Just a few years later, the depot was expanded to make room for a Harvey House Restaurant, which opened in 1921.  Neatly dressed in starched black uniforms with crisp white bibbed aprons and starched white caps, the Harvey Girls began to serve hot meals, bakery goods and strong coffee to travelers and locals alike.

In 1926, Route 66 was completed through San Bernardino and the town quickly responded with motels, gas stations and other services for the many travelers, several of which can still be seen today.

Unfortunately, due to the many new automobile travelers, rail travel began to decline and by the 1950's the Harvey House Restaurant was closed.  Before long, the historic depot began to fall into disrepair.  However, in the mid-1990's, the San Bernardino Associated Governments and the City of San Bernardino began to work together to bring the depot back to life. Today, it has been fully restored and serves the Metrolink, a commuter rail service, Amtrak, and the offices of the San Bernardino Associated Governments.

As San Bernardino continued to grow into the large metropolitan city that it is today, many other treasures from the past were also preserved.  There were two alignments of the Mother Road through San Bernardino, the latter one now called Business 66.  Here you can see the first McDonalds Restaurant, which now houses the McDonalds Route 66 Museum at 14^th and E Streets.  Also along this route is the California Theatre of Performing Arts, a landmark since 1928, and the place of Will Rogers’s last performance.  The theatre now displays a mural of Mr. Rogers.

Along the older alignment, several motels and cafes can be found tucked between the newer buildings, one of which is the Mitla Café at 602 N. Mt. Vernon Avenue.  Established in 1937, this historic restaurant is a family owned business that’s been serving up great Mexican cuisine since the early days of Route 66.

To the Urban Sprawl

Return to Route 66

To Victorville