Mojave phone booth

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The Mojave phone booth was a lone telephone booth placed circa 1960 in what is now the Mojave National Preserve in California which attracted an online following in 1997 due to its unusual location. The booth was 15 miles (24 km) from the nearest interstate highway, and miles from any buildings. Its phone number was originally +1-714-733-9969, before the area code changed to 619 and then to 760. (760, now 733, was/is the Baker, California rate center.)

Fans called the booth attempting to get a reply, and a few took trips to the booth to answer, often camping out at the site. Several callers kept recordings of their conversations. Over time, the booth became covered in graffiti, as many travelers would leave a message on it.

One incident involving the phone booth was documented by Los Angeles Times writer John Glionna, who met 51-year-old Rick Karr there. Karr claims he was instructed by the Holy Spirit to answer the phone. He spent 32 days there, answering more than 500 phone calls including repeated calls from someone who identified himself as "Sergeant Zeno from the Pentagon."

The booth was removed on May 17, 2000 by Pacific Bell, at the request of the National Park Service. Also, per Pacific Bell policy, the phone number was permanently retired. Officially, this was done to halt the environmental impact of visitors, though a letter written by the then-superintendent of the Mojave National Preserve mentions confronting Pacific Bell with some long-forgotten easement fees^[1]. A headstone-like plaque was later placed at the site. It, too, was removed by the National Park Service.

Fans of the booth also claim that the actual enclosure was destroyed by Pacific Bell after its removal.^[2]

The story inspired the creation of a motion picture, Mojave Phone Booth.

There is also a documentary short called Mojave Mirage, which can be found in the Full Frame DVD collection of documentary shorts.