Helendale in San Bernardino County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
America’s Main Street
Route 66
Photographed by Craig Baker, September 22, 2025
1. America’s Main Street Marker
America's Main Street, Route 66, was officially paved and opened in the Helendale area in 1926. The National Old Trails Road Association, whose President was Harry S. Truman in 1925-26, devised a program to create a national highway system that would follow the "old national trails" developed by Indians and wagon trains of the 1800's.
Prior to its paving and numbering, the "Mother Road", Route 66 was officially known as the Santa Fe-Grand Canyon-Needles National Highway. Nicknamed the "Trail of Padres," this highway lasted until 1914 and serviced passengers between Los Angeles and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Several early trails and roadways including the Mojave Trail, the Old Spanish Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Mormon Trail, as well as the Sanford Freight Road, all passed through the Helendale area.
During the 1920s and 1930s, countless numbers of "dust-bowlers" used this roadway in their search for better opportunities in California. The travelers were immortalized by John Steinbeck in his epic "Grapes of Wrath."
Erected 1993 by Helendale School District, Mohahve Historical Society, and Community of Helendale.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles.
this page online
Location. 34° 43.909′ N, 117° 19.606′ W. Marker is in Helendale, California, in San Bernardino County. It is at the intersection of National Trails Highway and Vista Road, on the left when traveling north on National Trails Highway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 26426 National Trails Hwy, Helendale CA 92342, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles, in the Peninsular Ranges, and specifically in the Transverse Ranges. It is also in the American Southwest. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Point of Rocks (approx. one mile away); 100 Year Time Capsule (approx. 1.2 miles away); a different marker also named Oro Grande Cemetery (approx. 9.1 miles away); Lt. Manuel P. Rodriguez Memorial/El Monumento al Teniente Manuel P. Rodriguez (approx. 9.1 miles away); George Air Force Base (approx. 10.4 miles away); F-4C Phantom II (approx. 10.7 miles away); Mojave River Crossing (approx. 11 miles away); Lane's Crossing (approx. 11 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Helendale.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Oro Grande Cemetery (was approx. 9.1 miles away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this marker. Original location: One-half block south of here. The monument
courtesy Mohahve Historical Society
2. America’s Main Street Marker
Replaced in 2023 by the Mohahve Historical Society, and Community of Helendale.
courtesy Mohahve Historical Society
3. America’s Main Street Marker
With a list of donors on the reverse.
Photographed by Craig Baker, September 22, 2025
4. America’s Main Street Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 17, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 217 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 17, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 4. submitted on October 4, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.
