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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Amboy in San Bernardino County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

The Story of Route 66

 
 
The Story of Route 66 Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 9, 2010
1. The Story of Route 66 Marker
Inscription.
Six panels are mounted on a base, which tell the story of Route 66 .
Reading from left to right -


Panel 1: The Story of Route 66
Commissioned in 1926 and soon dubbed "The Mother Road," Route 66 was a great asphalt river linking Chicago and Los Angeles – a highway of hope that led thousands of people to a new life.

You're standing on the site of one of the original Route 66 rest stops. Four covered picnic tables were located at this stop back in the 1950's. You can still see some of the concrete posts where they were anchored into the ground.

Stop a moment. Listen to the quiet. Experience the spirit of Route 66 that lives on in the travelers of today.

Panel 2:
This section of road was one of the toughest – with searing summer temperatures averaging 100° and little water. A trek across the daunting Mojave Desert could take two days in the 1920's.

During WWII this area was part of the Desert Training Center/California-Arizona Maneuver Area, established in 1942 by General George S. Patton, Jr. Right here you would have seen the massive armada of Patton's tanks rumbling their way through the desert – and probably been delayed by passing troop movements.

Early alignments of Route 66 paralleled the railroad tracks to avoid
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steep grades. Many towns along this stretch of the road began as railroad water stops, and blossomed with small businesses offering hospitality and vital services to travelers. Communities such as Essex, Cadiz Summit, Chambless, and Amboy have been home to one-room schoolhouses, train depots, cafes, motorcourts, gas stations and campgrounds. Most are closed now, but here and there are remnants of the highway's past glory.

Panel 3: Wilderness and Geology
You're in a basin surrounded by the Ship, Marble, Old Woman, Piute, Little Piute and Clipper Mountains. Most are designated wilderness areas.

In front of you are the Old Woman, Piute, Little Piute and Ship Mountains. They are dominated by a core of Proterozoic through late Mesozoic-age plutonic and metamorphic rocks. These crystalline rocks record a complex history of volcanic change. The Old Woman Mountains are named for a granite monolith resembling the figures of an old woman. The Old Woman meteorite was discovered not far from here in 1975. The Piute and Little Piute Mountains vary from jagged volcanic rocks to smooth granite hills, and are a tapestry of color caused by exposed minerals. Erosion has formed deep canyons and washes.

Behind you are the Marble and Clipper Mountains. They have rugged mesas and narrow canyons with hidden springs. Clipper Mountain soars 4,625
The Story of Route 66 Marker - Panel No.1 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 9, 2010
2. The Story of Route 66 Marker - Panel No.1
feet, then plunges to the desert floor. To the southeast, you can see Castle Dome. The Marble Mountains are named for their Paleozoic sedimentary rocks.

Panel 4: Plants and Animals
The Mojave Desert is home to an array of plants and animals adapted to the desert environment.

The two visible vegetation types are desert wash woodlands and desert scrub. The most common plant is the creosote bush. Desert wash woodland species occur where groundwater is present, and support small trees like Palo Verde, smoke tree and mesquite. In the spring, the basin turns bright yellow with brittlebush and other wildflowers.

Most of the annual flora of the Mojave comes from ephemeral plants – annuals that sprout only when the desert receives adequate rainfall. They blossom most often in April and May.

Wildlife includes bighorn sheep, fox, coyotes, rabbits, roadrunners, and a variety of rodents, lizards and insects. The area is also habitat for the threatened desert tortoise. Nearby mountain cliffs are home to falcons, hawks, and eagles. The best time to view wildlife is around dusk or dawn at water sources.

Panel 5: Paleontology
The paleontology of this area spans over 500 million years. Plants and animals lived and died along the ancient streams, marshes, lakes and seas. Over time, wetter, cooler
The Story of Route 66 Marker - Panel No. 2 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 9, 2010
3. The Story of Route 66 Marker - Panel No. 2
conditions changed to a hotter, more arid climate, creating the playas and dry lake beds we see today.

During the Paleozoic era, over 500 million years ago, a shallow seabed covered the eastern Mohave. The beautiful formations of banded shale exposed on some of the mountainsides contain trilobites, fossilized marine crustaceans that lived in the ancient sea.

During the Age of Mammals (65 million years ago to the present), numerous species including camels, three-toed horses, saber-tooth cats, mastodons, pygmy rhinoceros and flamingos roamed the region. Three million years ago, mammoth, mastodon, giant sloth, horse, camel, bison, wolf and lion inhabited the broad valleys and wetlands.

Panel 6: History/Native Americans
The cultural history of the area extends back for thousands of years. The archaeological record shows Paleo-Indian populations in the region 10,000-12,000 years ago. These hunters lived along the ancient streams, marshes and lakes. During the last 4,000 years, the Colorado River and eastern Mojave Desert have been the territories of the ancestral Yuman tribes and later the Southern Piute. These groups developed an extensive network of routes for travel and trade. It's likely that segments of Route 66 follow these early trails.

The first written description of the area was made by Friar Francisco Garces
Wilderness and Geology - Panel No. 3 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 9, 2010
4. Wilderness and Geology - Panel No. 3
in 1775-1776. Subsequent transportation routes were mapped by survey expeditions between 1840 and 1860. The first railroad to cross the region was the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad (later Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe) that connected central Arizona with California in 1883. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad still uses the original route.

Historic and archaeological resources are fragile and irreplaceable. Federal law protects them. Please don't erase the traces of America's past.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Native AmericansNatural FeaturesNotable PlacesRoads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the U.S. Route 66 series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1926.
 
Location. 34° 35.389′ N, 115° 27.173′ W. Marker is near Amboy, California, in San Bernardino County. Marker is on National Trails Highway (Old Route 66), 16˝ miles east of Amboy, CA., on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Amboy CA 92304, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Old Route 66 (approx. 5.6 miles away); Route 66 Roadside Service Areas: Road Runner’s Retreat (approx. 7.2 miles away).
 
Plants and Animals - Panel No. 4 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 9, 2010
5. Plants and Animals - Panel No. 4
Paleontology - Panel No. 5 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 9, 2010
6. Paleontology - Panel No. 5
History/Native Americans - Panel No. 6 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 9, 2010
7. History/Native Americans - Panel No. 6
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 22, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 1,564 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on July 22, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
 
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of the concrete posts mentioned in Panel 1 text. • Views of the mountain ranges mentioned in Panel 3 text. • Can you help?

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Mar. 28, 2024