West of the Mojave National Preserve in Southern California, Amboy pops up along Rt 66. This abandoned town had its heyday in the late 1920's when Rt 66 first opened. After Interstate 40 opened in 1973 bypassing Rt 66, the town's usefulness and popularity rapidly declined. Amboy was once listed for sale on eBay, and is currently owned by a fast food chain founder.
Roy's Motel and Cafe was first opened in 1938 and served as the town's main attraction. Today, its gas station is closed, and its cafe has been converted to a small gift shop.
Roy's Motel
The interior of one of Roy's Motel cabins.
Amboy's school closed in 1999.
The Amboy church complex.
The musical hall on the Amboy church grounds.
In 1938 the Small Tract Act leased small parcels of Southern California desert to homebuyers as a means to increase home ownership and spur the economy. However, due to poor planning and limited infrastructure, most of the homes were eventually abandoned. These structures are found just outside Amboy, CA.
An occasional inhabited house can be found amongst the ruins in San Bernadino County.
Built just outside Death Valley in 1905, Rhyolite, NV was home base for gold rush miners. The town's peak population might have been as high as 5000. However, just 5 years after it was founded, Rhyolite's population began falling as reports surfaced that the accompanying mines were overvalued. By 1920, the town's population was 14. This is all that remains of the town bank, that was once appointed with marble floors and stained-glass windows.
A truck parked in Rhyolite.
Interior of the Rhyolite "Bottle House" built by prospector Tom Kelly in 1906.
Interior of a Union Pacific train car in Rhyolite.
A miner's cabin in Rhyolite.