Exploring Abandoned locations at Desert Center, California 

You have a very good voice for this type of content. Here's my Desert Center story.. 35+ years ago, I was hitching from Texas to Nevada, and ended up in Desert Center. I walked over to the only gas station there, bought a gallon of water, and went back to the road. A little while later, a true "Desert rat" rolled up to me in an old jeep. He offered me a ride, and I hopped in. I didn't know that he was Hunter S. Thompson level high at the time. He offered me some speed, which, being young, and reckless, I took. Minutes later we were going full tilt boogie across the desert, chuckar and quail busting out of the brush as we crashed through the desert towards interstate 10. By the time we got to my exit, I could have run all the way to Nevada, lol. It was surreal, but I remember it fondly.

I remember going to Desert Center with my dad in the 70's on a few trips, he drove for Hostess cake and 5 days a week he would drive from Phoenix to Desert Center in a Semi truck with empty trailers and swap it out with another driver from California in another Hostess truck but with full trailers of Hostess products and take it back to Phoenix. The first years of the job Dad said the trucks had no air-conditioning. Even though it was a midnight run it had to be hot. A tougher breed of people back then.

I worked on the Deserrt Sujnlight Solar project just up the road. The cafe was open in 2011. Patton used to go there sometimes. There's a bunch of WW2 history in the area.

I moved from CA to AZ 45 years ago. Over those years I've witnessed the decline of Desert Center on numerous drives. To me the saddest was watching the deterioration of the school. But there's not much to entice people to move there, so decay is inevitable.

DC was a huge overnight spot for commercial truckers as well as a transfer point or relay for UPS and FEDX to drop trailers going east and pickup what's going west. Most of the truck parking was around the hamburger stand on Rice Rd. accross from the Texaco. The restorooms at the Texaco were always open for drivers also.

I first heard about Desert Center a few years ago, and thought this would make a terrific location for a giant EV charging station, right by the highway. Solar panels covering the canopies, and 50+ charging stalls for electric vehicles, but all the decor done in a neon & chrome, 1950s Route 66 retro kinda style - that would be so much fun! A cafe, diner, and a tire shop would make it a great rest stop for 21st century travelers - the grandkids of the Route 66 generation.

When I was in college in the late 70's, I got into the Teamsters and drove casual for a few freight companies. Desert Center is about halfway between LA and Phoenix, so we would meet the Phoenix trucks there and swap trucks. Truckers used to bring in a custom coffee cup, and hang it on the wall in the restaurant. I had one there, as well as other restaurants in California and Arizona. When I would walk in the door (all the waitress new me as well as all the regular drivers) she would grab my cup and fill it with coffee. The freight companies used the restaurant as a sort of message board. For example I walked in the door one night, and the waitress said "Jim, the Phoenix truck broke down and was towed. Call your dispatcher." I know what that meant--I was going on to Phoenix and not back to LA that night."

Abandoned places always fascinate me, thanks for taking the time to go somewhere I can't. 👍

Edit: If you enjoyed this video, I have a playlist of my other abandoned explorations here: ru-vid.com/group/PLtnR-r19k2TPj9e3fy6Rgu9mNIq5BXck8 When I made this video I didn't expect it to gain this many views. I just wanted to say, to everyone watching, commenting and subscribing. . .seriously thank you! A lot of commenters have given me ideas for future videos too and I'm super appreciative of all the feedback.

I ate at the cafe back in Feb 2002 (across the street from the Post Office & market). I was driving cross country from Orlando to my home in Los Angeles, I needed a break so I stopped for some dinner and afterward took an hour's nap in my car, when I awoke it was pitch black and it felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. It felt so spooky then, I often wondered whether I dreamt up the whole experience, thanks for showing that it was real.

Great comment on 6:33 "Being forgotten is worse than death.

Thanks for your historical account of Desert Center. I’ve been driving by it since the 1960s. I always wondered why it ever existed, and have watched with sadness as it declined. Please do more videos about these remote places. Have you visited the old railroad water stations along I-40? Amboy, Baghdad, Cadiz, Danby, Essex, Fenner, & Goffs. In the 1970s Cadiz was still functional. There was a small store where you could buy Cokes in bottles. I haven’t been there since.

Before the freeway, Desert Center was the logical place to stop for just about anything. Desert Center predates the highway it would ultimately be on, but even before Highway 60 was paved, Desert Steve Ragsdale had opened a business at Gruendyke's Well along the dirt and sand road that people had to drive. When the highway was finally laid out, it was a mile and a half away from the well. Ragsdale and his wife adapted, laid a claim on a spot along the highway, then piped the water from the well to their new location. By 1937, Desert Steve was retired, his son had taken over, and Steve had become famous for being the worst poet ever to write verse. Others, like Death Valley Scotty and Happy Sharp, claimed to write worse, but most everybody agreed, Steve wore the crown. Desert Center was a gold mine, with a sign on the door written by Steve that read 'We never close, we've lost the keys'. It wasn't until the freeway was built that bypassed the town that Desert Center started losing its vigor. Where cars used to drive right through the center of town now they whiz by on the Interstate without having to stop for anything. It's hard to believe a place that was so important to travelers has simply fallen away.

Stopped there many times while hitchhiking from Phoenix to San Francisco in the 70s.... Was quite the oasis and busy stop for travelers..... Chiriaco Summit is thriving since DC has shut down.... thanks for the video

Very well done. From the low key commentary to the respect shown for your own safety and the delicacies of knowing where not to tread.

The cafe stayed open every day for decades. The was one of it's claim to fame.

Hello my name is Heidi morelock I grew up in desert center.. when I seen this video it made me cry because you showed my dad's and brothers abandoned trailer.. the one you said a family with children..

Wow!! That takes me back. I used to drive by there many times back in the 90s and early 2000s when I was stationed at Camp Pendleton and would drive to Phoenix almost monthly. Desert Center was about the halfway point. Great video!!!

You have a good voice for doing this. Keep up the good work. I always liked desert center. I have been passing by here for 60 plus years. Back when the gas station was still open and the Restaurant across the street was still serving food.

That abandoned gas station was still open when my family and I passed through. We used the restroom.

This makes me want to go there and just relax for a couple of days.Seems very peaceful. So is your narration. Thanks.

When I was a semi truck driver, driving across the country. I used to take a break in Desert Center and enjoyed the Café, friendly service and good food. I was sad to see it close. Has I recall for awhile the café was opened 24hr.

After moving to Arizona, I stumbled upon Desert Center while driving to Palm Desert for a work event. Those crazy dead palm trees were what caught my eye--many were standing at that point, and it was the weirdest looking sight. I finally ended up stopping there to look around on another trip; that was around 2018. Since then, I've seen more pieces of the town disappear, and it's so sad to me. I don't understand why at least one of the gas stations wouldn't still draw business.

We pass through desert center when we go to Los Angeles on the I - 10 , next month we going to LA @ night & we passing through desert center from Phoenix . It’s kinda scary to go through there at night because it’s pitch black darkness outside

Im 67 years old. My Grandparents lived up the road in Eagle Mountain at the mine. I remember when the whole place was full of people. There were families and wild yahoos and everything. Dune buggies everywhere. It was a gas! Throughout my life I have watched it all go to waste. It was something out there and I loved it! I have watched all of California go to waste when it was once a paradise. Im tired of this world and people in general. People back then were just good.

Our favorite camping spot was west and south off Red Cloud Mine Road and our group would occasionally dine at the Café. Last time was probably over 30 years ago and it was quite busy, the food was good and there was a restored WW2 Harley Davidson military motorcycle in the Café. Sorry it has fallen to its present state. We were just out to our old spot for a sort of memorial for some of our group who have passed away and we stopped at Chiriaco Summit and dined there, top cabin café now.

From January 2013 to October 2013, I was helping build the Genesis Solar plant off of Wiley’s Well road. Every weekend making the round trip from the god forsaken town of Blythe to Orange County. Always passing that off ramp to Desert Center. Never stopping, and feeling that the impoverished would go to Desert Center to live out their last days. A sad looking place!

I remember actually staying for a few days in Desert Center outside of town and hanging at the Desert Café....Mary Zane? owned a few trailers which she kept very nicely for overnight rentals, this was back in 2003 or so....she owned the little park. Her husband was a former WW2 vet and we'd sit out on the deck looking at the stars while she reminisced over an ice tea....then we'd head to the café for breakfast....

Thanks for the update on Desert Center. The last time I went through there was between 2004 and 2005. What I remember about that visit was two UPS truck drivers switching trucks and returning back the way they came from. Smart.

I remember going through Desert Center on my way to the Colorado River in the late 70's. Stopped there many times for gas and a quick bite to eat. Sad to see it as it is now.

Thank you for this. I watched Desert Center crumble but didn’t know the history.

As a trucker, I’ve traveled past there so many times and I was fascinated by it.

Great video, love the drone work, I'm learning to fly mine lol. Love urbex and abandoned videos look forward to your channel :)

enjoyed your presentation on Desert Center. It is indeed a place of mystery. I liked your overage of the town and how it appears today. From your edits DC appears to be a modern-day ghost town in the making. But your point about the future and what it holds, I think, will see it in a much better situation. I believe someone will come along and develop it and the general area. That part of California is changing, and people will be moving out that way to live or retire. Businesses will begin to locate there to take advantage of the lower land prices vie the rest of the state. I actually was in DC in 1969 when we stopped on the way to the Salton Sea. We had lunch in the diner and picked up some cold drinks and chips at the store. Back then it was a stop on the road, not a tourist trap at all. It was also clean and kept up. Sad to see how it ended up.

Nice video! In Jan. 2021 I visited the same locations. This was before Desert Center was purchased. There wasn't any security so entering the school and other buildings was not an issue. Not sure what the development company plans are. Safe travels!

Nice job on the video. The TV show Airwolf shot an episode called Sweet Britches back in 1984. I would like to see Desert Center rebuilt. I know I go by 2 - 3 times a month.

The Date palm's were beautiful from interstate 10 and looked like a resort at the time.

Use to eat at the cafe when trucking between LA and Phoenix. Also that Texaco station was a busy place. Would stop there for a refreshment on the way to Parker, AZ

I remember in the early 70's sleeping in our camper at the first small gas station until they opened up. We were on our way to the summer trailer my parents owned at the Colorado River, and didn't have enough gas to go any further.

I grew up in Orange County but didn't really start traveling until I got in to trucking. In the early '90's I remember stopping here for a cheese burger. At 11:39, as you come around the old gas station, in the distance is the burger stand I bought it at... the big blue truck is just behind and to the right of it. Desert Center was already just about done even then, but I vaguely recall the store and a gas station still in operation at the time. The place always had that long ago feel to it. I'd heard once those palm trees had something to do with some Indian ceremony. I guess that story was somebody's idea of a joke. Anyway, I'm glad to have seen this. I've been in Utah over 30 years now and had to retire from trucking after 40 years. But my heart will always be in California! God bless!!

from the amount of dry cut down palm tree stumps you can tell it was once a thriving city.

In the year of 1974 I worked for Kaiser Steel Corporation at the Eagle Mountain Mine and drove through Desert Center to get to work. I lived in Indio and what a drive that was just to get to work. Now I am retired and live in Annotto Bay. Jamaica.

Great job! Very interesting info as I stop or drive by frequently for the job. 👍👍

I have been a “river rat” since the 60’s. Lived in Orange County and this was the exit we took to get to Parker Az. I have fond memories of gassing up the car and grabbing some food.

Interesting about the date palms. Your video taught me that this is a plant that needs maintenance in this climate.

Wonderful video and such insight and information. Every town has a story and this one is fascinating! Thank you!

I really enjoyed this! I've been a lover and explorer of abandoned places since I was a pre teen. You should do more of these! #subscribed

I think whoever owns the property should be made to clean it up. It should be illegal to let a property get to this level of deterioration.

I like these contents. Maybe that’s what you should start doing. I was so relax watching this video. Your voice match perfectly these contents. Go for it bro. You got it!! Thank you.

I have heard of this place but have not visited yet. Thank you for posting a video of it.

Really good work! I hope you do more of the desert just like this.

I still drive through desert center to go to Arizona. Been using it since the 80’s and have seen many changes. Great video!

The last two times I went thru Desert Center was in 1970 on a Greyhound bus from Phoenix to and from Los Angeles on US 60. When I went again in 1972 it had been bypassed by I-10. The town slowly died soon after. I believe what was old US 60 can still be driven from Blythe to Desert Center. I'd like to check that out.

Gr8 video so I subscribed !

Patton did tank training out there. There was a big field hospital behind the abandoned gas station that is located west of Desert Center. You can still see the lines in the desert where it was located

You failed to mention that Gruendike's Well and Desert Center are 2 separate places. The Well is about 6 miles NE of Desert Center. The original cross desert road went to the Well, but when the newly proposed highway was surveyed, it was miles south of the Well. Ragsdale packed and moved to where DC is today.

Very cool. Thanks 🙂

New subscriber here! Love these types of videos. Great Job!!!

We were just in California yesterday were always looking for places to find it's so cool how things get left behind

I think 62 years ago....my first excursion to the desert of southern California Many trips to hot springs.

I love desert center. My brother lived there in the late 1970s. It's beautiful!

LOVED this video.I'm about 4hrs away from there and wouldn't mind driving to see it.

In either 1977 or 8 I was moving to Phoenix from SoCal driving my MGB sports car. The engine blew up just as I was passing Desert Center. The garage towed the car off the Interstate and I got to wait for the next passing bus to get me back to Palm Springs. That’s what I remember when I think of Desert Springs.

Subscribed. Good video.

Very interesting content, well done!

Thank you! Always wondered about the date palms...square, triangle, and circle. Thought perhaps a signal for the landing site for the mother ship.

Great video!

Those public school art classes have really paid off

Great video

Cool stuff that I have passed up many a time and now I know some of the history of it.

I went through there a few weeks ago and I really had to go to the bathroom. Sadly I didn't realize I drove through the town because I was looking for an actual town and I probably couldn't have stopped anyway since there was no gas station. I had to use that crowded Cheveron next to some tank museum.

Great vid! Was just out here a couple weeks ago myself. Of the 3 times I've been out this way it's always been way to windy for me to get the drone in the air lol. That's just my luck.

So much potential for the town to be revived.😊👍❤️

I used to take the Desert Center exit to get around Banning, (scales). I would exit way up at Thousand Oaks and get around another scale. No pickle parks that I ever saw. That was early on.

I remember stopping there on a family road trip in the early 70s. Near the restaurant was a swing-set, and there was a teepee next to it. My sister and I ran over to it, and when I went through the little door/opening, I thought I was going to throw up. It had been peed in at least a hundred times, and with the desert heat beating down on it, it smelled like a slave-ship. Never forgot that, and I can't say I'm shedding any big blue tears over the fate of the town.

I really like Western history, keep those videos coming! :)

Nice to *see* what Desert Center is & was as I drive by on the 10 to & fro LA & Phoenix.

Cool video!

Back in 95 I stopped there on my way thru back to colo.and it was still alive there I even ate at the old cafe .neat lil town.

I live in Blythe...I pass through DC regularly. It's sad to see it....a few folks still live there, but the entire town has been sold.

Excellent work .

Back in 40's this was only way to go east I think. I was four or five years old. Parents went from LA to Iowa and we had burlap water bag on front bumper of car!

Good video, Thnx.

Thanks for the video, very nice. I remember stopping at the gas station many years ago. I was riding a motorcycle from Phoenix to Los Angeles. It was hotter the H@!!. I used the water hose to drench myself and bought some gas. Kept me from dying of heat stroke. Liked hearing the history of the Ragsdales.

Some really good graffiti out there in Cali desert. I'm in New York don't really care bout graffiti but just given props where they are do

I spent a day under the overpass at I-10 back in 1980 hitchhiking back to PHX. The Frito Lay's driver left us off there on his route to Desert Center after picking us up in Indio. He let us stock up on corn nuts and chips and beef beefjerky. A chick on a Harley stopped and smoked a J with us.

I used to stop and get gas at that Texaco on my way from LA to Lake Havasu City back in the late 80s. One time Byron Scott and Michael Cooper we’re getting gas next to me. Another time, my water pump blew out as I pulled into the gas station and I hung out in the cafe for a couple hours while a buddy of mine drove out from Havasu and towed me.

My husband's family lived in eagle mountain, ca in the 70s and 80s

I was a long haul trk Drv,. From Florida California and back. I always saw the place, I never stopped. I wish I had

The gas station at 5:53 was a Sunland station. My dad and I stopped there for gas in the late 60s. It's been closed for 50 years.

I used to live in that trailer park. The first one you showed, my mom says we lived in when I was born, but I don't remember that. It's across the street from where I remember living.

The palm trees were very interesting.

If you ever want to make a sequel about the video you posted more depth unseen footage of desert center I can give you a lot more history

I very much enjoyed your video of this ghost town I'm very interested in visiting the town in the summer can we please have more videos like this maybe ghost towns of California. Thank you again

I loved it

Could you imagine just how horrific these Old Timers B.O. was, I guess everyone had bad B.O. so nobody noticed, yes, I’m strange, I think of these things, don’t ask me why. Yuck!!

Not addressed in the video was the developed community of Desert Center a couple miles north of I-10. Was very interested in a property there in 2020. The home was huge and the value was unbelievable for CA. We passed because Desert Center is surrounded by absolutely nothing for about 100 miles in every direction and the crime rate is curiously high. Very accurately named community. Exists truly in the center of the desert.

Thanyou for an interesting tour of a California ghost town. I read about George Adamski back in the 1950s having a contacted experience out in the desert close to Desert Center. Was supposed to Ihave met a alien named Orthon that landed there.

A few years back i used to dove hunt at the property surrounded by junked cars. We were guests of one of the Ragsdale's and i often wonder what has happened to our host.

More than 1,000 acres of Desert Center were listed in a probate sale in 2019. This May, a court approved the sale of the area to Riverside resident Balwinder S. Wraich for $6.25 million.