Imagine rolling into the high desert of California on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. You step off the train and there it is: a three-story, red adobe beauty—the brand-new Hesperia Hotel. With 28 rooms, running water (a serious luxury at the time), and desert views for miles, it must have seemed like an oasis in the middle of nowhere.
The hotel sat on the west side of the railroad tracks, surrounded by 35,000 acres of land that speculators were eager to sell. Newspapers went so far as to call Hesperia “The Denver of California.” Bold claim, right?
A Desert
Dream—or Desert Scheme?
The masterminds were Judge Robert Widney and his brother
Dr. Joseph Widney, along with Ontario developers George and William Chaffey.
They bought up land, gave the settlement a poetic name (Hesperia meaning
“western land”), and launched a massive promotion campaign.
The sales pitch promised a desert utopia: broad tree-lined
boulevards, shady parks, fine schools, grand churches, healthy air that could
cure whatever ailed you, and even riches from mining in the nearby mountains.
The reality? Well… let’s just say some of it was
more illusion than fact.
Trickery in the Desert
One of the most famous “sales tactics” involved tricking
eager easterners who couldn’t tell a yucca from an orange tree. The promoters
literally trimmed up Joshua trees and stuck oranges on the ends of
their bayonet-like spikes to give the illusion of flourishing citrus groves.
Still, the developers grand idea did put Hesperia on the map—and today, more than 100,000 people call it home.
The Hotel’s
Heyday
Back in its prime, the Hesperia Hotel was more than just a
place to sleep. Guests enjoyed modern marvels like hot water, flushing
toilets, and speaking tubes for communication. The hotel boasted a
spacious dining room complete with a bandstand, a piano bar, and fancy balls in
middle of the Mojave.
Once the California Southern Railroad line pushed through the Cajon Pass in 1885, many settlers and tourists came by rail. Victor (later Victorville) became the major stop, but Hesperia snagged its own small depot, drawing curious travelers. By the way, this platform actually could be moved.
For a time, the hotel thrived. But when Route 66 rerouted
travelers away from Hesperia, the once-bustling stop faded. The hotel closed
its doors in 1926 and, after decades of decline, was torn down in 1974.
Today, nearby Los Flores Ranch lands are filled with tract homes, and the once-grand hotel exists only in photographs and stories.
Why This
Hotel Caught My Eye
As a local, I couldn’t resist bringing the Hesperia Hotel
back to life in my western time travel novel, Time
to Save a Cowboy. It struck me as the perfect
meeting place for my time-traveling lovers, Mia and Dusty, before they headed
off for the Los Flores Ranch.
For more information click here: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Cowboy-Western-Travel-Romance-ebook/dp/B07K62JGP7
