Tagus Ranch & Perry's Coffee Shop Revisited - Tulare, CA

Among my older posts (aren't they all?), one that continues to garner new looks and comments concerns a former dining and dancing destination located on dusty Highway 99 just to the north of the fine city of Tulare, CA: World Famous Tagus Ranch.

The site of this magnificent ruin has always piqued my interest whenever I'm motoring past, and several times at the urging of my kids I have stopped to document the old building's current state of decay. I last did so on August 6, 2010, and here are some pictures from that 100 degree day:

Was that a BBQ pit to the back left?

A Warning sign:

A few Urban Explorers have made it inside:

Menace said:

"Hello there Walter,
I may have not been alive to [see] this place in it's glory days but I did go see this place recently. I was filming a short film for my video class and we all decided to go to Tagus Ranch. We heard it was haunted(because we heard at least one girl was murdered there) so we were all frightened. Well we all went inside that place and it was really dark even in the daytime, we came upon the room with the pentogram(star) with strange symblos and an eye in the middle and we all freaked. Our video turned out crappy so we have to reshoot but this time at night!"
DECEMBER 18, 2009 6:57 PM

I sure hope 'Menace' made it back and will share some of the pics from the second outing.

Here's a closeup of the ghost-sign-brand 'TR' that used to adorn the exterior and can be seen in the postcard view from my original post.

Stacy Hargrove mentioned in her kind comments that she had been inside and that "...even the old Tagus Ranch symbol was there." Stacy: Would the symbol that you saw be the same one that used to grace this wall?

Ahh, the Great Sign:

Here's a souvenir for you smokers out there:

Long time Tulare residents will remember Perry’s Coffee Shop. Here’s a link to my previous post regarding “The Best Cup Of Coffee on Highway 99”, along with a postcard view of the interior from the 1960’s:

One happy couple enjoyed their time here very much, and wrote their friends Mr. & Mrs. Norman Anderson of La Puente, CA to tell them so:

“Dear Folks – We enjoyed our brief visit with you so much. Having a wonderful trip. This is a lovely dining room & a nice motel. Temp here is over 100 degrees but nice inside. We hope to see Sequoia National Park & Yosemite tomorrow. Regards, Florence and Tony Zelir”(?)

Postmarked Tulare, July 28th, 1962.

I looked up the Anderson’s address on Google, and (yay!) it hasn’t been demolished. But I do wonder if they still live there after all these (49) years? I suppose there’s a pretty fair chance that the Anderson’s have gone on to that great Coffee Shop in The Sky, in which case I hope to meet them one day to discuss this card :)

Unfortunately, the former Perry’s Coffee Shop building was demolished a couple of years back:

Here’s a bit of the terrazzo floor to contemplate. Too bad we can no longer perform this contemplation with fresh pie and hot coffee in hand…

Further north on the 99, we pass the ruins of the Mammoth Orange in Fairmead. We used to enjoy the best ‘Alaska Sized Burgers’ and squeezed-right-in-front-of-you Orange Juice Shakes at this historic roadside stand which was the last of its kind. Too bad the exit was closed which killed the business.

Take care and drive safe…and see you next time.

Motel 6 & Sambo's Restaurant - Bakersfield, CA

Just off the 99 on Oak Street in hot and dusty Bakersfield, a pair of 1960's relics soldier on...

First up, here is one of the original units in the now ubiquitous Motel 6 chain. Motel 6 was founded in 1962 when the original room charge was $6.60. Although their rates have risen some since then, they still provide basic rooms to those travelling on a budget.

Here is the Bakersfield '6' back in its heyday:


It looks like a warm day and the parking lot is full. It's hard to tell, but there appears to be a late 1950's Imperial parked in the lot, judging by the Flight-Sweep deck lid in evidence.

The pool is located right in the front, just off of the street. You'll also notice that there was a Sambo's restaurant located right next door; we'll stop in for a cup of coffee in just a few minutes...But first, let's visit the Motel 6 today:

The 40 year old building looks pretty much the same. It was never stylish to begin with, but then again Motel 6 wasn’t known for setting standards in the field of design. The place is now an Econolodge and rooms are advertised for $39.96 for a single. That’s a 600% increase from its Motel 6 glory days!

OK, OK…I know you’re wondering about the pool area. You ask if the remaining water is all green and slimy? Is it filled in with dirt and pushing up weeds? Or paved over for additional parking perhaps?

Can weary travelers still be refreshed after a long and tiring drive?

Well, I'm happy to report that the answer to that last question is a big fat ‘Yes!’

The whole pool area doesn’t look bad at all; and there’s even a life-ring to throw in for those having trouble staying afloat:

I’ll take the second floor room closest to that overhanging balcony. I like to be able to keep an eye on the kids while they work up an appetite for dinner…

Which will be served next door at Sambo’s!!!

And what a fine sight this place must have been when twilight was setting in and dinner was calling. Of course, pancakes were available 24-7 and I’d bet that the Club House was cut in quarters as is proper. Steaks and Chicken were also in the spotlight.

Featuring a rakish and somewhat different design than the Sambo’s in Modesto, this beautiful building calls out to passers by (and those staying next door) quite effectively.

When I was seeking out this location, I expected to find very little remaining of the original design. Boy was I surprised to see how much was still intact:

Let’s take a tour around the former Sambo’s, which now moonlights as Lamina (“Plate” in Spanish) and serves down-home Mexican food to hungry Vaquero’s…

Here’s a side view:

You don’t see decorative fencing like this anymore (but I do):

I’m not sure if they chose the six letter ‘Lamina’ so that they could still use these fanciful oval billboards to display the name...But I'm glad they did!

And if you stare at the sign without blinking for a minute or so, the letters will slowly change to: S-A-M-B-O-S ...

This area would have held lush landscaping, as befits a family restaurant. Looks like they lost a palm tree sometime back:

And here’s a close-up of the terrific rock work, which is one of my favorite elements of coffee shop design circa the Space Age. Too bad the ‘Sambo’s’ lettering no longer floats in front of the rough hewn surfaces (is that corn growing in the flowerbed?):

Why don’t they design buildings with angles like these anymore?

Lastly, a parting glance at the former Sambo’s; still standing out on site and holding up well some 40 years on:

Thanks for visiting. As before, please accept my apologies for the infrequent posts…I’ll try to do better going forward.

Happy travels!

Milt's Coffee Shop

A really good coffee shop can be a godsend while travelling the miles of asphalt that are collectively known as Highway 99. Milt's Coffee Shop in Bakersfield, California is just such a place. Located at 5220 Olive Drive, Milt's has been serving delicious down-home delights since the early 60's.

The back of this mid-sixties postcard invited passers by to "See our collection of State Plates". I'm happy to report that, as of 2007, this collection is still in place.

Well, Milt's has seen a bit remodeling over the years. In fact, the original building has lost it's mid-century stylings altogether. Once inside it's doors, however, one is delighted to find a vintage interior that still sports both booth AND counter service in most of it's original livery.

I recommend the roast beef and mashed potatoes, topped off with a peanut butter milkshake. My whole family recently voted to make a stop at Milt's one of our family traditions when travelling to and from our hometown and the golden magnet that is Southern California...

Oh, but what happened to that wonderful sign you ask? Well, the good news is that the original sign was saved and now presides at the edge of the property, where Highway 99'ers can be properly lured into the cozy confines of good ol' Milt's.

Happy travels to all of you...

Travelers Inn Restaurant

Located on the old alignment of Highway 99 (Union Avenue) six miles South of Bakersfield, The Travelers Inn Restaurant was a welcome rest stop for those who were "on the road" in the 50's.

The Coffee Shop was open 24 hours a day and the dining room was REFRIGERATED. For those who were thirtsy, Cocktails were available from 9 A.M. to 2 A.M.

Les & Helen Rose were the hosts and if you wanted to know what the special was before you made the trip, you could dial FAirview 4-2786.


Many hot and dusty days have passed since Les & Helen held court at the Travelers. As the local demographic has changed, so has the focus of many an old eatery along this forgotten stretch of road. Now known as La Villa, the former coffee shop serves up tasty tacos, tortas and burritos. Carne Asada and Al Pastor are the forvorite fillings and an ice-cold Jarritos Pina or Corona Light goes a long way to slake the local thirst.

The building itself appears to be in original, albeit well-worn condition. Even the cement road surface hasn't been paved since the fifties as the same cracks appear in each picture. As is common for August, the late afternoon temperature hovered around 104.

Time For A Quick Cup

Up the road from Anaheim (about 260 miles on Highway 99), let’s stop for a cup of coffee and maybe some steak fries. This is Farnesi’s Restaurant and Coffee Shop in Madera, CA.

It’s large, free standing sign can be seen from quite a ways off. Farnesi’s has been open since the early 60’s, serving quality food and drink to those traveling down California’s golden Central Valley.

Here’s the great sign from a mid-60’s postcard and a picture from the present day. Though largely intact, some of the playfully-fonted mini-signs pertaining to the adjacent motel (which still stands) have gone missing (‘TV’, ‘Phones’, etc.) Oh well, at least the classy cocktail glass remains…

The restaurant building itself looks largely the same, but has been enlarged somewhat over the years:

Next time you’re motoring through Madera, make sure you patronize this fine old relic of the road. After a couple o’ highballs and New York Steak & Eggs, you’ll think its 1966 all over again… (And you’ll probably want to get a room!)