Roy's Motel & Cafe

Icon of the Golden Age of Route 66

Out on Route 66, in the Mojave Desert of California, is a tiny former settlement called Amboy. Between Barstow and Needles is this mid-century time capsule of Americana, punctuated by Roy's Motel & Cafe. Founded in 1938, Roy's started off as a gas station and became a legendary icon in American car culture. Its history is inextricably linked with that of Amboy, a town symbolizing community growth along the Mother Road.

It was named in 1883 when railroad tracks were laid through the Mojave Desert by the Southern Pacific Railroad. By the 1930s and 1940s, the town had developed into a busy community of 200 residents with a post office, school, church, service stations, cafes, motor courts, and garages.

Roy Crowl and his wife, Velma, arrived in Amboy in 1924 when their car broke down. Resourceful, the couple started Roy's Garage in 1938, which expanded into Roy's Motel & Cafe. The establishment offered food, gas, and rooms for travelers. In the 1940s, Roy's daughter, Betty, and her husband, Buster Burris, expanded the business by building small cabins for overnight stays, making the place a popular stop. The cafe became synonymous with Route 66, gaining fame for its distinctive Googie-style architecture and towering neon sign. As the highway thrived, so did Roy's, serving as a pit stop for road trippers seeking refuge from the harsh desert landscape. For decades, Roy's was the very embodiment of the spirit of adventure and community that defined the Route 66 experience.

Challenges and Decline

Amboy's destiny turned in the 1970s when Interstate 40 was built on top of the Route 66 route and diverted traffic from Amboy and other small towns along the route. Businesses started to close, and Amboy's population started to dwindle. During these trying times, Roy's remained a necessary landmark within its community, albeit scaled-down. It has gone through further hardships�fires, economic downturns�but the vision that Roy Crowl instilled in it continued to persist. Preservation and Modern Legacy In 2003, Albert Okura, a philanthropist and entrepreneur, purchased Roy's Motel & Cafe. His investment saved this piece of history, which still operates as a gas station and gift shop today. Tourists come to Amboy not just because of the attraction of Roy's but also because of the stories of its past. The old schoolhouse, where the children of Amboy used to learn, is now but a memory, with a tree showing where it used to be. The post office, important since the early days of Amboy, still works as a sign of the town's lasting spirit.

A Living Memory of Route 66

Amboy and Roy's Motel & Cafe carry on the legacy of a dynamic era in American history. They remind visitors of the golden era of Route 66, when the highway symbolized freedom and exploration. Best visited during the cooler months of spring and fall, Amboy is a look back in time where desert landscapes meet mid-century nostalgia. While Amboy is no longer as bustling as it once was, the town's story still inspires the people who travel along famous Route 66, keeping alive the memory of America's great road trip.

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