Two Lane Adventures: August 26th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues! Day 30 Route 66 Caravan

We had the day to explore Needles. But first Charlie & I had to fix a water line we had a leak in last night. Sometimes the tailender has to work on their own rigs too!

After we got the parts from a local hardware store, Charlie humored me and drove around, so I could get pictures of more murals.

We shared with you the history of the murals yesterday, today I will just share the pictures of a few others!

Early in the 1900s, when trains were the principal means of personal transportation, depots gave travelers the first impression of their local destinations and provided for the security and comfort of the railroad’s clientele. Design and materials were important to both surrounding communities and railroad companies. After the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Depot at Needles, California burned in 1906, the railroad spared no expense on its new facility. Built to suggest a Greek temple and opened in 1908 to great adulation, El Garces was a freight and passenger depot with hotel and restaurant amenities. The depot was named “El Garces” in honor of Father Francisco Garces, a missionary who visited the area in 1776 and was the first known European to cross the Mojave Desert.

Designed by architect Francis S. Wilson, the luxurious depot featured large Mexican Fan Palms native to the site which surrounded the two-story building with its distinctive symmetrical façade. Tuscan columns placed in pairs supported open-air walkways. The interior ceilings were ornamental and intricate egg-and-dart detailing edged the woodwork. Wilson’s use of the Classical Revival style, particularly popular on the East Coast and for civic and residential buildings, was unusual for a western depot and lent an aura of sophistication to the small town.

One reason for the success of El Garces was its beauty. Another was its management by the Fred Harvey Company. Known as “the civilizer of the West,” Fred Harvey managed a large line of cafes and hotels along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. The El Graces was considered one of the “Crown Jewels” of the entire chain, the El Garces was remembered for the real linen and silver, distinctive china and fresh flowers provided for its guests daily. The lunchroom had two horseshoe-shaped counters and could serve 140 people. According to the Harvey Girls, who traveled the country to work for the company, El Garces was a number one in the enterprise. An assignment to the Grand Canyon, to Las Vegas, or to El Garces was “like going to Europe.”

By the 1940s, the American public was discontinuing their use of the railway in favor of the automobile and in the fall of 1949, the Harvey House in the El Garces closed. The building was then partitioned and used as Santa Fe Railway offices.

In 1988, the Santa Fe Railroad moved their offices out of the El Garces to another facility and the building was closed. Sitting abandoned, the historic building was threatened with destruction until the Friends of El Garces was formed in 1993. Through their efforts, the City of Needles was petitioned to purchase the station, which occurred in 1999. Tours can now be taken through this historic building on the 2nd Saturday of each month from October through May. Too bad, we were there in August, no tours for us.

In 1929, the Needles Historic Theatre was built by the Masonic Lodge at a cost of some $120,000. Housed on the main floor, was the theatre that opened to much fanfare in March 1930. The “modern” theatre entertained the public, with not only first-run movies but also with traveling performances on its stage. For 63 years, it continued to operate until a fire in 1992. Since then it has stood vacant but recently it was purchased by the city and restoration efforts will renovate the old theatre to its former glory and rejuvenate downtown!

In the 1950s dams were built along the Colorado River, which ended a long history of flooding in the region and made the land around Needles suitable for agriculture. This, as well as new recreation opportunities for boating and fishing, gave a boost to the Needles economy. When I-40 threatened to bypass Needles, local citizens worked hard to keep the freeway from missing the town and condemning it to a slow death. Their efforts prevailed, which contributed greatly to the town’s promising future.

We took another detour off Route 66 and drove north to Laughlin Nevada for a Laughlin River Dinner Cruise on the Colorado. Our boat is docked at the Aquarius Casino Resort. So, we had to walk through the casino to gain access. No on gambled on the way in ….

Yankee RV Tours booked the entire boat. We were able to relax and enjoy a two-hour sunset cruise in Laughlin while dining aboard the Celebration boat. Our menu selections were prepared fresh on the boat! It was the perfect end to a hot, hot day! The air conditioned cabin where we ate, provided the perfect dinner atmosphere for all of us!

After dinner, some of us ventured to the covered upper deck. Where we enjoyed live music, a warm breeze, the sounds of the river and the lights of Laughlin. A few of the caravanners, you know who, danced … they always dance!