Route 66 from Victorville to Helendale

Click and move mouse back and forth to see a 1940 to 2011 comparison of the steel bridge.

Steel Bridge

The steel bridge that Route 66 crosses over roughly 3 miles from the museum is unique in many ways.  For one, it’s design is unique whereas the steel trusses meet at odd angles because of the way the bridge was built over the Mojave River. These odd angles were necessary because of the angle in which the bridge crosses over the river. It is also the only bridge of this type that Route 66 crosses in California. Although Route 66 parallels the Mojave River for quite a distance, this is the only place where it actually crosses it. The railing along the roadbed exemplifies ornate ironwork that was common when the bridge was built in 1932.

Oro Grande

After the steel bridge, 1.5 miles of pavement later will land you in Oro Grande.  This is the oldest town in the Victor Valley.  It is the home of antique shops and another large cement plant.  Like Victorville, Oro Grande, which means “big gold” in Spanish (or “big ore” to some people), has been a mining town since roughly the 1880s.

Many people cringe when they think about visiting Oro Grande, with its supposed assortment of criminals and drug abusers known as “tweekers”. However, it isn’t difficult to see that this town really has a lot of character.

Over the past ten years or so, Oro Grande has had a renaissance with respect to antique stores. When we visited, we walked through a few of the stores and talked to some of the owners. There was a lot of interesting stuff to look through and it was almost like walking through a museum. You can easily spend a few hours here and then stop for a bite to eat at the humorously-themed Cross Eyed Cow pizza joint.

Sammy’s Eye

This segment of Route 66 contains some tales regarding the eye of actor/comedian Sammy Davis, Jr.  As many people probably know, during much of his carrier, Davis only had one eye.

On November 19, 1954, Davis was driving home to Los Angeles from Las Vegas late at night, when he lost control of his car and crashed.  Common in those days, Davis had a ball installed on his steering wheel to make it easier to turn the wheel.  When he crashed, Davis’ head swung forward into the steering wheel and the ball crushed his left eye.

Many people claim that this crash occurred at the previously mentioned steel bridge or another spot – where the road goes under the railroad tracks just north of the town of Oro Grande.  The crash did not occur at either of these locations.  The crash occurred at the corner of Route 66 (Cajon Blvd) and Kendall Drive just south of Devore at the entrance to the Cajon Pass.  See our article on Route 66 in the Cajon Pass for more details.

Ostrich Farm

A short distance past the old Iron Hog Saloon (on the left), turn left onto Robinson Ranch Road and cross the railroad tracks to check out the comical inhabitants of the Limo Emu Ostrich Farm. As the name implies, you will probably see both ostriches and emus. The ostriches are always very curious and will typically come over when you arrive. Ostriches can easily reach over the fence and inflict injury to anyone that may venture too close, so keep your distance.

Roy Rogers Ranch

Three miles after passing underneath the railroad tracks at Oro Grande, Roy Rogers and Dale Evens’ Double R Bar Ranch can be reached by turning left on Bryman Rd.  It is a 1.2 mile round from Route 66 to see the old ranch where Roy and Dale boarded their animals.  Still today, there are festivals held at this ranch commemorating Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

Bottle Tree Farm

There was once a famous Route 66 roadside attraction in Hesperia named “Hula Ville”. It was located a mile north of I-15’s current intersection with Main Street.  It was the crazy invention of Miles Mahan.  In the 1950s, Mahan, a retired carnival worker, bought two acres of land along Route 66 and began collecting and displaying various artifacts (aka junk) on his property.  It soon became a landmark for travelers traveling Route 66 towards Los Angeles, reminding them they were nearing their final destination.

Mahan began creating “bottle trees” consisting of bottles hanging from wooden posts. He called it his “Cactus Garden”.  He also acquired a nine-foot metal sign of a dancing hula girl and he placed in the front of his property.  This is how Mehan’s roadside attraction got its name.

Mahan’s health deteriorated in 1995 and had to live in a rest home.  In 1996, the California Route 66 Museum dismantled much of the attraction and rebuilt it inside their museum in downtown Victorville.  So today you can still see much of Mahan’s famous Route 66 landmark.

In 2000, a private landowner named Elmer started his own bottle tree farm, which was inspired from Mahan’s work. Today, you can see this new bottle tree farm 11.3 miles (18 km) from the trip’s start. 

Elmer also had a lot of desert “artifacts” and decided to arrange all these things in an artistic way. The result is the bottle tree ranch you see today. Back in the day, tourists often stopped here and Elmer would conduct tours of his beloved Bottle Tree Ranch. There is no connection between the new bottle tree farm and the one Mahan created in the 1950s. Sadly, Elmer passed away in 2019 but his family is hoping to keep this property open and someday make it a Route 66 attraction.

Sagebrush Annie

Another place of interest along this trip is called Sagebrush Annie or Sagebrush Inn. Located about 12 miles (19.2 km) north of the start of the trip, this cluster of very mature trees and old buildings that are now private residences is the site of many seemingly good times.  Supposedly, this area was outside of County law enforcement jurisdiction and several businesses popped up starting in 1930 that supported gambling and prostitution.

In 1932, construction began on the huge electrical power line project between Hoover Dam and Los Angeles.  These power lines and major switching station was seen on the trip just after passing the Holland Burger Cafe north of Victorville.  This project brought a lot of construction workers to the area for a number of years.

During the construction years, the businesses at Sagebrush Annie thrived.  The construction workers that mostly consisted of single men, ventured over to Sagebrush Annie for drink, gambling and women, all without the fear of trouble from the law.  After the construction years, Sagebrush Annie continued to thrive until the 1960s.  During these years, it became a roadhouse inn, dance hall and also a Texaco gas station.

Just like so many other businesses along this stretch of Route 66, after modern-day I-15 was built in the late 1960s, the number of customers dwindled and Sagebrush Annie couldn’t survive.  Today, you can still see the roadhouse and gas station on the west side of the road, which is now a private residence.

Trip Map