Ludlow Travel Guide

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Use to be called Friends Coffee Shop during it the hey days of Route 66, now it is called Ludlow Coffee Shop. A wonderful establishment that has been able to sustain itself along a very empty stretch of interstate that has seen so many other businesses disappear. It was nice to see that it is still here.

Just one of those unique places located just about in the middle of nowhere. This is a very busy business. It has all the attributes that many travelers are looking for a place to stop, rest, and refresh because there is still a long road ahead. It is not a big place, but has some decent food, restrooms, and has a gift shop too. We stop here a couple of times to grab something to eat and stretch our legs. My boys always ask for ice cream.

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The plaque reads:
Seeking a more efficient way to get borax from his mines on the east side of Death Valley to processing facilities near Los Angeles, and hoping to tap the booms at Rhyolite, Tonopah, and Goldfield, Nevada, Francis Marion Smith built the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad. Construction started at Ludlow in August 1905 and proceeded quickly across Broadwell Dry Lake (just north of Ludlow), reaching Dumont by May 1906. However, it took nearly a year to build through the difficult terrain of the Amargosa Gorge. Originally planned to extend from Tonopah to San Diego, the line reached its terminus at Beatty, Nevada in October 1907. While the T&T was a lifeline for the East Mojave Desert residents, it rarely turned a profit. In 1933 the 26 miles of track between Ludlow and Crucero were abandoned, and the trains stopped running June 1940. The tracks were taken up in 1942 and 1943. Only the roadbed remains. The shops and headquarters of the T&T were located here at Ludlow, just south of this marker. Little remains of the facilities that for 18 years serviced the locomotives and rolling stock of the Nevada Shortline. Plaque dedicated October 14, 2007 by The Billy Holcomb Chapter of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus in cooperation with the Knoll Family and the Bureau of Land Managament. (Marker Number 128.)

Located in front of Ludlow Coffee Shop 68315 National Trails Hwy, Ludlow, CA 92338, Off of Interstate 40, exit Ludlow

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The first time we drove by Ludlow, it looked like desolate little ghost town. When we headed back home, we stopped at the Dairy Queen and realized that this little town was not dead yet. Some businesses are doing well and keeping it alive. Although, many of the old buildings are decaying, but give a glimpse into the hey day of the old Route 66 days. These old buildings are very popular with photographers and those who can remember when these establishments were still open. I bet those were special times.