Never heard of Archer? Of course you haven't. No one has, because it doesn't exist. But at one time there was a little outpost along a very remote stretch of railroad tracks named Archer. People lived and worked there, kids grew up there, and people died there. Join us while we go take a look to see what's left.
My friend Mitch and I are driving from 29 Palms, going north to Amboy, then east to Chambless (not shown on map), then south through Cadiz and off the map as we follow the old dirt Cadiz Road south. Fingers crossed we don't get stuck in sand or have car trouble, because very few people travel this road anymore.
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| Undated post card showing Route 66 and the town of Amboy in its prime. |
I'm relying heavily on Joe DeKehoe's excellent book "The Silence and the Sun" for historic information about Archer. This little outpost in the middle of nowhere had only one purpose: To service the railroad. Archer had a well and its existence was entirely dependent on the need for water by steam engines. Once the railroad switched to diesel locomotive's in the 1950's, Archer was abandoned. About all that is left of Archer today is this old salt cedar tree that appears to be barely alive. You have to get out of your car and walk around to appreciate the incredible feeling of remoteness and isolation out here. There is likely not another human being around for miles.
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Look closely to see the remains of an old raptor nest.
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Archer was probably first occupied in 1910 when Santa Fe records show the well was drilled and the tracks were completed. The population of Archer likely never exceeded more than about 20 people, including children.
There was a one room school house 6 1/2 miles south at a small outpost named Chubbuck (just follow the train tracks). Young children living in Archer would walk 13 miles a day, 5 days a week, to attend school!
Last time I drove Cadiz road was about 8 years ago. I remember posting some pictures of the area on Flickr, and having a fellow Flickr member contact me about an old graveyard somewhere near Archer. He mentioned words like "remote", "unknown", and "fascinating", and I was hooked! He said he may have been the first to discover it and was in the process of contacting BLM to report the find. The thought of that old graveyard had been stuck in my head all these years, and I was determined to find it on this visit. After studying Google Earth for clues, I had a pretty good idea of where to find it.
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| Can you spot the old graveyard? |
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| I wonder what all these round things are?? |
Of the few people who travel the old Cadiz Road, fewer still will take the unmarked turnoff and follow the unmaintained and overgrown "road" to Archer. What little of Archer is left today is slowly being blown away by the high desert winds common to the area.
Thanks for stopping by!
Mitch and I will be continuing our journey along remote Cadiz road on next weeks post.
There was a one room school house 6 1/2 miles south at a small outpost named Chubbuck (just follow the train tracks). Young children living in Archer would walk 13 miles a day, 5 days a week, to attend school!
Such a sad little cemetery. The lives of people who came and are gone.
ReplyDeleteYes, the cemetery got me. So forlorn. And yet connected to civilization by steel rails. Young children living in Archer would walk 13 miles a day, 5 days a week, to attend school! some of those children must have dreamed of riding that train away from there to adventure!
ReplyDeleteWow, I love this post. I love old graveyards. I have found a few geocaches way out in the woods in graveyards that are all grown over.
ReplyDelete...gorgeous, I like the track off into the distance best!
ReplyDeleteHow eerie and poignant this isolated windswept place is and a testament to the fluidly of all life on Earth.
ReplyDeleteNever seen graveyard like that before. Not even in photos. Very interesting it is.
ReplyDeleteThe graveyard scenery is the best I have ever seen. What a photography achievement!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. I even like the look of the cemetery. I am always amazed that towns spring up and die out at times. It's good to capture some of their history.
ReplyDeleteWhat a desolate spot. Anyone coming across the graveyard and not knowing there was once a settlement there would be even more mystified.
ReplyDeleteI have to thank you for this adventure. I'm housebound after surgery and I feel like I went to explore the desert. Somebody in that baby's family has not forgotten him. I remember as a child going to visit my grandmother in Mobile, AL. My mother drove us to a small country cemetery where my grandmother cleaned around "the twins" little grave. My mother's siblings had died shortly after birth in early 20th century. She later helped my grandmother replace the little wooden crosses with a real headstone during my childhood.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. The graveyard in monochrome portrays a story
ReplyDeleteAmazing , great captured
ReplyDeleteFabulous post!
ReplyDeleteNice work fining those remains, seems your finding old cemeteries like I do
ReplyDeleteGreat post again and your header where the sky looks like the ocean is unbeatable again. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find. I am so happy someone maintains the little fellows grave.
ReplyDeleteWhat an absorbing adventure. Glad you found that poor, almost forgotten, desolate graveyard.
ReplyDeleteWow~ Archer certainly has a history ~ brief but history ~ Great photos of the area and what a find for you ~ and us. ~
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Thank you for such interesting history. Such a sad sight, those crosses. Even without one looking tended, I would think someone had to be out there once in a while to keep the rocks and what looks like a fire ring from being covered in sand and dust. Beautiful photos, as always.
ReplyDeleteThat old graveyard is quite a find! Lonely but beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteThe old graveyard does have an interesting story that only a few people know about. It seems lost in the middle of nowhere. Glad someone is maintaining the grave of the little boy. Thanks so much for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteNature reclaims quickly.
ReplyDeleteThat was amazing. I am thinking of whoever is driving out to this abandoned area to keep the one grave maintained, especially as that person died in 1924. I can't imagine that walk to school, either. What a story those who grew up there may have been able to tell when they grew up - I wonder if any of them ever published a memoir.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alana. Joe DeKehoe's book contains many interviews and first hand accounts of former residents of this area. It's fascinating!
DeleteReminds me of the time my family and I crossed the southwest in an un-airconditioned Studebaker. Not sure . . . actually, I'm quite sure I wouldn't ever do that again. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking us on this wonderful journey.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed by how well-kept the little cemetery looks. Somebody's making an effort :)
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! Great trip again! You're such a wonderful storyteller with words and camera, so generous that you share your journeys experiences with us.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating find. My grandfather used to work for the Santa Fe railroad so it makes me wonder if he ever passed through this little dot on the map. I remember him talking more about New Mexico than he ever did of either Arizona or California. But then, I was a little kid at the time so I wasn't always paying attention.
ReplyDeleteLove your quest for adventure and for always taking us through them unfailingly.
ReplyDeleteThis was a bit spooky but fun at the same time.
https://natashamusing.com/2023/05/the-early-bird-catches-the-worm-ii-natasha-musing/
You found beauty and pathos in the desolation. At least the children did not have to walk to school through 2 feet of snow!
ReplyDeleteFascinating!! Desolate and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat lonely cemetery looked like an old western movie still. How poignant to see them left behind yet maybe one was still remembered?
ReplyDelete