that article and Car and Driver issue ! What a small world. This is quirky channel. I'm subscribing.
You are such a delight! Once again, an intriguing, historical nugget of info.
Keep up the beautiful, overhead footage. You're doing a fine job.
Interesting. I'm amazed they made the driveway so wide like a regular road? Seems like if you'd cut the width down it would of been cheaper.
They only offer her $100K but then spent $2M + upkeep on a taxpayer-funded driveway??? ,And people wonder why this country is in a total state of financial ruin.
Great story, you make excellent videos! ..., new sub.
Thanks I appreciate it.
Yep. Crazy. It's not their money so they don't care. They're doing alright.
Another great trek ! Such good information and stories. Thanks to you and your family for this fun exploration.
This has been my favorite video this week.
I just learned something new today. Thank you. I'm curious though. If that road only leads to an abandoned house now, why was a portion of it recently repaved? Also, does anyone own the property now? Seems like a very cool place to resurrect for the car culture.
There is a gas station/truck stop at the offramp and I think trucks pull on to the beginning part to sleep. Thats probably why that portion had work on it. Towards the end it gets pretty Rocky. She had no heirs so the state or county took possession of the land. Some of her property was turned into a rest stop.
Bennett's Auto, you bring up an interesting point !
My point; How could an asphalt road, that was good enough for speed trials, deteriorate so badly, as to be essentially totally unrecognizable ?
@@dancahill8199 The desert heat destroys asphalt that isn't being used rapidly.
I’m 55. I grew up in both New Mexico (a cattle and sheep ranch near Piñon) and California (Riverside).
What is so depressing to me, and I’ve found this to be the case no matter how well built, once a home or building is abandoned l, decline is rapid and just a couple of generations we see near total loss..
GOLDEN! WOW,,ABOUT THE BEST STORY I'VE HEARD IN A LONG TIME..RIP MRS ORCUTT AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR GREAT VIDEO..SAFE TRAVELS..
Thumbs up,good story.
Thanks.
What a great video! I never heard this story before, and I was a Car & Driver subscriber during those days when they did the testing. Does Mrs. Orcutt have anything to do with the City of Orcutt, California near Santa Maria? I used to live there.
I'm not sure, Orcutt was her married name and I don't know much about the husband.
@OneFastDuster it is true. My boss Gale Banks was with Casba Csere the day they hit 200.
@@thmanx Gale is a legend! You are so fortunate to work for him.
@@CarsandCats his office is 1 door down from mine, in the 547 S Duggan building. Incredible gentlemen he is, sharp as ever, just celebrated his 80th 2 weeks ago and still kicking ass!
I lived in Santa Maria.