Bagdad, California

For the town in: Butte County; see Bagdad, Butte County, California and the town in Arizona; see Bagdad, Arizona

Bagdad is a ghost town in the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California.

Geography

Bagdad is located along the historic U.S. Route 66, east of Barstow and Ludlow, and west of Amboy and Needles.^[2]

The town was founded in 1883 when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway railway line between Barstow and Needles was built.

Bagdad was long a thriving town along the National Old Trails Road and the famous Route 66. It was bypassed by the opening of Interstate 40 to the north in 1973, and lost traveler's business and resident population.

Bagdad holds the record for the longest dry streak in United States history with 767 straight days without rain, from October 3, 1912 to November 8, 1914. It is to the south of the Granite Mountains and the Mojave National Preserve, and north of the Bullion Mountains.

A small airfield was built south of the town, immediately south of Route 66. It was operational in 1932, with abandonment between 1954-1958.

Bagdad Café

Bagdad's fame has spread internationally, after its being bypassed. The Bagdad Café was located there and became the fictionalized setting of both a popular novel and a motion picture called Bagdad Café.

The Café location shooting was actually done at the Sidewinder Cafe to the west in Newberry Springs, which has since been renamed the "Bagdad Café."

In 1990, the television series Bagdad Cafe ran for one season.

See also

• El Garces Hotel
• Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel
• Harvey House Railroad Depot

References

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bagdad

Bibliography

• Alan Hensher, Ghost Towns of the Mojave Desert: A Concise and Illustrated Guide, California Classics Books, Los Angeles (1991) ISBN 978-1-879395-07-7
• Ghost Towns.com - Bagdad Webpage about Bagdad, CA with numerous photographs.
• Bagdad, California Brief history of Bagdad, CA.

Municipalities and communities of San Bernardino County, California, United States County seat: San Bernardino Cities and towns Adelanto Apple Valley Barstow Big Bear Lake Chino Chino Hills Colton Fontana Grand Terrace Hesperia Highland Loma Linda Montclair Needles Ontario Rancho Cucamonga Redlands Rialto San Bernardino Twentynine Palms Upland Victorville Yucaipa Yucca Valley CDPs Baker Big Bear City Big River Bloomington Bluewater Crestline Fort Irwin Homestead Valley Joshua Tree Lake Arrowhead Lenwood Lucerne Valley Lytle Creek Mentone Morongo Valley Mountain View Acres Muscoy Oak Glen Oak Hills Phelan Piñon Hills Running Springs San Antonio Heights Searles Valley Silver Lakes Spring Valley Lake Wrightwood Unincorporated communities Afton Amboy Angelus Oaks Argus Arrowbear Lake Arrowhead Farms Baldy Mesa Bell Mountain Blue Jay Cadiz Cedar Glen Cedarpines Park Cima Crafton Crest Park Daggett Danby Declezville Earp El Mirage Essex Fawnskin Fenner Forest Falls Goffs Green Valley Lake Guasti Halloran Springs Havasu Lake Helendale Hinkley Hodge Ivanpah Johnson Valley Kramer Kramer Hills Kramer Junction La Delta Landers Ludlow Mojave Heights Mount Baldy Mountain Home Village Mountain Pass Newberry Springs Nipton Oro Grande Parker Dam Parker Junction Patton Pioneer Point Pioneertown Red Mountain Rimforest Skyforest Sugarloaf Sunfair Sunfair Heights Trona Twin Peaks Venus Vidal Vidal Junction Wild Crossing Yermo Zzyzx Indian reservations Colorado River Indian Reservation Fort Mojave Indian Reservation Ghost towns Agua Mansa Atolia Bagdad Belleville Calico Chambless Hart Ivanpah Kelso Milligan Olive City Pasinogna Politana Prado Providence Ragtown Rice Rincon Siberia Silver Lake Vanderbilt