Newberry Springs, California

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Newberry Springs
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Aerial view of Newberry Springs
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Newberry Springs
Location within the state of California
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Newberry Springs
Newberry Springs (the United States)
Coordinates: 34°49′40″N116°41′15″W / 34.82778°N 116.68750°W / 34.82778; -116.68750
Country United States
State California
County San Bernardino
Founded1911
Population
 (2000)
  Total2,895
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
92365
Area code(s) 442 and 760
Newberry Springs in 2022 Newberry Springs - March 2022 - Sarah Stierch 01.jpg
Newberry Springs in 2022

Newberry Springs is an unincorporated community in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Newberry Spring is a spring that in the 19th century supplied water to the local Santa Fe Railway and originally was a camping place. [1] The population at the 2000 census was 2,895.

Contents

Geography and climate

Newberry Springs is located 20 mi (32 km) east of Barstow, approximately 40 mi (64 km) due west of the Mojave National Preserve, and approximately 100 mi (160 km) south of Death Valley National Park. The town is 117 sq mi (300 km2) in area. It is approximately 2,000 ft (610 m) above sea level.

The region maintains an average daytime summer temperature of 107 °F (42 °C). In the winter, lows generally get into the 20s, with a dry, cold climate, the immediate area receiving less than 10 in (250 mm) of rain per year.

Newberry Springs is a typical desert oasis. Ancient volcanic rock formations, lava beds, sand dunes, mineral springs, and hidden mud baths are found in the area.

The area is irrigated by the Mojave Aquifer, the largest aquifer in the Western United States,[ citation needed ] which makes possible a diverse and abundant agriculture and a number of man-made lakes.[ citation needed ]

Transportation

Interstates 15 and 40 run through the area. BNSF Railway's transcontinental main line and historic Route 66 both run through the town.

History

The original name of Newberry Springs was, at least briefly, "Watson", with a post office established in Feb 1883, and discontinued later that year in July. The Southern Pacific Railroad then named the location "Newberry", and eventually the post office was re-established under that name in 1899. In 1911 the post office name was changed to "Wagner", and in 1919 to "Water". [2] At some point prior to 1931 the name was changed back to "Newberry", and in 1967 to "Newberry Springs", apparently to avoid confusion with Newbury Park (near Oxnard CA). Since its earliest days the area in and around Newberry Springs has been a source of water for the surrounding arid region. Camp Cady, located at the western terminus of the Mojave Road just 12 miles north of present-day Newberry Springs, was a resting place and watering hole along the Mojave River for wagon trains coming to California in the 1850s on the old Mormon Trail. In the 1880s the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad hauled tank cars of water from Newberry Springs to the stations and towns in the region, making life in this arid land possible.

Agriculture

The climate in Newberry Springs is relatively mild and supports many crops, including pistachios, apricots and alfalfa.[ citation needed ] Newberry Springs has farms and ranches, which produce ostrich, horse, buffalo, duck, turkey, catfish, and koi.

Recreation

Water skiing is important to the area. Newberry Springs contains some man-made oval lakes [3] and other water race courses used for water–ski and jetski racing, including the privately owned Cheyenne Lake. The Horton Lakes Water Ski School and Wet Set Village, which have hosted water ski tournaments seen on ESPN, are in Newberry Springs. [4]

There are also desert courses used for motocross, dune buggy, and ATV racing. The area also supports camping, hunting, fishing, wilderness backpacking, and paraflying. Paraflyte Ranch, a paraflying school, is in the area.

Attractions

Near Newberry Springs is the Calico Ghost Town, the Calico Early Man Site, the Camp Cady wildlife reserve and the Solar One green energy project. Every November, the town is the host of the annual Newberry Springs Pistachio Festival.[ citation needed ]

North of Newberry Springs is the former Lake Dolores/Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark. Newberry Springs is home to the St. Anthony Orthodox Coptic Monastery.

The Newberry Mountains Wilderness Area is nearby. [5]

Another popular attraction in Newberry Springs is Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway, where Car and Driver used to do speed tests due to the 4 mile long driveway built as a concession in exchange of building interstate 40 [6] [7] [8] [9]

Media

Film

In 1987, the motion picture Bagdad Café was filmed in the area and the truck-stop restaurant featured in the film still stands. The motel in the film has crumbled, but its foundation remains. The cafe is now frequented by locals and visitors, but mostly by French and German tourists who are fans of the film. Prior to the film the restaurant had a different name. The Bagdad cafe was in nearby Bagdad/Chase Mine area. Gold from the Chase Mine helped establish the bank of the same name, Chase Manhattan.

In 2015, Newberry Springs was one of the filming locations for the film Sky . [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barstow, California</span> City in the United States

Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Located in the Inland Empire region of California, the population was 25,415 at the 2020 census. Barstow is an important crossroads for the Inland Empire and home to Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mojave Desert</span> Desert in the southwestern United States

The Mojave Desert is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the indigenous Mohave people, it is located primarily in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada, with small portions extending into Arizona and Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calico, California</span> Place in California, United States

Calico is a ghost town and former mining town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Calico Mountains of the Mojave Desert region of Southern California, it was founded in 1881 as a silver mining town, and was later converted into a county park named Calico Ghost Town. Located off Interstate 15, it lies 3 miles (4.8 km) from Barstow and 3 miles from Yermo. Giant letters spelling CALICO are visible, from the highway, on the Calico Peaks behind it. Walter Knott purchased Calico in the 1950s, and rebuilt all but the five remaining original buildings to look as they did in the 1880s. Calico received California Historical Landmark #782, and in 2005 was proclaimed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be California's Silver Rush Ghost Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Bernardino Mountains</span> Mountain range of the Transverse Ranges in California, United States

The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at 11,503 feet (3,506 m) at San Gorgonio Mountain – the tallest peak in Southern California. The San Bernardinos form a significant region of wilderness and are popular for hiking and skiing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area codes 760 and 442</span> Area codes for southern and eastern California

Area codes 760 and 442 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. state of California. These area codes serve an overlay complex that comprises much of the southeastern and southernmost portions of California. It includes Imperial, Inyo, and Mono counties, as well as portions of San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Kern counties. Area code 760 was created on March 22, 1997 in a split of area code 619. Area code 442 was added to the same area on November 21, 2009.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yermo, California</span> Unincorporated community in California, United States

Yermo is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. It is 13 miles (21 km) east of Barstow on Interstate 15, just south of the Calico Mountains. Its population was estimated at 1,750 in 2009.

<i>Bagdad Cafe</i> 1987 West German drama film

Bagdad Cafe is a 1987 English-language West German film directed by Percy Adlon. It is a comedy-drama set in a remote truck stop and motel in the Mojave Desert in the U.S. state of California. Inspired by Carson McCullers' novella The Ballad of the Sad Café (1951), the film centers on two women who have recently separated from their husbands, and the blossoming friendship that ensues. It runs 95 minutes in the U.S. and 108 minutes in the German version. The song "Calling You", sung by Jevetta Steele and written by Bob Telson, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 61st Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Mountains</span>

The Bristol Mountains are found in the Mojave Desert of California, USA, just west of Mojave National Preserve. The range, which reaches an elevation of 3,874 feet, is located in San Bernardino County, and crosses Interstate 40 between Ludlow and the Granite Mountains. At the southern end of the range lies the town of Amboy, the Amboy Crater, and Bristol Dry Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodman Mountains</span>

The Rodman Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The range is located south of Interstate 40 and Newberry Springs, and east of the Ord Mountains and northwest of the Bullion Mountains. They are 30 miles southeast of Barstow, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calico Mountains (California)</span>

The Calico Mountains of California are a mountain range located in the Mojave Desert. The range spans San Bernardino and Inyo counties in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Dolores Waterpark</span> Abandoned park in Newberry Springs, California

Lake Dolores Waterpark is an abandoned waterpark off Interstate 15 in the Mojave Desert in the community of Newberry Springs, California, United States. The waterpark had operated under numerous names in the past, including Lake Dolores, Rock–A–Hoola Waterpark, and Discovery Waterpark.

Ludlow is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 40, located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The older remains of the ghost town are along historic Route 66.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mojave Road</span> Historical trails and roads

The Mojave Road, also known as Old Government Road, is a historic route and present day dirt road across what is now the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert in the United States. This rough road stretched 147 miles (237 km) from Beale's Crossing, to Fork of the Road location along the north bank of the Mojave River where the old Mojave Road split off from the route of the Old Spanish Trail/Mormon Road.

Siberia is a ghost town in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States. It lies along historic Route 66 between Bagdad and Ludlow, in the ZIP code 92357 and area codes 442 and 760.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eldorado Mountains</span> Mountain range in Nevada, US

The Eldorado Mountains, also called the El Dorado Mountains, are a north-south trending mountain range in southeast Nevada bordering west of the south-flowing Colorado River; the endorheic Eldorado Valley borders the range to the west, and the range is also on the western border of the Colorado River's Black Canyon of the Colorado, and El Dorado Canyon on the river. The range is 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada; and the Eldorado Mountains connect with the Highland and Newberry mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Manix</span> Lake in San Bernardino County, California

Lake Manix is a former lake fed by the Mojave River in the Mojave Desert. It lies within San Bernardino County, California. Located close to Barstow, this lake had the shape of a cloverleaf and covered four basins named Coyote, Cady/Manix, Troy and Afton. It covered a surface area of 236 square kilometres (91 sq mi) and reached an altitude of 543 metres (1,781 ft) at highstands, although poorly recognizable shorelines have been found at altitudes of 547–558 metres (1,795–1,831 ft). The lake was fed by increased runoff during the Pleistocene and overflowed into the Lake Mojave basin and from there to Lake Manly in Death Valley, or less likely into the Bristol Lake basin and from there to the Colorado River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Cady</span> Historic site in Miles N of Barstow, California

Camp Cady was a U.S. Army Camp, on the Mojave Road near the Mojave River in the Mojave Desert, located about 20 miles east of modern-day Barstow, California in San Bernardino County, at an elevation of 1690 feet. Camp Cady was named after Major Albemarle Cady, 6th Infantry Regiment, who was a friend of Carleton and commander at Fort Yuma in 1860.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mojave Road (Los Angeles)</span> California Historic Landmark

The Mojave Road Los Angeles was designated a California Historic Landmark on March 19, 1985. It runs from Drum Barracks in Los Angeles County to the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California.

References

  1. Waring 1915, p. 317.
  2. "GNIS Detail - Newberry Springs". USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  3. Harrison, Scott (January 18, 2018). "From the Archives: Thirty-five lakes created in Newberry Springs". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  4. Snibbe, Kurt (October 11, 2015). "MOJAVE DESERT: Water-skiing course is no mirage". Press Enterprise. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  5. "Newberry Mountains Wilderness". United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  6. "From the Archive: Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway". Car and Driver. June 1, 2005.
  7. "Detour Pit Stop #03: Mrs Orcutt's Driveway, USA". Detour.
  8. Sherman, Don (April 13, 2021). "Car testing's first century has been a fascinating ride". Hagerty Media.
  9. "Super Trans Am". Banks Power.
  10. "Sky (2015) - Filming Locations". IMDb. amazon.com. Retrieved August 22, 2016.

Reference bibliography

  • Waring, Gerald Ashley (1915). Springs of California. U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper. Vol. 338. U.S. Government Printing Office. doi:10.3133/wsp338.

Further reading