Needles is a small town in the middle of a large desert wilderness. Its population at the last census was less than 5000, having increased by only fourteen people since the 2000 census. Actually, there has been little change in population over the past 100 years, peaking at just over 5000 in 1990.
Like many Western towns it was created by the railroad, starting as a tent town for railroad construction workers. The railroad ultimately built hotels, restaurants and other buildings, giving the town a good start. The early trains primarily transported people from the mid-west to California. Today, the trains still operate here, both Amtrak and freight trains.
Most young people have never heard of the famous "Mother Road", as Route 66 was called, but it was the main path between Los Angeles and Chicago. Many small towns developed along that highway from the 1920s through the 1950s, but encountered hard times after Interstate 40 replaced most of Route 66. Needles was fortunate that I-40 also came right by it. However, the town still looks downtrodden and somewhat dilapidated. Like many of the towns along Route 66, Needles hangs on to the Route 66 image in an effort to attract tourists.
At one time, the Studebaker Company had a factory here that built "Borax" wagons to haul that mineral from mines in and around Death Valley to the railroad. (Studebaker had earlier become known for building Conestoga wagons used by many pioneers for the trip west.)
An active auto repair shop advertises with a mural that includes Elvis, a 1957 Ford convertible and a blonde, possibly Marilyn Monroe.
Can't tell what the business of this abandoned building might have been.
Anyone who followed the Peanuts cartoon strip may remember that Snoopy would occasionally visit his brother in Needles. I never understood the connection until now, but Charles Schultz (Peanuts' creator) was born in Needles, so he was honoring the town in his cartoons.
Of course I found a beautiful church to visit. As I entered, several musicians were rehearsing. One lady from the group came over and welcomed me, inviting me to take photos as long as I wanted.
For several days, sunrises and sunsets were pretty lame. Finally, one sunset was a little better.
The next morning's sunrise was really spectacular, one that lit up the entire sky.
One reason I came here was to visit a couple of National Wildlife Refuges in the area. As it turned out, access to the refuges is quite limited unless one has a boat. Truthfully, during my visits I saw little signs of birds or other wildlife. It may be a bad time of year. Anyway, here are a couple photos to give an idea of what's there.
While driving back from the NWR, I came across a few interesting places. Traveling around, I have often seen structures like this one, but they were always too far from the road for me to investigate. This one was closer, and had a road to it. Turns out it isn't the rocket launch pad it might appear, but an FAA station used in air traffic control.
On the Mojave Indian Reservation, this cute little one-time U.S. Post Office is now used by the Art Guild.
At first I thought this power generating plant was shut down, since there was no smoke coming out of the stacks. However, I learned it's owned by Calpine, one of the largest producers of electricity in the country. It is a co-generation plant, powered by natural gas and one of the cleanest and most efficient electric generating systems we have.
The LRJ had the "check engine light" come on. I took it to the nearest Jeep dealer, in Lake Havasu City. The problem was minor, so I took the opportunity visit London Bridge and a few of the lighthouse replicas on the lake. The bridge was purchased from London back in the 1960s when it was about to be replaced. Each stone was numbered so it could be re-assembled after being shipped to Arizona. This project put the city "on the map" and helped make it a tourist destination, now the second most popular attraction in Arizona (after the Grand Canyon). The city has clearly grown quite a lot since my last visit in 2006.
A local club has been instrumental in placing 26 "lighthouses" around Lake Havasu to aid navigation. Each is a down-sized replica of a famous lighthouse from somewhere else in the world. This one is a replica of the famous Split Rock Lighthouse on the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota.
I researched your Lake Havasu lighthouses . . since I didn't remember seeing any when we were there many years ago . for a good reason .. most were built after our visit . . do remember the London Bridge . . as always love the church, sunset, and sunrise . . sounds like you're heading home . .
ReplyDeleteOnly saw one in 2006. Only 13 are accessible by land, some of those may be remote. Heading north, but will not be home until late April (unless plans change). Thanks for commenting.
Delete