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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 14th 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.
While in the
San
Bernardino area, you will surely notice the well-known natural
landmark of the Arrowhead that sits high on the mountainside. Clearly visible long before white settlers came to the area; the
phenomenon was created by the natural uplifting of the soil and can be
seen from as far away as 30 miles on a clear day. Many legends
surround the Arrowhead, but the most popular is an Indian story that the
Great Spirit created the arrow to guide them to where they were to live. The Arrowhead, measuring 1,360 feet long and 450 feet wide was once
believed to be man-made, so perfect are its proportions. |
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