Newberry Springs California

Just past Barstow, you will come to Newberry Springs, which was source of water in the Mojave Desert. The town was founded in 1911 and used by wagon trains heading to California on the old Mormon Trail in the mid 1800s. Newberry Springs, located on an ancient lake, has a large collection of underground water. This was the first water stop for wagon trains comming west of the Colorado River.

Archeologists and anthropologists have found evidence of man early history of the Newberry Springs area. Some 20,000 + year old tools found from these early man site. Even human scull fragment have been found in the Schuilling Cave.

Newberry Springs appears to be one of the oldest trade routes, the Mojave Trail, of the new world. Evidence shows this ancient trade route parallels the Mojave River. It was used at least 4,000 years ago by the Mojave Indians. They traded shells with the coastal Indians from San Diego to San Louis Obispo. In many places you can still see the remnants of Cattail reeds and tulles from a marsh that existed here before the lake dryed up. An earthquake lowered the water table.

One of the most famous places to stop in Newberry Springs is the Bagdad Cafe. It was once called the Sidewinder Cafe. The cafe has been a popular location site for short films and TV commercials.