The small Route 66 town of Newberry Springs, Calif., will receive a historical marker Sunday from a fraternal organization at The Barn on Route 66 bar, reported the Desert Dispatch newspaper of nearby Barstow.
The members of E. Clampus Vitus, aka The Clampers, are building the monument. The fraternity, which consists of history buffs, has erected more than 100 markers across Southern California.
The Dispatch said:
The Barn is important because of Newberry Springs’ historical role in railroad development in the High Desert, Ellsworth said. The railroads had to pipe water from Newberry Springs to Amboy to fuel steam locomotives because the water was too harsh and brackish at that location, he said.
The Barn deserves recognition because it has been a community fixture since 1952, Ellsworth said.
Group members, who wear red shirts, are camping on 20 acres of land in Newberry Springs this weekend and eating and drinking at the establishment. They will build the marker today, then hold the ceremony Sunday morning. Newberry Springs’ honorary mayor Mike Lopez will speak and a color guard will perform. Boy and Girl Scout troops are also slated to participate in the ceremony. Afterwards, guests will enjoy a barbecue lunch.
According to an earlier news release, the marker will be built primarily of stone.
The monument ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Sunday. The Barn is located at 44560 National Trails Highway in Newberry Springs.
E Clampus Vitis has created historical monuments all over Calfornia, not just in the south. The Wikipedia article on the Society (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_Clampus_Vitus) says there are 42 chapters in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho and Washington … as well as one offshore and another online.