The Legend of Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway 

For years I was a truck driver who travelled that route. At the time, I was running (jogging) around thirty miles a week. Almost weekly I would park behind the Circle K and run eight miles on that driveway, four down, four back. I even explored the remains of those structures, wondering the whole time what they used to be. I had no idea the history I was traversing with every run. The Google algorithm feeds me this video, so now I know. Life can be serendipitous.

Mrs Orcutt was born near Richmond Indiana and attended DePauw University. She was petite. 4' 7". Her husband Kenneth was from Colorado, 10 years younger than her, and was killed in a small plane accident in Iowa in 1953. He raised chinchillas in Manhattan Beach, California. Mrs. Orcutt planned to build a maternity hospital for unwed mothers on her Newberry property and name it Cywren ( her brothers name was Wren). She had many other plans for the property as well. Her lake on the property was 14' deep and a 1/4 mile long. She died in 1987 at 77 years old.

Been there. Driven that. At 190 mph. I was on the editorial staff for Motor Trend Magazine in those days, and we top-speed-tested cars there many times during the 1990s. Car and Driver may have discovered it, but several magazines used it. The road was really falling apart by the year 2000. Loose gravel from the deteriorating sun-baked tarmac, plus ruts and undulating surfaces, pot holes (especially toward the last mile, where'd you'd be nearing top speed) plus the natural hazards of tumbleweeds, cross-winds, high heat (or very cold winter temps.) We drove the hell out of new Corvettes, Dodge Vipers, Z28s, Trans Ams, Mustangs, Porsches, Ferraris, and anything else fast, on that dead-end road. Occasionally we'd even get permission from the County to be there, and would pay for a CHP officer to watch over us. But, more often we'd just drive out there at dawn and go for it. No one ever complained, except... One time, a very mad old lady in a pickup came speeding up to us as we turned the test car around at the far end, near our people running the test equipment (radar gun and timing lights.) The lady didn't identify herself except to say "I live on this road!" as she raised holy hell. We collected our gear and promptly left. After we'd heard she died, we decided to venture further down the road to see where she had lived. You have the correct house in the video. But, back then it was only fairly recently abandoned, and there were still remnants of her stuff including a desk drawer crammed with her business paperwork that showed she and her husband owned a nut tree farm (almonds?) before moving there. I kept a couple of those papers, for historical sake, but haven't seen them in dozens of years. "Orcutt Family Ranch", I think it was called. In somewhere like Ojai CA, if I'm remembering correctly. Thanks for the video. Was fun to see the old road again. Lots of untold stories live out there.

I worked fro Mrs. Orcutt during my HS or College years. Not sure exactly when but between 1965-1970. She had a landscaping project around her lake. My friend, now retired and living in Newberry Springs, worked for her for a number of years. I believe she made those adobe bricks herself. She was a hoot. I remember she drove out to my parents house (about 10 miles away) just to see me and encourage me to go to college. Your description is accurate. She was the prototype of a community activist who knew how to work the levers of government. BTW, I lived there when the name was changed. The reason (we were told) the change was so easily made was that the historic name was Newberry Springs and all she did was to point out that it had never been officially/legally changed to Newberry. Regardless, at that time there were many lakes and alfalfa farms ( My dad put in an 8 acre lake at my house) so the "Lakes" addition was a great real estate move. Thanks for the vid. Brings me back many years to a grand old lady.

Thanks for this. I recall reading C&D back in the day and catching references to "Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway" but not understanding. It was all pre-internet so my information sources were essentially zilch. I wasn't sure if it was a pet name for a track or a lonely stretch of road, but figured that it couldn't *actually* be the driveway of some old lady named Mrs. Orcutt. How wrong I was! Very cool.

We lived in Newberry Springs from 1966 to 1994, and we used to sell raw milk to Margaret. Yes, she had rifles by the turrets, she said she had to protect herself. She was an interesting character.

Dude! I love how you can relate a historical fact to the style of a storyteller! Not near enough of that type these days; less tech, more talk! ❤👍 P.S.- Mrs. Orcutt was a Champion!!

Because of the car magazines reference to Mrs. Orcutt's driveway, I did stop and look down that road. Yes, I've also stopped at the rest area that was on her old place. This holds an amazing place in automotive history and deserves at least a bronze historical marker. Please do so .......

You did a great job with this story. My Dad knew her quite well and I was able to go out to Newberry with him to have lunch, I got to know the place pretty well and she was very nice to me when I was there. If you want to do a follow up get ahold of me and I can fill in the gaps about her ranch and the driveway. Thank you for bringing back some good memories

I lived in Newberry Springs during the early 2000s. Every house out there has a well pump that connects to the the water table underground. It is the only way that it is possible to survive out there. I had never heard of Mrs. Orcutt before, it is a fascinating story! However, if you think her personality is unique, you should meet the people that still live out there and you would see that many of them are just like her! Living in the desert does things to people... Anyway, my family was glad to move to the "big city" of Barstow after our time in Newberry Springs. I no longer live in the desert, but I appreciate growing up there.

In 1976, my family went out to the outskirts of Newberry Springs for a kids camp retreat. I got to drive my mom's '65 Buick Skylark down that straight stretch at about 80mph before i was even old enough to drive. Also found an autographed copy of Dick Dale's Ride the Wild Surf at that camp. Good times. Thanks for making it.

What an interesting story. I've driven by that offramp and often wondered why it was there with nothing around it. Now I know. Thank you for another great video.

What a great story! I'm familiar with Newberry Springs from my own travels and I loved learning about Mrs. Orcutt and her property. I would have enjoyed meeting her! Thanks Steve!

Locals claim that Mrs. Orcutt's island-bound chickens swam to freedom around the time of her death and took up free-range lives in the surrounding desert. On some Saturday evenings, the descendants of her chickens gather on the driveway and hold races, but across the road rather than down its length, because they are chickens after all, even though rather eggcentric chickens.

Demonstrating what every senior knows: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Well she left her mark on the world, that's for sure!

What an amazing story. I grew up in S CA and my family camped out in the desert several times a year but this is the first I’ve heard of Mrs Orcutt and her driveway.

I'M only 60yrs and drove cross country from Michigan to San Diego from late 1970s. to middle 1980s. for work and to visit with my Sister. I drove the "driveway" in 1983. Easy, because someone lives at the end of road. I'm a lucky man and I should have knocked on the door just to to say "Hello" .Thanks for sharing, James

Great history lesson. Thanks so much. Newberry Springs is near to one of the longest underground rivers in the US. From Silverwood lake passing near Barstow, Newberry Springs, and empties into Soda Lake near Baker Calif.

My Dad was a construction engineer... and he laid a lot of asphalt out in the Mojave (29 Palms, Barstow, Camp Irwin), This is a great old time story - but 4 miles of what is basically 2-lane blacktop, across that flat desert terrain, did not cost anything like 2 million dollars back then. Actual construction cost was likely less than what they offered for her house.

Talk about driveways, I was is South Australia a few years ago and came across a letter box at the end of a drive way to a cattle station, we thought we would ask if we could camp there for the night, 135 miles and 3 1/2 hours later we got to the farm house. Yes we could camp, they were thrilled to have visitors!

My wife and I love all your videos, especially the Route 66 related ones, thank you so much for all the hard work you do just to share your adventures with us and allowing us to travel vicariously along with you. THANK YOU

The Wife and I, love your Channel… you always find the “Stuff” that has been (unfortunately) forgotten… You’re the modern History Channel! Keep up the great work.

I love your shows on Route 66 the best. Because I live on Route 66 in Oklahoma! I think about the days when Route 66 was the only road across the country and I could get anywhere I wanted on it not far from my front door! Keep up the great videos, I enjoy every one of them!

Great video, and what a wonderful piece of history. Such a shame that the house is in disrepair and left to the elements. We love stories like this. We have travelled Route 66 so many times and didn't know about Mrs Orcutt. What a gutsy lady!

That section of I40 came in around 1970; we drove it every summer. Before that, it was 66.

Thanks for inspiring some of our best outdoor adventures near the Vegas area.

Such a sympathetic and pleasant host. He takes us some amazing places. Thank you from Sydney, Australia.

Great presentation and footage. BTW: I still have that copy of Car and Driver. It was their second serious attempt at 200 mph. The first was a white Cadillac running LNG. I've long forgot about Mrs. Orcutt's driveway until now.

the host of this program reminds me of Huell Hauser on "California Gold" program - for PBS? - & his many adventures throughout California . Same kind of vocal delivery/tone/rhythm, very informative - yet, brief, to-the-point. 9+/10 'nuf said, ALOHA 4 now.....😉😎

Great stories are always better when told from the subject area. Thanks for bringing that story to life. Mrs. Orcutt must have been a pistol.

That low structure you guessed might be a doghouse, it's more likely what old-timers used to call a "root cellar"

What a fantastic story of Mrs.Orcutt❤ May her soul rest in peace. Aamin Love from Pakistan.

I have driven that road in my Jeep, without knowing anything about the history of it. Thanks very much for putting out this video. The Mojave Desert is full of surprises.

Miss the 60`s & 70`s and my dad telling me the great storiesTHANKS

Man you could run some sick Flying Mile events out there! Man, I like this Orcutt! She sounds like a real go-getter who doesn't take no crap and knows a trick or two! Hey if anyone wanted to live at their own racetrack and could buy they property - I don't think you even need to get a building permit if you rebuild the house to the original plans..

How the... what the... 😶 You are correct. This story is rather insane. I rather dig this lady & am glad to have learned about her. REALLY enjoyed this. Thank you for sharing! And agree with you on entering old buildings. The secrets to uncover inside is so rewarding but also feels like the perfect place for snakes to hang out.

Out of nowhere comes an interesting story about a place that I must have passed a hundred times as an over the road driver back in the 90's. Keep traveling and best wishes to you.

I read a story in car and driver magazine about 20 years ago that was all about Miss orcutt's driveway and the high-speed test runs that were done on it 😀

Wow! You put a lot of effort into that and it turned out really interesting. You have a real knack for investigating topics and shaping them into interesting and informative videos. Keep up the good work. 👍☮️🌞🌵🚧🗺

It would be really cool to see it renovated and the race track re-opened and the lake refilled.

What a fascinating story! You would think that the town would try to preserve that house and property with the unique story behind it. It's on my list of places to see that is for sure. Thanks for sharing.

Excellent story. I enjoyed it very much!

I love these kind of stories!

She sounds like my kind of people. Sadly, we're a dying breed.

I want to stress right up front that I am NOT a civil, or any kind of, engineer, but if she was complaining about a FUTURE Interstate 40, a much cheaper method would have been to grade the original drive down a bit, then lay in a culvert structure, whether a concrete box structure or a large diameter corrugated pipe, then built the interstate on top of that. The CA/AZ/NM desert is full of those underpasses. Two-three hundred feet of "culvert" underpass, I'm sure, is a lot cheaper than 4 miles of built and maintained road. Keep up the good work.

I need people like u in my life

Really cool video! I knew of Mrs Orcutt's driveway from C/D articles. I remember one time they were testing some car at very high speed, when a CHP pulled up behind them. After explaining that it was a private driveway, the cops had to let them go. I think part of C/D's deal with Mrs Orcutt was that they could not divulge where her driveway was located. Thanks again for the video!

Great video! I loved the bit about nature taking a break on Saturday.

So fascinating. What an interesting, tenacious woman. Thank you.

Too cool. Im sure that woman was everything she could be, and it should be that way. When I die there will be no story. They will remember me for 20-30 years then life goes on. People can be standing on a piece of ground and not know anything of its past. Love this stuff thanks for sharing.

Got good chuckle out of this woman's saga lol Thanks for this video.

She knew how to get things done!

I just love your videos! One of my childhood friends grandparents owned a catfish farm out that way and I'd usually tag along for a week or so every summer. I think they had about 5 man-made lakes, the bottoms were so mucky! but it never stopped us from swimming. (Except when ppl were fishing: ppl paided to fish, I think they charged by the lbs) then we'd walk to the neighbors (it was only a couple of miles) and rent horses (it was 2 bucks for however long we lasted, lol) good times, great days! Your videos remind me of all those wonderful times!

Interesting and quirky history surrounding route 66 and the development of the I 40. Thanks for taking us on a cool adventure!

Thanks for doing the research on Mrs. O and taking us out to her property!

What an excellent example of dredging up history. I want to be like Mrs. Orcutt.

Thank you for this story. I’m an Orcutt.

Another fun story! There's a lot of history along Route 66 that has fallen by the wayside of Progress. Knotts Berry Farm has roots in the Newberry Springs vicinity.

Wow! Someone should make a movie about this!

Very interesting, another one I didn't know. Shows how the people and the government go day-to-day. Some good some not so good

Fascinating story....keep them coming please....

I used to read the stories in Car and Driver magazine about their hi-speed exploits on that piece of tarmac. They were always vague about the location so as to not cause problems for Mrs. Orcutt. Enjoyed the update, thanks for the post.

AWESOME video Sir ....And the soft not too boomy music is nice too

We relie on people like yourself to educate us on topics like this. I too have passed that road many times and wondered. Thank again for your time and your effort is showing!

great history, looks like she had a very nice place back in the day... gotta hand it to her, she sounds like one tough lady! may she be resting in peace, thanks for the history and tour ❤️🕊️

Well Damn! Our family were on vacation right out there earlier this year. No idea we were in such close proximity to such a significant piece of Americana. Thank you so much for your informative content. It is always entertaining to view.

That was a really great video and this precious lady was quite a character!! Thank you for sharing this exciting BLESSING of a piece of history that I didn't know of!! GOD BLESS you and your precious family now and always 🙏 🤗💞🙏

This is the second video of yours that I have watched, and I really enjoyed it! You have a great way of telling the story! I look forward to your future videos! And I love that hat! Go Padres!

That was a fascinating story. Thanks for sharing.

Great video! Love the extra research and new ideas you gave to the story. It's one of the better legends in American history, so it's awesome to see it being shared around a little more. Hopefully with videos like these, the story will live on.

This has been my favorite video this week.

This is a great video. Totally awesome route 66 story and would absolutely love to see it myself someday!

I simply love your videos - reminds me of California’s Gold and Huell Howser. Wishing you the best!

super interesting thanks for all of this. we have property not too far away, nice to find out about this fascinating place. looks like her land is currently owned by a small nursery company, maybe some day they will put something on it again (the road is all govt land)/ thanks for sharing!

So the legendary driveway was/is actually a driveway. WOW!! I read about the test strip back in the 80's and 90's and figured it was a myth or exaggeration. Thanks for the vid Sidetrack Adventures

What a cool story! Also, I'm always saddened to see properties abandoned and buildings left to decay after someone dies. You would think someone else could have purchased the property and maintained it.

What a cool story. Thanks for sharing.

I dont live in the states. But i sure do love your videos! Very informative

Thanks for sharing your adventures! Keep up the great work.

I remember first reading the article about the 200 mph TransAm back in 1984 and smirking at the Mrs. Orcutt driveway details. Here's an excerpt of the actual article: “We felt it was high time we actually met Mrs. Orcut, who lives at the end of our 200 mph highway. (Sic). Contrary to the prevailing lore, the house has no gun slits, armed guards, or Dobberman patrols. As a matter of fact, the lady who answered our knock is sweet enough to be your grandmother” (Sic) As far as she’s concerned, we use her lane for fuel-economy testing. She doesn’t seem to mind”

Thanks for posting. You sure are making me feel old. I hitchhiked from Oklahoma to LA in 1965 (or late 1964) on Route 66. While I have traveled I-40 several times since then I had no idea about Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway. What a fun story. I can't remember if any of I-40 was complete at the time of that trip but, in California it was at least being built. BTW, I rode my bicycle on the Ventura Freeway in Reseda, CA when it was being built in 1962-3. Guess I am old.

Very cool video! Thanks for the interesting story! However, I think you may have missed the actual big lake with the island. Directly east of Mrs. Orcutt's house is a very large depression with a raised bit of land near the eastern "shore". I suspect this was the big lake and Island. If you turn on the "topo" layer on google maps, you can see it pretty clearly.

Thanks for this info and now have a reason to drive this loop again. Live in So Cal and I like to drive this loop (usually winter season) 15 Fwy. to 66 to Amboy then Amboy Rd. to 29 palms then to 10 Fwy back to home.

I remember that issue. CD did a ton of mods on an early 80s Trans Am to make it run 200. I remember their last test out there but not the car they were testing. They knew the party was over when they had to dodge potholes at 140. That was the end.

I love this Channel ! Every episode is so entertaining .

They only offer her $100K but then spent $2M + upkeep on a taxpayer-funded driveway??? ,And people wonder why this country is in a total state of financial ruin. Great story, you make excellent videos! ..., new sub.

I love these stories! Awesome 🙂

GOLDEN! WOW,,ABOUT THE BEST STORY I'VE HEARD IN A LONG TIME..RIP MRS ORCUTT AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR GREAT VIDEO..SAFE TRAVELS..

How do you find all these places? Watching you and your familie's happiness brings me so much joy. You're like the best friend I've never gotten to actually meet!

As a truck driver I go through there all the time I end up staying the night at the shell station a lot

I really enjoyed this video - it's much more like your usual ones (unlike the disney cruise ad last time). Btw, Newberry Springs is the home of the famous Bagdad Cafe.

"to make even matters worse". "This road became known for being able to go really fast on it". Thank you, Jimmy, would anybody else from the third grade like to share?

Interesting. I'm amazed they made the driveway so wide like a regular road? Seems like if you'd cut the width down it would of been cheaper.

Love these stories.

I just learned something new today. Thank you. I'm curious though. If that road only leads to an abandoned house now, why was a portion of it recently repaved? Also, does anyone own the property now? Seems like a very cool place to resurrect for the car culture.

Awesome. Driven past dozens of times and had no idea.

I’m 55. I grew up in both New Mexico (a cattle and sheep ranch near Piñon) and California (Riverside). What is so depressing to me, and I’ve found this to be the case no matter how well built, once a home or building is abandoned l, decline is rapid and just a couple of generations we see near total loss..

As a Canadian with route 66 on my bucket list, I enjoyed learning about this driveway, cool story.

Another interesting story from the west . Thanks

What a great video! I never heard this story before, and I was a Car & Driver subscriber during those days when they did the testing. Does Mrs. Orcutt have anything to do with the City of Orcutt, California near Santa Maria? I used to live there.