Dagget Nabbet

Last week I had the privilege of guest blogging for The Boron Sun. The piece I wrote was about the 1940 film 20 Mule Team, a forgetten film I had seen some years back, and that had some relevance to the town of Boron's history. In the process of doing research on the film, so I could dot all my I's and cross all my T's, I discovered the film was actually suppose to be set in the town of Dagget, CA. 

Now, being a Route 66 enthusiast and amateur historian my mind suddenly clicked in with the question, "Dagget? Isn't that a town off 66?". 30 seconds later and with the help of Google maps I had my answer, yes Dagget is off of old 66 directly East of Barstow. Then I began to see Dagget in my mind with its hodgepodge of desert abodes, and it's creepy looking experimental solar power plant with that weird tower. If you didn't know any better you would mistake Dagget for being nothing more then Barstows outskirts which in all reality it is.

 

In the process of doing my research though I actually found some information about the town that was actually somewhat astonishing. Turns out Dagget at one time was very much the place to be, and a lucrative one at that. This small now nearly forgotten town was a hub for silver and boron mining in the 1880's and believe it or not it is actually the latter element and not the former that bought the town most of its wealth. 

No considering Dagget saw its good times in the 1880's and 90's we can rule out Route 66 being part of that sort of. If we figure that 66 was preceded by a number of previous trails we could think of it that way. But it's safe to say more then likely Dagget was the hub of silver and boron mining operations do to its access to the Santa Fe Railway whose tracks ran through Dagget on the way into Barstow and Santa Fe's yards and Harvey House there. 

Calico, a town to the North of Dagget was actually where most of the silver mines where. But Calico was not serviced by and major rail links, meaning silver was transported to Dagget for rail shipment, and in the process a lot of money exchange hands in this town making it a boomtown. 

But, at the same time borates where almost as lucrative, since borates much like now days had many uses and attracted buyers. Boron of course had to be mined in bulk throughout Death Valley, and was carried into Dagget via the famous "20 Mule Team". But the 20 Mule Team where slow, and could only carry so much, and it was only a matter of time till a railway the Borate and Dagget, was established as a spur line to carry borates out of Death Valley and into Dagget as the name implies. 

The Borate and Dagget Railway became highly lucrative and spurred the creation of the Pacific Borax Corporation, later called US Borax, maker of the famed Boraxo soap product and modern miner and distributor of borates. But Pacific Borax would eventually move to Mojave, California 78 miles to the West, due to the fact that it served both Santa Fe and Southern Pacific trains and lines to San Francisco and Los Angeles. 

Dagget wouldn't decline though until after World War 2 since the towns airport would enter defense contractor service during and for briefly after the war. 

The town would also see a lot of traffic from Route 66, since Route 66 ran directly through town. This also helped associate Dagget with one of Route 66's most famous movies derived from one of its most famous literary works. The film version of Grapes of Wrath would be filmed on Route 66 in Dagget in 1940 coincidentally the same year 20 Mule Team was made about Dagget but not filmed there. 

More then likely Daggets final decline happened after I-40 moved traffic south of town. Meaning Dagget was another victim of the Route 66's decommissioning. Dagget is another town whose identity existed long before Route 66, but whose fate became intertwined with Route 66 as time wore on. 

If your following Route 66 you will pass through Dagget between Newberry Springs and Barstow. Make sure you look for it and any signs of what once was. 

Route 66 Movies - Bagdad Cafe

If you have already researched Route 66 by now especially as it meanders through the Mojave, you have heard of the Bagdad Cafe. You probably have also seen, or heard references to the 1987 movie. 

But before I talk about the movie here is a little backstory on the cafe. There once was really a place called that Bagdad Cafe in Bagdad, CA. From what I've read Bagdad was a bustling little town when Route 66 was still active. But as the town got bypassed it went downhill quickly, till all that is left are ruins (even in 1987). The building that was called the Bagdad Cafe in the movie was actually the Sidewinder Cafe in Newberry Springs, CA some 50 miles to the West down Route 66. In honor of the movie the Sidewinder permanently changed its name to the Bagdad Cafe. 

Now as for the movie:

Here is a quick and hopefully spoiler free synopsis. A German woman by the name of Jasmine gets into a fight with her husband and leaves him, by stomping out of there car and down Route 66 into the Mojave. Meanwhile the owner of the Bagdad Cafe, Brenda gets into a fight with her husband but he drive off and leaves her. At the point Jasmine arrives at the cafe, and books a room into its a joining but seldom used motel. 

The meeting of the two women at first is a bit tense, especially as Jasmine doesn't approve of Brenda's unorganized nature. Soon Jasmine is reorganizing things much to Brenda's chagrin. But soon the two begin to work as a team as both women find the support they have been needing in each other. Basically Brenda softens and tones herself down, and Jasmine finds a sense of belonging in this odd desert community. Later in attempting to entertain Brenda's children, they discover Jasmine is a wonderful magician and soon use the talent to attract travelers to the cafe.

Obviously there is some drama here and there and the plot is not as simple as all this but hopefully you get the idea. 

Now I have to admit that this may not entirely be a family movie. First of all there is some nudity, very brief but none the less there twice and you can pretty much tell that it's going to happen, especially as Jasmine becomes the subject of a local artist. How they managed to do that and get a PG rating, I don't know. Also the plot can be a bit heavy at times for smaller Kids, and the film also takes a while to get going. Oh, yeah there is also smoking and drinking going on at times too, I know that matters to some folks. I would say the film would be good for teens and pre-teens.

Personally the film does have some redeeming qualities. We see the value of teamwork, and community within the film. Also as the movie progresses it does have a feel good quality to it, that seems to almost opposite of its beginning.  

As far as its connection to Route 66 what can I say, it's filmed on location. You have to remember 1987 was only three years after the final piece if the route was decommissioned, so Route 66 isn't rally mentioned in the film since at that time it was considered to be a dead highway. But both the actual Bagdad Cafe, and it's stand-in the Sidewinder are both right on Route 66. No side roads to travel it's right there. 

Travelers Retrospective #5: June 28, 2013

We left Fenders and got breakfast at a great place called the Wagon Wheel, Western motif, great food, great staff, very kitschy 66.  

What's wonderful about California is that original sections of 66 are still in place. I -40 isn't built on top of it. So outside of Needles we started chasing 66 through the Mojave. Luckily, my wife is a native Californian and wise in the ways of the Mojave, but we didn't need her expertise. But this section of 66 from Needles to San Bernardino was at one time frightening to travel. Cars had a hard time getting through the desert, and travelers too before A/C. Many travelers would travel through here by night, and it's not uncommon to see that suggested in old 66 guides. This is also the place where those canvas water bags that hung off the hood ornament use to be deployed. Luckily for newer cars this trip even in day time is no problem.

The road hits some legendary 66 desert towns, like Goffs and Essex, and makes it into Amboy. Amboy is a nothing place with a lot of surprises. The first surprise was the shoe tree, a tree with pairs of shoes hung by their laces, hundreds of them. Sadly on our last trip through the tree had been hit by lightening and collapsed into a wash, but I understand that a replacement may be found. 

Amboy is home to Roy's an old 66 landmark with a blue and red sign that sticks out in contrast to the bright brown glare of the desert. Roy's was a mid-desert tourist colony long ago, that provided gas, food, and lodging (small cabins). But over the past few decades had changed owners and now is rarely open if it is at all. It was closed on this trip. 

After Roy's you see a second surprise, a volcano. Yes a volcano in the middle of the desert. This is the extinct Amboy Crater, we didn't get too close on this trip but its a cool site, and a state park. 

After Amboy we pushed through Ludlow, and on to Newberry Springs. East of Newberry Springs we ran across a brown bar called the Bagdad Cafe, this is the spot the movie of the same name was filmed. I will talk about it in a later post. 

After Newberry Springs we where on to Dagget the home of a strange solar power plant that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. After that we go past Fort Irwin USMC logistics base and on to Barstow

Continued in part 2