Amboy and Roy's Café

Amboy, settled as early as 1858, became a water stop when the Southern Pacific Railroad laid its tracks through the Cadiz Valley in 1883-84. Following the course of the railroad and the National Old Trails Highway, Route 66 opened in 1926, and Amboy soon saw heavy traffic along "The Mother Road" as flivvers, Dust Bowl emigrants, soldiers, and vacationers made their way through the Mojave Desert. Its facilities included a café, service station, school, motel, and post office, and water was hauled by rail from Newberry Springs, 50 miles to the west. From the beginning of Route 66, Roy's served travelers there; opened by Roy Crowl and later operated by his son-in-law Buster Burris, it provided hot food, cold drinks, gasoline, motel lodging, and vehicle service. Even after Interstate 40 bypassed the town in 1973, Roy's remained a welcome oasis in this lonely stretch of desert.

California · United States