Amboy California 92304

Back in the 40's and 50's, Amboy California was a hot spot on Route 66. But once Interstate 40 passed it by, the decline was inevitable. The 2000 census reported Amboy's population at four. There have been attempts to revive it but it remains more or less a ghost town and a melancholy reminder of all the souls who headed west on Route 66 so many years ago to seek fun and fortune in the Golden State.

The "Mother Road"

Amboy is a three hour drive from Los Angeles.

From Wikipedia's page - Although Amboy was first settled in 1858, the town was not established until 1883. Lewis Kingman, a locating engineer for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, created the town as the first of a series of alphabetical railroad stations that were to be constructed across the Mojave Desert.

In 1926, Amboy became a boom town after the opening of U.S. Route 66. In 1938, Roy's Motel and Café opened, which prospered due to its isolated location on the route. By 1940, Amboy's population had increased to 65. Its growth was tied not only to tourists, but also to the Santa Fe Railroad over which high-speed freight trains still run today between Kingman, Arizona and the BNSF Railway Barstow, California yard.

During the Great Depression and World War II, tourism declined nationally. But the remaining travelers need for lodging, meals, and gasoline kept the town busy. The town remained this way until the opening of Interstate 40 in 1973, which bypassed Amboy.

Looking east along old Route 66 just outside of Essex, California

What's left of the old Roadrunner Cafe in Chambliss, just east of Amboy.

Windows in tourist cabins at Roy's Motel

Amboy school closed in 1999.

The Night Bell. In its heyday Roy's employed more than 70 people to service Route 66 travelers. But late arrivals at Roy's motel are no more!

The Amboy shoe tree. Strange - I have no idea how these things got started, but I understand there are a number of them scattered around the USA.

Abandoned church - Amboy, California