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Gateway to Death Valley: The Broken Dreams of Baker, California

Deep in the heart of the Mojave Desert lies Baker, California, a desolate little town along the I-15 freeway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Best known as home to The World's Tallest Thermometer, Baker has become infamous for its many abandoned businesses.

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker California

On the final day of my epic road trip through the abandoned places of the Western United States, I crossed into California. After spending a night in the ghost town of Cisco, Utah, I took in the beauty of Utah's picturesque Dead Horse Point State Park and Arches National Park. As much as I'd love to share my pictures and tell you how incredibly beautiful these places are, I'll resist the urge, since this is a site devoted to abandoned places, not gorgeous natural phenomena.

If you've ever driven along I-15 between Los Angeles to Las Vegas, you've probably noticed the monolithic thermometer standing tall over Baker, California. You may have even stopped in Baker to refuel, grab a bite to eat, or snap a picture or two of the towering attraction.

Baker began in 1908 as a station of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad. It later became a town and was named after Richard C. Baker, a borax and railroad magnate. Located at the southern end of Death Valley, Baker is nicknamed "The Gateway to Death Valley"

The World's Largest Thermometer was created by Willis Herron, who owned many businesses in Baker and, at one point, was said to have employed half of Baker's population. Hoping to draw more visitors into Baker, Herron partnered with Young Electric Sign Co. in 1991 to build the 134-foot monument. Its height was chosen to commemorate the hottest day ever recorded, July 10 1913, which reached a scorching 134 degrees Fahrenheit in nearby Death Valley.

World's Largest Thermometer in Baker, California

The enormous thermometer cost $750,000 to build, and was blown over by high winds before it was officially lit. It was quickly rebuilt with a sturdier design.

Willis Herron suffered health problems and sold several of his business endeavors to Matt Pike in 2005 before passing away in 2007. In 2012, Pike turned off the thermometer, citing an $8000/month electric bill and inaccurate temperature readings.

When Willis Herron's widow Barbara learned that the beloved landmark was being considered for demolition, she repurchased and refurbished it. On July 10, 2014 the official re-lighting was held.

Next to the thermometer sits the abandoned Bun Boy Restaurant, which was also owned by Willis Herron and purchased by Matt Pike in 2005.

Abandoned Bun Boy Restaurant in Baker California

The restaurant originally opened in 1926 and Herron became an investor in 1950. Matt Pike bought Bun Boy restaurant in 2005 and turned it into a Bob's Big Boy franchise. The restaurant closed in May 2013 after Pike faced legal trouble for not paying franchise fees.

Bun Boy now sits abandoned with a weathered Bun Boy sign out front. It is unclear whether the name changed before it closed in 2013, or if it was briefly reopened under the Bun Boy name after its time as a Bob's Big Boy.

Abandoned Bun Boy Restaurant in Baker, California

I was able to capture a few pictures of the restaurant's interior through a window. It is remarkably clean and the tables still have their settings. The property is currently for sale.

Abandoned Bun Boy Restaurant in Baker California

Abandoned Bun Boy Restaurant in Baker, California

Abandoned Bun Boy Restaurant in Baker California

Across the street is another abandoned building bearing the Bun Boy sign. I wasn't able to determine whether it is a previous location or perhaps a business office. If you have any information, please let me know in the comment section at the end of this article.

Abandoned Bun Boy Restaurant in Baker, California

Next door is another abandoned building, which once sold artwork. 

Abandoned Building in Baker California

Beside the Bun Boy Restaurant sits the abandoned Bun Boy Motel, which appears to have closed around the same time as the restaurant. The Yelp reviews of guests who had stayed there are quite negative.

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker, California

Abandoned Bun Boy Restaurant in Baker California

Abandoned Bun Boy Motel in Baker, California

The motel lobby is in rough condition. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought it had closed many years earlier.

Abandoned Bun Boy Motel in Baker California

A block or two down Baker Blvd stand the remains of another abandoned motel, Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel. The Tiki-themed establishment opened in 1957, when there was still a demand for lodging for travelers crossing the desert.

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker, California

Economic hardship following the Great Recession and increased competition from Casino hotels in Nevada forced Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel to close in 2009. Its closure left only one motel still in business in Baker. 

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker California

Yelp reviews here and here paint a picture of the establishment's decline as well as the attention it has attracted since its abandonment. 

The main building, though gutted, still has a beautiful curved ceiling that appears structurally sound. 

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker, California

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker California

The courtyard, decorated with palm trees, looks like it was once an excellent place to relax with a drink by the pool.

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker, California

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker California

Unfortunately the property is strewn with trash. 

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker, California

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker California

The rooms were sturdily built and are probably structurally sound, if you look past the graffiti and vandalism. 

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker, California

Abandoned Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker California

Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel is currently listed for sale here.  

Across the street stood another vacant restaurant. 

Abandoned Building in Baker, California

Abandoned Building in Baker California

Abandoned Building in Baker, California

According to the sign on the door, there were plans for reopening, but I'm not sure if they ever came to fruition.

Abandoned Building in Baker California

Abandoned Building in Baker, California

Someone painted a Banksy-style image on the back of the building. I thought the man looked like a thin version of Dick Cheney, but it's actually Mark Rothko.

Abandoned Building in Baker California

I got back on the road and made one last stop on the way home, they mysterious Zzyzx Healing Center. Come back next week to see pictures and read about the site's strange history.

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43 comments:

  1. Boy, there was some talent to paint that last picture.
    Sort of strange how places can be so popular at one point and fall into such decline. Frankly, though, I can not relate how anyone would EVER settle an area that could come even close to 134 degrees. Blech! I'll take my mid-70's in the summer anytime!!
    Have a great weekend

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    1. I don't blame you. I prefer the dry heat in the Southwest to the humidity of my hometown in WI, but 134 degrees is insane. Thank goodness L.A. doesn't reach such extremes. Enjoy your weekend too!

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    2. The 134 degrees was recorded in Death Valley, not Baker...

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    3. I worked at both Bun Boys as a main chef for many years and I have alot of memories

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  2. wow. the restaurant looks pretty clean tidy for an abandoned. this is great picture. thanks for sharing it!

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    1. Thank you! I'm always amazed when places remain clean despite being abandoned. I notice it happens a lot with restaurants, probably because they usually have many windows, and trespassers would be easy to spot.

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    2. I worked for the Baker School District for many years and even taught summer school one yeat5. I loved it.

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  3. So sad to see such decline in Baker. I lived there as a kid. Arne's Royal Hawaiian was a nice motel at the time - nothing fancy. Around 1973, the owners expanded the motel. This was the same time the Barstow Unified School District allowed a high school to be built in the town. Before this time, high school students either boarded out during the week with families in Barstow (60 miles away, and over 100 miles from the farthest homes in the district), or drove to Shoshone High School (45 miles north of Baker). There was a time when the school wasn't ready and the motel rooms were not furnished. The unfinished rooms were used as temporary classrooms for a brief time. We also got to use the motel pool as a P.E. location.

    The second Bun Boy building you talked about was a business office.

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    1. Thank you for the info! Such a long commute to school every day must have been awful. Pretty neat that the motel rooms and pool were used when the new school wasn't ready. I love when communities come together to creatively solve problems.

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    2. I commuted to Barstow for the four years of high school. The trips were awesome, we all got along and either slept or did homework on our way home to Baker. It was a great time in my life and I will never forget it!!

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  4. Hi Jim, name is Monica. I just stumbled upon your website, and instantly became enthralled by it!
    We visited Baker on our way to Vegas in August 2004. It was unintended, since we actually had reservations at a hotel in Death Valley, to which we were driving from Yosemite. At one point, we encountered roadblocks and some signs informing motorists that Death Valley was closed; we would later learn that this had been due to disastrous flash flooding. So, paper map in full display (remember, this was 2004!), we took a breathtaking, 300-mile detour that had some surprises in store, such as Calico... After touring the famed "Ghost Town", we realized that we would not make it to Vegas that evening (plus, we didn't have reservations for that night), so we decided to wing it. We stopped in Baker, no doubt attracted by the light of the World's Tallest Thermometer, and walked into the Royal Hawaiian, which had an enticing "Vacancy" sign. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we had no problem in booking a room. Come to think of it, we may have been the only customers... The room was in the main building, as I believe at that time the single-story "motel" portion was no longer functional. It was incredibly spacious and fabulous in a 50's-60's kind of way: leaf-green (and well-kept) thick carpet, a black & white TV set, and the kind of mid-century chairs and tables that now go for $100s in flea markets and auctions. We even swam in the pool, under the stars. The water was pristine, and warm. It must have been quite the place, back in time.
    The morning after we had breakfast at the Denny's nearby; looking at your pictures, it seems that it has also closed up since.
    Thanks Jim!
    Monica.

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    1. Hi Monica,
      Thank you for sharing your memories of your time in Baker, CA. It sounds like you had a really nice stay at the Royal Hawaiian. How neat that you got the whole place to yourselves! Enjoying a nighttime swim under the stars sounds so nice.

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  5. Your trip down Arrowhead Trail sounds like fun. It is a real challenge to try to figure out exactly where the original routes ran. Good records are hard to find. I've also found that the land has sometimes been sold to private owners.

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  6. Just finished your articles on your 17 day trip and can't wait to read the rest. Ran across it (Wilcox article) while researching a trip I'm planning to SE AZ. I live near Oatman/Kingman etc. in NW AZ.
    Your articles and the comments from readers are beyond interesting. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them.
    My trips are generally centered around the beautiful scenery in the western U.S. but I do occasionally stop at a museum (not the artsy-fartsy ones) that interest me. Last trip was the Idaho Potato Museum (Idaho Falls) and the Mountain Man Museum (Pinedale, WY), both very informative and historical.
    Abandoned places have always interested me also and your articles have great pictures and your research is amazing on what they were and what has happened to them.
    Sorry about the Anonymous but I do not do any social media type things so had to go with Anon.

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    1. Thank you so much for the comment! I love that you read through the entire road trip. I hope you enjoy the articles from my Epic Rust Belt Road trip too. I love road tripping through the country. The scenery is breathtaking and there are so many interesting and unexpected places to stop and visit. Offbeat attractions like the Potato Museum are awesome!

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  7. I lived in Baker as a young girl. This was back in the 60's when we had the two room school. It went to 8th grade and after that, most of the kids either took the bus to Shoshone or just quit. There used to be a Cone Taco right at the intersection in town. The Bun Boy and Lloyd's Cafe were the places to eat. Lloyd had a shoe box next to the pumps. He would show us kids the rings and watches people would give him to trade for the gas he pumped out front. Was a wonderful place to be a kid. Thankfully though, we moved when I was 11. I can't imagine living there all my life.

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    1. It must be nice to remember Bun Boy and the other businesses when they were still thriving. Thank you for sharing your memories!

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    2. My Grandma was Jeanette Hadlock (Hadlock motel) and Step Grandpa Lloyd Metheny. My Grandma with Grandpa Jay Hadlock owned the gas station, cafe, motel and Shell storage station across the street. They started it around 1945/46. My father was born in 48. My mom worked at Cone Taco. I was born in 68 and went to school in Baker for kindergarten, 1st and 2nd. My grandma left Baker in 1982. Part of her house still stands. It is behind the jack in the box. The tore down the motel and Lloyd's cafe and gas station completely. I believe the building where people that worked at the restaurant is still standing. I'm actually planning a trip there in a few weeks to show my husband. I was there actually there day before 9/11 the last time. I know it is not the great and magical place it was when I was a kid but I want him to see it through my eyes.

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    3. Hadramdebi, I remember your Grandpa LLoyd Metheny. He was a fine gentleman. I too took my husband to Baker to see were I grew up (3rd - 8th grade). I tried to take him to see my house, but it had been turned into a prison facility!

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  8. My mother and I went to Las Vegas a number of times to see the Moody Blues and of course would pass through Baker. I remember going to the restaurant by the thermometer once which must have been '99 maybe. There was a Chevron on the other side of the road and we stopped for gas there after midnight. I have a little stone cat I bought in the store and then next trip, it looked like it has been closed forever.

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  9. https://www.datalounge.com/thread/21249065

    Hi Jim, it's azpiony on IG. I just read your About Me and found you're a fellow friend of Dorothy. Enjoy the above thread about Barstow on DL. Hilarious, and I recommended your site.

    Wish you'd visit Barstow too!

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    1. Thanks for the Barstow link. The motel art there oddly entranced me and my wife, as did the very sweet, 30-something waitress who had never traveled anywhere out of town. For those who like to stay in such towns, there are some solid but sad articles about Trona, CA. from the LA Times you might Google.

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  10. Jim, this is an excellent post and photo journal of Baker. I'm currently writing a book about the Mojave, including its abandoned structures, and, having lived in Nevada for several years before the Great Recession (back when Baker was still fairly bustling), it's sad to see the current state of this little pitstop that was once a lot of fun to pass through. Anyway, glad I found your blog - you've got some great stuff!

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    1. Please let me know when your finished with your book. I would love to see it. My family lived there from mid 40s to 1982. Hadlock motel, Lloyd's cafe.
      My name is Debi Hadlock. Hadramdb@gmail.com

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    2. Thank you so much! I'd be interested to read your book too!

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  11. When did you get the pictures of the building that used to be an ihop? They are really interesting to see.

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    1. Ruby Calypso, I don't believe the building was ever an ihop, it was just an a-frame designed roof. This was Pike's Cafe when I was in Baker, 1970-76. By about 1991or 92 it was a Denny's. Attached to Pike's was the Watering Hole Saloon and Steakhouse.

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  12. This is very sad. I used to hear Bun Boy commercials on the radio on my way to Vegas. Ironically I am behind the thermometer charging my electric car on the way to LA from Vegas.

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  13. That lovely village is so sweet in every perspective and that thermometer was too long to look at it from far away and it really needed to get the San Bernardino County Title Deed for having such beautiful scenario and all of those beauty.

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  14. lived there early 60s 2nd? grade Mom checked groceries in Brown's market Dad worked talc mines north of town (Tacopa area) & some nights at truck stop east end of town we moved there from Anchor Bay north Cal Mom & i ate our 1st taco in Baker so remember her asking them what a taco was more story to come... T8TER

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    1. Above from Alan V Burris 1952 = avbenicia@gmail.com

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  15. Hi. Wanted to add some information that I know about Baker California.
    My aunt Ann Price and her mother Lois Clark run the RV park on hwy 127. Parallel to the main road there. They used to own a donut shop there as well that turned into something else I believe but not quite sure. My dad used to run the Texaco station on the main road too, right next to what used to be a Burger King. (The building across the street from the alien jerky. Life is crazy and we moved from Baker when I was about 4. Then, after having my baby in 2006 I moved back with my aunt Ann and I began working at this pictures building. The one on the end across from the royal hawaiian. That used to be a Denny that had a bar attached called Pikes Place. Thanks to you, now I know why. It later became an IHOP, and then shut down shortly after. Then the Denny’s moved on down the road. I still go there quite often to see my family and it’s surreal how many buildings have been abandoned. Anyway, love to have read this. Hope my info helps some of the curiosity.

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    1. Such horrible typos🙄 I meant to say I began working at, what used to be the Denny’s. It’s the one of the pictures you’ve provided that’s across from the royal Hawaiian.

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    2. I worked at Pike's restaurant when I first moved to Baker. They offered room and board across the street from the restaurant. The Flying A gas station was across from Pike`s. After working at Pike's I went to work at Lloyd's Cafe and eventually Cone Taco. Met my ex husband in Baker and eventually moved up to Mountain Pass Calif.This was t he early sixties when I lived in Baker and there was no freeway at that time so Baker was a very busy town. All t he traffic from LA would drive through and stop for gas and food. I waited on many stars that would stop to eat on their way to Vegas.

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    3. Jennifer - Your Great Aunt Lois gave me my first real job at the age of 13. I worked at Annie's Donut and Ice Cream Shop (named for your aunt). Great lady. I hope you see this and tell her thanks for giving so many young people a great start in the working world.

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  16. Mike's restaurant eventually became Denny's..

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  17. Mike's restaurant eventually became a Denny's restaurant.

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  18. It wasn't much of a town but it was home for a few years. The people of Baker (many of whome I still call friends, hi Larry, Shelly, Mona and the rest!) it was a place where you could lose your past and make a life, then move on. Some of the best moments of my life were there. On the north side of town near the post office are a set of buildings that were originally used as test buildings for PAC bell then they became a private prison! That's what brought me there in 2001, after my time as a corrections officer I tended bar at pikes and was a waiter at Denny's. I have way to many good stories and a few bad about that little town. Btw you didn't write about the mad Greek restaurant(as seen on Diners Drive-Ins and dives) or any of the many businesses that are still thriving in that town. Or the films that have been made there including play it to the Bone with Antonio banderas and Woody harrelson or The big empty with Jon favreau. Don't count that little town out! The people there are mostly kind and loving. They work hard and genuinely care about each other and the many that pass through.

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    1. The buildings you cited as PAC Bell test buildings were actually homes for the Pac Bell employees (that's where I lived for 6 years). We called it the compound. It was an incentive to get workers to move there - very low rent and central air conditioning. You may recall a building to the left after you enter the fencing; that was the rec hall. We had an ad hoc HOA, no fees, that ran the use of the hall. This was where the school Christmas programs were held, we learned to square dance, took hunter's safety classes, and had dances. It was also our "theater". We would rent theater-released movies (not first or even second runs). A group of moms would pop and bag popcorn, make hot dogs and buy sodas. The movie was never more than a quarter, same for the dogs and popcorn and soda were a dime. In the grassy area between the ends of the cul-de-sacs we had playground equipment, shuffleboard courts and a volleyball court.

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  19. It saddens me to see how abandoned baker has become, like so many of my childhood friends me and my parents would move back every other year i was from a small town 12 miles away hollering springs, was there off and on from 1977 till about 1989 and revisited around 93 with my first wife

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  20. My wife and I stayed twice at the Bun Boy during trips to Death Valley years ago. We ate at the restaurant as well, and it was decent but not great. (The second time the Mad Greek had opened.) It was run-down and smelled a bit both times, but it was doable. After that we found staying at Marta Beckett's Amargosa Opera House was more fun on show nights (she was still alive and dancing back then.) I do hope that place is still going, despite its own struggles against the march of time.

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  21. I drove my Mom to Las Vegas many times from San Diego on business. Always stopped in Baker.I remember a place with a Polaroid of OJ & Nicole in a glass display case. Also semi-truck trailers at night with incredible light displays. The desolation was somewhat appealing !

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