Ludlow, California

Ludlow is a town located in the middle of the Mojave Desert, which clearly illustrates the three historical stages of modern transportation through the desert. The Ludlow Mercantile Company store, built in the early 1900's, is one of the remaining buildings in the abandoned commercial strip along the railroad tracks, when Ludlow was an important stop on the railway (it was the junction of the Tonopah Tidewater Railroad and the main Santa Fe east/west route). A few hundred yards away, old Route 66 runs through town parallel to the tracks, with its abandoned art deco gas stations and cafes of the period. The current era of transportation is indicated by the gas station and mini mart at the Ludlow Exit off the Interstate Highway 40.