The guy makes some of the most homespun, low-budget, videos on TH-cam. And there's no long, repetitive introduction, no useless filler, and within the first minute he's already gotten right to the meat of the video.
2:20 That's just heartbreaking to read the plaque on the memorial stone. All the aircrew were aged 23 or under, barely out of high school. Thank you for shining a light on them, Steve.
52,000+ US aircrew died during WW2, nearly 26,000 more died during training, half of those occurred in the US. There were 13 US Army aircrew & soldiers died last week in a training accident in Kentucky. Look up military aircraft incidents, you can find accidents from the 1910’s through today.
@@jamessimms415 IIRC, the number of WWII aircrew training deaths were higher than combat deaths until some time in mid 1943. The high number of such deaths was one of the reasons that the USAAF pushed hard to start incorporating formal checklists as part of flight training. Ironically checklists didn't come about until the fatal crash of the first Boeing YB-17 prototype in 1935.
Night flying with little more than radio guidance at a time when the night time lights were few and far between, especially after 10pm, was a risky endeavor. If you didn't know the terrain, it is easy to make a mistake like that if you're not exactly where you think you are.
More pilots and aircrews died in training accidents than in combat and this applies to all air services throughout the world. Even in recent times such as the last 30 years, there have been more deaths as the result of training accidents than in combat. And, yes, it is sad that the B-17 crews died so young, but that has been the case for all conflicts throughout history. Alexander the Great was 20 years old when he led armies into war. The average age of WW2 soldiers was 26. The youngest US soldier in WW2 was Calvin Graham (age 12) when he lied about his age and joined the Navy; by the time the Navy found out, he had already been in 2 battles, wounded in action, and awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Old men start wars, but it is young men who have to fight and die in them.
As a native of San Diego County and a certified old guy I want to thank you for bringing me back to the west of my youth. God Bless and keep up the good videos.
MY grandparents lived in San Diego where my grandfather worked as master welder at the navy shipyard. We drove on that stretch of highway in the late 1960's and early 70's. Once we stopped on the side of the road to eat lunch and I remember seeing a roadrunner going after a snake. Your video brought back memories for me. If I remember correctly the last time we drove that section was in 1973 in a jeep wagonier. Two adults, two kids and a dog. Good thing we kids got along because it was very crowded. And all the luggage was on the roof in a carrier that my father made. He was also a master welder. I know that there were pictures but after my father passed and I inherited the house, I couldn't find them but because of your video I recall those trips. So thank you for the memories. Because it was a simpler time and it was easier to enjoy life.
I flew Search and Rescue out of MCAS Yuma back in the early 90's and had the opportunity to observe the B-17 crash site from close range on numerous occasions, but I did not know about the memorial. Scavengers and souvenir hunters have carted off most of the wreckage, but I remember there being a couple radial engine blocks and some landing gear components scattered about...things too heavy to carry off!
As a former truck driver and having lived in San Diego for awhile, I've been down I-8 countless times. Was never aware of those landmarks. Even stopped at that rest area outside Yuma quite a few times. Great video 👍
I’m a Tucson native and grew up in the 50’s and 60’s traveling to Southern California via the old highways and watched I-8 being built. I’m sure we stopped at those old gas stations and stores more than once. I was usually sleeping because we traveled at night. We didn’t have a/c in our cars back then and it was normally summertime and over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Love the video! 👍🏼
@@SidetrackAdventures I’m not sure how late things were open, I was usually asleep and would be woken up for bathroom breaks. I loved sleeping in the back of our station wagon when I was young. I do remember stopping near the dunes west of Yuma and seeing parts of the old plank road peeking out of the sand. I live in my little RV now and I’m going to be traveling I-8 in a week or so. I’ll be looking for the places you have pointed out! Love your channel! 👍🏼
@@SidetrackAdventures I don’t remember, I was usually sleeping by the time we got out of Tucson! I do remember getting up for bathroom breaks and bathroom floors covered in crickets (Yuma, AZ), but I don’t know if the businesses were open. I doubt they locked the bathrooms back then. Different times.
It's so easy to blow right past all of this interesting history. Your adventures are great fun, and as a local (San Diego), I'm still surprised to see places I know nothing about. Years ago we spent some time near Ocotillo, exploring the area. Lots of abandoned structures. The people who settled 'in the middle of nowhere' were a special breed. Thanks for keeping their stories alive. :)
That is my favorite little area in my heart. I lived in SD for 8 years and always went there to get away from people. The train bridge, water station, petroglyphs, mining cabins, graves, cave drawings I found absolutely blew my mind. I even found an old tractor on abandoned farm near an palm oasis, from my hometown in WI.
I lived in Casa Grande and San Diego at one point in my life. I've traveled down the 8 from Ocean Beach To Casa Grande many times and I never knew any of this existed. Especially when traveling at night. There are no lights whatsoever. Thank you for this content!
We've had a lot of that wet weather this winter/spring, good thing, it will probably dry in the Summer. On that road many times when we lived in Yuma for a couple of years, driving back to Phx or Tucson. Nice that the memorial for those killed in the plane crash is still being honored. There is a lot of history in that area, but it must have been a really difficult life for those pioneers, beautiful desert, but isolated. Another great presentation, thanks.
On my move back home from CA during the great shitstorm of 2020, I stopped at that WW2 monument at sunset to take 1 last pic of the desert not knowing it was there, and stumbled upon it. Thats my favorite part of the desert is finding all the hidden history
Great video, Dateland use to have an old WWII AAF the I-8 cuts right through it, the airfield and a few concrete bunkers are still there, there’s another WWII monument at the Dateland gas station. There’s actually quite few forgotten historical places all along that section of I-8 you went through. Thanks again for your videos.
You've answered a question I've had for over 50 years! I watched that Big Horn Station building fall to ruin during my hundreds of trips past it, and then in recent years someone started renovating the thing. I never knew until this video what the heck the building was! Now I know. Thanks!
It would also be interesting to see a video on the defunct jojoba farm and processing facility just east of Tacna on the N side of freeway. In the early 70s jojoba oil was meant to be the next great thing, so they started a farm out there. Like emu and ostrich ranching it went bust. You can still see the rows from I-8 an on google earth.
The photogrammetric targets became unusable in the early 1970's because earth subsidence due to pumping the aquifer changed their elevation too much. There's a good one at the corner of S Montgomery Rd and E Cornman Rd, a quick detour off I-8.
Yeah, the whole concept depended on precise location of the monuments. As soon as they shifted, they became useless for precision calibration. An interesting note is that the manhole cover in the center. I have yet to find any information on what was inside that. No one seems to know! Yet it was placed there for a reason! Be very interested to learn what that was for.
Love your vids. By the way, you drove right past our homestead. We are actually off Historic Highway 80, which has some interesting history, too. We’re between Wellton and Yuma in the foothills and we love it here.
This was particularly interesting to me as you passed right through my home area. I wouldn't expect you to know this as everything is unmarked but you missed a couple of sites that contain remnants of the past. At the Freeman exit 5 miles east of Big Horn you can find an old stretch of Highway 84 from before the Interstate complete with lane markings still visible today. Now that's a durable road! Along this stretch less than a mile to the east you'll find the foundation of an old gas station clearly visible as well as a few other rusting items from a long gone era. Also you missed the ghost ranch at Vekol Road 4 miles east of Freeman exit. Just 3 miles off the freeway you can find Vekol Ranch which is long abandoned but still has many structures still standing. I believe the ranch shut down in the 60s and been sitting empty ever since. Also you just missed being able to show the Casa Grande Domes, a roadside oddity in these parts that just recently got demolished by the county due to current owners not securing the site sufficiently to their liking. I won't go into the domes much as they are well documented if you do a search. Great work on these videos you make. This is only the second one I've watched but I think I will stick around and watch some more. Thank you for the entertainment so far!
Steve, You do a great job on these videos, obviously you have spent time in research ! I have, in years past, driven right by some of these places, wondering about things out there, but never slowed down 🙁 Thanks for taking us along , on these very interesting, intriguing videos ! 👍🏻🤠
I like to think that my family stopped at those places on Highway 80 on their way to relocate in San Diego from Nashville in 1955. I was born later. Love your channel!
Man, feels like we were just out that way (especially Sentinel - shame we didn't have time for the train depot). 😅 Great history on those places! So much history to be found. 👍
@@SidetrackAdventures and I appreciate your efforts!! Will check out the places in the video on my next I-8 trip. Keep the videos coming and happy journeys!
And it's always amazing to learn about the technology the USA used back in the day. I've seen measurements of soil thickness in AZ valleys, thousands of feet down to bedrock. Thanks again for a great video.
Thank you Steve for another great informative video! I love getting off frenetic I-10 at Casa Grande (coming from Tucson) and onto I-8, which is so much less stressful, as I head to points west.👍
As a Brit, I found your post very interesting and unusual in that you covered an aspect of American vernacular history not much covered by mainstream commentators. It is little-known facts like these that get deep into the heart of what makes communities tick. Thank you.
Excellent video. I live in San Diego and have driven I8 to Yuma hundreds of times. Even cool history on the "short" drive from Dago to Yuma. I just love this history stuff.
Interesting information. I really wish you would have included milepost markers so others could easily find these sites. I live in Yuma, and there's much more "hidden" history along interstate 8!
Thanks for taking us along I8. My sons own a travel store/gas station in Why, Az. (~50 miles south of Gila Bend on AZ85) and my youngest lives in CG. I worked the store for them back in 2015, traveling from CG to Why everyday. Wish you had produced this back then as that is a very long boring drive without knowing the history. I have even stayed overnight at the rest stop by Yuma a couple of times and never knew anything about the B-17. Very interesting and enjoy your history videos. Perhaps you will do something similar down AZ85. If so, stop on in to the Why Not Travel Store.
Great video. Have driven this road many times during my trucking days. Being it was at night, it was a very quiet trip. A couple of Border Patrol checkpoints en route to San Diego. Thank you for your time and effort in making this video. Throughly enjoyed this.
Well thanks for teaching us more about our beautiful desert, and what's around here! I've now lived here for 40 yrs. and you've shown me many things, I've heard of but never yet seen!
i appreciate you making this video. While I still believe that I-8 is Arizona's most boring interstate, it's interesting seeing there is indeed something to it, and that someone cares enough to make a well made video about it. Great content.
Nebraska still has concrete arrows, I believe used by early air mail pilots. I'm working on plotting the original Omaha-Lincoln-Denver highway route. Much of it is still in use, whether as a county road or US highway.
It's a shame that some jackhole scratched up the plaque on the B-17 crew memorial, but I was heartened by it's overall appearance, as it's obvious someone (some group?) has been taking care of it & keeping it up.
What a great clip! I recently drove all of I-8 from San Diego and Casa Grande. Wonderful. I have a suggestion; I stayed the night in Gila Bend for the first time, after driving through it dozens of times. I even subscribed to their weekly newspaper after reading it. More Gila Bend please!
I do plan on getting to that area more. I'm not sure if you've seen it, but I did a Gila Bend video last year: th-cam.com/video/POwYkCHbh64/w-d-xo.html
Rolled on this freeway from the 805 to Gila Bend at 80 mph.a few years back, then cut up to the 10. Not a place to have car trouble. Thanks for pointing out these interesting sites.
In 1972, Humble Oil and Refining Company (today's Exxon/Mobil) had built a combination Travel Trailer Park and Service Station at the crotch of Interstate 8 and Interstate 10 outside Casa Grande, AZ. My father owned an Esso Service Station in New York state. Esso was one of Humble Oil's brand names for their stations nationwide. Enco and Humble being the other two. That is how he learned of the station in Casa Grande. He put in an offer to manage it, was selected and we were off for Arizona. We never made it. On our way out, we visited the Grand Canyon and passed through Prescott, AZ and my folks absolutely fell in love with it. So much for the Exxon Trailer Park. It has since gone out of business and has been plowed over. The desert has reclaimed it and there is a lone sign along I-8 marking its past location.
You’ve got a great presence in your videos, I love to listen to your stories and history of the location to your visit. I travel with you to places I will never be able to go to and you make it fun and interesting and I also like the fact that your family goes with you a lot.
Probably the most intense hike I've had in the area, getting up to the flag on that mountain. Had a great view of a fighter out of MCAS doing laps around the area below our elevation though, that was pretty awesome.
About mile 78 east of Yuma near Sentinal was a Stuckeys gas station with gift shop on north side of hwy. The concrete foundation is still there with sign post. I used to stop there in the 70s.
I did a video on Stanwix Station and stop at that gas station foundation and the ranch house nearby. I wasn't aware at the time it had been a Stuckey's though.
Just discovered your video and thank you! Am 73 yrs old now, and you've brought back many fond memories. Early to mid 60s grandmother would drive from Tucson to Holtville, CA to visit her sister. Tucson to Casa Grande by what was called the Casa Grande Highway at that time. At Casa Grande she would take Highway 84 to Highway 80 which later became Interstate 8. Long drive in her old Pontiac and we would only go in the winter as summer trips without AC through that stretch of desert were not advisable.
My intimate history on this highway began as a teen. I spent a lot of time on Interstate 8 between 1973-74-75 when I was 14,15 to 16 years old. I used an old CB radio rigged to a Radioshack battery pack to hitchhike. I got to be known as the Golden Thumb. Many truckers became regular rides from Yuma to as far away as San Antonio, Texas. The Jack Rabbits and Rattle Snakes lined the highway at night as if they just wanted to watch the lights of the sparse traffic passing intermittently through the night. Cooling off in the Gila, and Colorado rivers and enjoying the geothermal hot tub beside the highway in the Imperial Valley just before El Centro heading west. I undertook many long treks in my youth. I walked the entire length of Interstate 8 just prior to entering the U.S. Navy in San Diego in 1976. Thanks for the video reminder of an old stomping ground. My Brother ran an extreme marathon from Yuma to El Centro in June six years in a row to raise money for Navy Relief and Special Olympics, qualifying for carrying the torch during the 1984 Olympic Torch Relay in Southern California. Good Times, good memories.
There's also a geothermal hot tub pool located just north of the I-8 bridge that goes over the Highline canal east of Holtville. LedHed Pb 207.20 🎶 🎸 🎹
Thank you for sharing all this history with us. So much of these places are just disappearing. Totally forgotten. I will never understand the blatant vandalism. It's just wrong.👍👍⚓⚓🇺🇲🇺🇲
I'm really enjoying your channel. You seem to travel a lot of the same roads & highways I remember traveling on as a kid during summer road trips around the country to visit family. My brother & I would BEG my father to stop at every roadside attraction we passed. I think half the time he did, it was just to get us to shut up. You're bringing back a lot of forgotten memories!
Love your videos. I live in imperial valley so this is in my backyard. I go to those places you've visited, but you've been to places I've never seen. So appreciative of your history! Hope to run into you out on the trail, safe travels sir. Aloha
You always have some of the most interesting videos on TH-cam. I don't know what it is about the desert, but seeing all these ruins, old buildings, etc is really fascinating.
Great video Steve. It’s amazing how much history is out there just hidden away. Really enjoyed this explore. Oh behind the Big horn are the remains of an old house. Just the foundations and chimney are left. Weren’t able to find any info on line about it. Could be the family home! See you down the road Andrea and Steven
The I8 Brings back fond memories! When I was training for my commercial airline pilot's license in AZ, we had to complete a 300 nautical mile 'qualifying cross-country' navigation exercise. On one leg of the flight I had to follow that Interstate down to Yuma (where we landed in our Piper Warriors). I remember being at 7000 feet, with not that many features to follow; just the road, stretching out for miles (and also the railroad). There was a 10 mile wide corridor that followed the I8 for general aviation to fly down, as either side of the road were Air Force ranges, and very restricted airspace (and used as a way to reduce smugglers bringing drugs across the border by air). You could also see the remnants of abandoned Air Force relief landing runways along the way near Dateland from WW2. I just remember that view as we cruised along...
These videos teach us how we're not to get attached to stuff but remember the people and the true grit nature they must have had. Simply amazing! Thanks for the videos.
Thanks for this very interesting video. I've driven I 8 so many times and had no idea of these different sights/stops along the route! I really appreciate your videos!
Are use interstate eight in Arizona , every time I visit my son, who lives in Coolidge, Arizona. Hate the traffic through Phoenix. Didn’t realize there was this much history there. Thanks for showing it.
your Interstate 8 video could have included -- the community of Dateland which had 3 military airstrips on the north side of Interstate 8 for touch and go landing practice during World War 2 for B25 bomber pilots stationed at Yuma. This can still be seen on Google Earth maps. The Dateland area was the location of 2 of General Patton's desert training camps, A post office, general store, cafe, and motel was located at the intersection of what old AZ Highway 80 and Yuma County Highway 64E (replaced by Interstate 8), just south of the interchange at Interstate 8 mile marker 67). The Dateland community today has a regional elementary school, post office, and I-8 interchange businesses.
When you mentioned that the weather took a turn for the worse, IMO, rain is a turn for the better lol I live southeast of Phoenix, and I always welcome those drops of water from above, especially this summer. Also watched your California Interstate 8 video, will be on this road again November for a trip to SD. I always have the intention to check out a few of these historical locales, but, am in too big if a hurry to either get to the ocean or get home!
Hey thanks for that! I always drive through Gila Bend on Highway 8 on my way home from Tucson. There is a silence and Godly presence along those lonely miles.
I enjoy your desert Southwest adventure videos. Being a SoCal desert rat, I am familiar with most of the places you visit, but I always learn about something new to check out. I am guessing my wife and I have traveled I-8 from San Diego to the I-10 junction and back, probably 30 times. We´ll check out these points next time we go to Tucson.
The guy makes some of the most homespun, low-budget, videos on TH-cam. And there's no long, repetitive introduction, no useless filler, and within the first minute he's already gotten right to the meat of the video.
and it's awesome.
This is the reason he does a great job with his videos!
2:20 That's just heartbreaking to read the plaque on the memorial stone. All the aircrew were aged 23 or under, barely out of high school. Thank you for shining a light on them, Steve.
52,000+ US aircrew died during WW2, nearly 26,000 more died during training, half of those occurred in the US. There were 13 US Army aircrew & soldiers died last week in a training accident in Kentucky.
Look up military aircraft incidents, you can find accidents from the 1910’s through today.
I stopped there in January. I got a picture of the plaque.
@@jamessimms415 IIRC, the number of WWII aircrew training deaths were higher than combat deaths until some time in mid 1943. The high number of such deaths was one of the reasons that the USAAF pushed hard to start incorporating formal checklists as part of flight training. Ironically checklists didn't come about until the fatal crash of the first Boeing YB-17 prototype in 1935.
Night flying with little more than radio guidance at a time when the night time lights were few and far between, especially after 10pm, was a risky endeavor. If you didn't know the terrain, it is easy to make a mistake like that if you're not exactly where you think you are.
More pilots and aircrews died in training accidents than in combat and this applies to all air services throughout the world. Even in recent times such as the last 30 years, there have been more deaths as the result of training accidents than in combat. And, yes, it is sad that the B-17 crews died so young, but that has been the case for all conflicts throughout history. Alexander the Great was 20 years old when he led armies into war. The average age of WW2 soldiers was 26. The youngest US soldier in WW2 was Calvin Graham (age 12) when he lied about his age and joined the Navy; by the time the Navy found out, he had already been in 2 battles, wounded in action, and awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Old men start wars, but it is young men who have to fight and die in them.
As a native of San Diego County and a certified old guy I want to thank you for bringing me back to the west of my youth. God Bless and keep up the good videos.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
I left Lakeside after 25 years. I didn't know of anything near East I-8, except for the "Desert Tower" and wind turbines.
MY grandparents lived in San Diego where my grandfather worked as master welder at the navy shipyard. We drove on that stretch of highway in the late 1960's and early 70's. Once we stopped on the side of the road to eat lunch and I remember seeing a roadrunner going after a snake. Your video brought back memories for me. If I remember correctly the last time we drove that section was in 1973 in a jeep wagonier. Two adults, two kids and a dog. Good thing we kids got along because it was very crowded. And all the luggage was on the roof in a carrier that my father made. He was also a master welder. I know that there were pictures but after my father passed and I inherited the house, I couldn't find them but because of your video I recall those trips. So thank you for the memories. Because it was a simpler time and it was easier to enjoy life.
We probably passed you going to Phoenix when I was a kid. Good times.
It's always interesting how much history, if only local at times, lies right in front of us. Your videos always give us a good glimpse.
Yes, they are very interesting and informative...but, a little less face and more of the good stuff!
I flew Search and Rescue out of MCAS Yuma back in the early 90's and had the opportunity to observe the B-17 crash site from close range on numerous occasions, but I did not know about the memorial. Scavengers and souvenir hunters have carted off most of the wreckage, but I remember there being a couple radial engine blocks and some landing gear components scattered about...things too heavy to carry off!
As a former truck driver and having lived in San Diego for awhile, I've been down I-8 countless times. Was never aware of those landmarks. Even stopped at that rest area outside Yuma quite a few times. Great video 👍
I’m a Tucson native and grew up in the 50’s and 60’s traveling to Southern California via the old highways and watched I-8 being built. I’m sure we stopped at those old gas stations and stores more than once. I was usually sleeping because we traveled at night. We didn’t have a/c in our cars back then and it was normally summertime and over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Love the video! 👍🏼
I imagine most people would travel at night for that reason? Was everything open late?
@@SidetrackAdventures I’m not sure how late things were open, I was usually asleep and would be woken up for bathroom breaks. I loved sleeping in the back of our station wagon when I was young. I do remember stopping near the dunes west of Yuma and seeing parts of the old plank road peeking out of the sand. I live in my little RV now and I’m going to be traveling I-8 in a week or so. I’ll be looking for the places you have pointed out! Love your channel! 👍🏼
@@SidetrackAdventures I don’t remember, I was usually sleeping by the time we got out of Tucson! I do remember getting up for bathroom breaks and bathroom floors covered in crickets (Yuma, AZ), but I don’t know if the businesses were open. I doubt they locked the bathrooms back then. Different times.
It's so easy to blow right past all of this interesting history. Your adventures are great fun, and as a local (San Diego), I'm still surprised to see places I know nothing about. Years ago we spent some time near Ocotillo, exploring the area. Lots of abandoned structures. The people who settled 'in the middle of nowhere' were a special breed. Thanks for keeping their stories alive. :)
That is my favorite little area in my heart. I lived in SD for 8 years and always went there to get away from people. The train bridge, water station, petroglyphs, mining cabins, graves, cave drawings I found absolutely blew my mind. I even found an old tractor on abandoned farm near an palm oasis, from my hometown in WI.
I lived in Casa Grande and San Diego at one point in my life. I've traveled down the 8 from Ocean Beach To Casa Grande many times and I never knew any of this existed. Especially when traveling at night. There are no lights whatsoever. Thank you for this content!
Now I give a thumbs up first👍, then watch the video. Thanks Steve! Sincerely,
a fellow SD County resident.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
We've had a lot of that wet weather this winter/spring, good thing, it will probably dry in the Summer. On that road many times when we lived in Yuma for a couple of years, driving back to Phx or Tucson. Nice that the memorial for those killed in the plane crash is still being honored. There is a lot of history in that area, but it must have been a really difficult life for those pioneers, beautiful desert, but isolated. Another great presentation, thanks.
On my move back home from CA during the great shitstorm of 2020, I stopped at that WW2 monument at sunset to take 1 last pic of the desert not knowing it was there, and stumbled upon it. Thats my favorite part of the desert is finding all the hidden history
Nice travelogue. Not many people would find anything notable on I-8, but you did a great job finding things of interest
Great video, Dateland use to have an old WWII AAF the I-8 cuts right through it, the airfield and a few concrete bunkers are still there, there’s another WWII monument at the Dateland gas station. There’s actually quite few forgotten historical places all along that section of I-8 you went through. Thanks again for your videos.
How you find out so much hidden history is amazing. The variety of maps and aerial pictures are great [as are your quips]
I live in Yuma and the weather has indeed been very strange the last few weeks.
Another cool place just a little north of 80 is caliente Hot Springs. More awesome AZ history there! Love your vids, keep em coming!
Thanks, Steve. Another great and interesting video. See you next week. Until then, stay safe in your travels.
You've answered a question I've had for over 50 years! I watched that Big Horn Station building fall to ruin during my hundreds of trips past it, and then in recent years someone started renovating the thing. I never knew until this video what the heck the building was! Now I know.
Thanks!
Glad I can help. I'm also glad that its being looked after and not left to just be destroyed by the elements.
It would also be interesting to see a video on the defunct jojoba farm and processing facility just east of Tacna on the N side of freeway. In the early 70s jojoba oil was meant to be the next great thing, so they started a farm out there. Like emu and ostrich ranching it went bust. You can still see the rows from I-8 an on google earth.
At 1:42 or so in the video you can see the rows of the Jojoba bushes.
Amazing that the cultivation rows are still visible today.
Was just on the 8 heading to Padres spring training never knew about those spots. Thanks for the cool video and history lesson.
Go Padres! 😊
Remember when Padres Spring training was in Yuma?
The photogrammetric targets became unusable in the early 1970's because earth subsidence due to pumping the aquifer changed their elevation too much. There's a good one at the corner of S Montgomery Rd and E Cornman Rd, a quick detour off I-8.
I didn't know that. I figured the land just got too expensive or technology just improved to where they were useless. Really interesting.
There used to be one on the corner of Trekell and Cottonwood ln in front of the Circle K when my family moved to CG in 1974.
Yeah, the whole concept depended on precise location of the monuments. As soon as they shifted, they became useless for precision calibration. An interesting note is that the manhole cover in the center. I have yet to find any information on what was inside that. No one seems to know! Yet it was placed there for a reason! Be very interested to learn what that was for.
Love your vids. By the way, you drove right past our homestead. We are actually off Historic Highway 80, which has some interesting history, too. We’re between Wellton and Yuma in the foothills and we love it here.
I appreciate these small historical items, even if it's just a piece of angle iron marking the county line. Great job Steve 😊
This was particularly interesting to me as you passed right through my home area. I wouldn't expect you to know this as everything is unmarked but you missed a couple of sites that contain remnants of the past. At the Freeman exit 5 miles east of Big Horn you can find an old stretch of Highway 84 from before the Interstate complete with lane markings still visible today. Now that's a durable road! Along this stretch less than a mile to the east you'll find the foundation of an old gas station clearly visible as well as a few other rusting items from a long gone era.
Also you missed the ghost ranch at Vekol Road 4 miles east of Freeman exit. Just 3 miles off the freeway you can find Vekol Ranch which is long abandoned but still has many structures still standing. I believe the ranch shut down in the 60s and been sitting empty ever since.
Also you just missed being able to show the Casa Grande Domes, a roadside oddity in these parts that just recently got demolished by the county due to current owners not securing the site sufficiently to their liking. I won't go into the domes much as they are well documented if you do a search.
Great work on these videos you make. This is only the second one I've watched but I think I will stick around and watch some more. Thank you for the entertainment so far!
The domes were demolished because they were falling down and were a danger to anyone because they were beyond repair.
Steve, You do a great job on these videos, obviously you have spent time in research ! I have, in years past, driven right by some of these places, wondering about things out there, but never slowed down 🙁 Thanks for taking us along , on these very interesting, intriguing videos ! 👍🏻🤠
Driven the Interstate many times. I would often take the Gila Bend highway to bypass driving I-10 through Phoenix during rush hours.
I like to think that my family stopped at those places on Highway 80 on their way to relocate in San Diego from Nashville in 1955. I was born later. Love your channel!
But maybe conceived along the way?
Man, feels like we were just out that way (especially Sentinel - shame we didn't have time for the train depot). 😅 Great history on those places! So much history to be found. 👍
The Sentinel / Agua Caliente area is such a cool area to explore.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
@@SidetrackAdventures and I appreciate your efforts!! Will check out the places in the video on my next I-8 trip. Keep the videos coming and happy journeys!
And it's always amazing to learn about the technology the USA used back in the day. I've seen measurements of soil thickness in AZ valleys, thousands of feet down to bedrock.
Thanks again for a great video.
Thank you Steve for another great informative video! I love getting off frenetic I-10 at Casa Grande (coming from Tucson) and onto I-8, which is so much less stressful, as I head to points west.👍
Very cool. I love these types of hidden away little gems of history. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.
Good Job Steve.............................JB......
Thank you!
As a Brit, I found your post very interesting and unusual in that you covered an aspect of American vernacular history not much covered by mainstream commentators. It is little-known facts like these that get deep into the heart of what makes communities tick. Thank you.
Excellent video. I live in San Diego and have driven I8 to Yuma hundreds of times. Even cool history on the "short" drive from Dago to Yuma. I just love this history stuff.
Interesting information. I really wish you would have included milepost markers so others could easily find these sites. I live in Yuma, and there's much more "hidden" history along interstate 8!
Thanks for taking us along I8. My sons own a travel store/gas station in Why, Az. (~50 miles south of Gila Bend on AZ85) and my youngest lives in CG. I worked the store for them back in 2015, traveling from CG to Why everyday. Wish you had produced this back then as that is a very long boring drive without knowing the history. I have even stayed overnight at the rest stop by Yuma a couple of times and never knew anything about the B-17. Very interesting and enjoy your history videos. Perhaps you will do something similar down AZ85. If so, stop on in to the Why Not Travel Store.
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Great video. Have driven this road many times during my trucking days. Being it was at night, it was a very quiet trip. A couple of Border Patrol checkpoints en route to San Diego. Thank you for your time and effort in making this video. Throughly enjoyed this.
Well thanks for teaching us more about our beautiful desert, and what's around here! I've now lived here for 40 yrs. and you've shown me many things, I've heard of but never yet seen!
i appreciate you making this video. While I still believe that I-8 is Arizona's most boring interstate, it's interesting seeing there is indeed something to it, and that someone cares enough to make a well made video about it. Great content.
Nebraska still has concrete arrows, I believe used by early air mail pilots.
I'm working on plotting the original Omaha-Lincoln-Denver highway route. Much of it is still in use, whether as a county road or US highway.
It's a shame that some jackhole scratched up the plaque on the B-17 crew memorial, but I was heartened by it's overall appearance, as it's obvious someone (some group?) has been taking care of it & keeping it up.
Yeah, I have no idea why anyone would want to do that. Such a shame.
What a great clip! I recently drove all of I-8 from San Diego and Casa Grande. Wonderful.
I have a suggestion; I stayed the night in Gila Bend for the first time, after driving through it dozens of times. I even subscribed to their weekly newspaper after reading it. More Gila Bend please!
I do plan on getting to that area more. I'm not sure if you've seen it, but I did a Gila Bend video last year: th-cam.com/video/POwYkCHbh64/w-d-xo.html
Rolled on this freeway from the 805 to Gila Bend at 80 mph.a few years back, then cut up to the 10. Not a place to have car trouble. Thanks for pointing out these interesting sites.
That was another grand adventure! Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Semper Fi. Marine
@@jerrysullivan8424 Semper Fi
Thank you for all of your videos. We're in SD and drive often to AZ to visit friends. I truly enjoy your finds and the history you share❤
In 1972, Humble Oil and Refining Company (today's Exxon/Mobil) had built a combination Travel Trailer Park and Service Station at the crotch of Interstate 8 and Interstate 10 outside Casa Grande, AZ. My father owned an Esso Service Station in New York state. Esso was one of Humble Oil's brand names for their stations nationwide. Enco and Humble being the other two. That is how he learned of the station in Casa Grande. He put in an offer to manage it, was selected and we were off for Arizona. We never made it. On our way out, we visited the Grand Canyon and passed through Prescott, AZ and my folks absolutely fell in love with it. So much for the Exxon Trailer Park. It has since gone out of business and has been plowed over. The desert has reclaimed it and there is a lone sign along I-8 marking its past location.
You’ve got a great presence in your videos, I love to listen to your stories and history of the location to your visit. I travel with you to places I will never be able to go to and you make it fun and interesting and I also like the fact that your family goes with you a lot.
I hiked up the B-17 wreck trail just last week. So quite a bit of the wreckage and 7 bighorn sheep. not a trail for a casual hike.
Oh wow, I looked into it and read that its definitely not a well maintained trail. Really cool that you hiked it.
Probably the most intense hike I've had in the area, getting up to the flag on that mountain. Had a great view of a fighter out of MCAS doing laps around the area below our elevation though, that was pretty awesome.
Another interesting use of word Corona... It came to my attention the Roswell crash occurred in Corona NM. These are always interesting thanks!!
Thanks Steve for another interesting video. I’ll be looking for some of those sites next time I drive I8.
Very interesting! Keep 'em coming!
Thanks, will do!
That was really neat. I grew up in Arizona but hav never traveled I-8. Thanks a bunch.
About mile 78 east of Yuma near Sentinal was a Stuckeys gas station with gift shop on north side of hwy. The concrete foundation is still there with sign post. I used to stop there in the 70s.
I did a video on Stanwix Station and stop at that gas station foundation and the ranch house nearby. I wasn't aware at the time it had been a Stuckey's though.
I love the old west. great video.
Just discovered your video and thank you! Am 73 yrs old now, and you've brought back many fond memories. Early to mid 60s grandmother would drive from Tucson to Holtville, CA to visit her sister. Tucson to Casa Grande by what was called the Casa Grande Highway at that time. At Casa Grande she would take Highway 84 to Highway 80 which later became Interstate 8. Long drive in her old Pontiac and we would only go in the winter as summer trips without AC through that stretch of desert were not advisable.
I've been back and forth on that highway more times than I could even guess and I found this one exceptionally fascinating ❤ thank you
My intimate history on this highway began as a teen. I spent a lot of time on Interstate 8 between 1973-74-75 when I was 14,15 to 16 years old. I used an old CB radio rigged to a Radioshack battery pack to hitchhike. I got to be known as the Golden Thumb. Many truckers became regular rides from Yuma to as far away as San Antonio, Texas. The Jack Rabbits and Rattle Snakes lined the highway at night as if they just wanted to watch the lights of the sparse traffic passing intermittently through the night. Cooling off in the Gila, and Colorado rivers and enjoying the geothermal hot tub beside the highway in the Imperial Valley just before El Centro heading west. I undertook many long treks in my youth. I walked the entire length of Interstate 8 just prior to entering the U.S. Navy in San Diego in 1976. Thanks for the video reminder of an old stomping ground. My Brother ran an extreme marathon from Yuma to El Centro in June six years in a row to raise money for Navy Relief and Special Olympics, qualifying for carrying the torch during the 1984 Olympic Torch Relay in Southern California. Good Times, good memories.
There's also a geothermal hot tub pool located just north of the I-8 bridge that goes over the Highline canal east of Holtville.
LedHed Pb 207.20 🎶 🎸 🎹
Thank you for sharing all this history with us. So much of these places are just disappearing. Totally forgotten. I will never understand the blatant vandalism. It's just wrong.👍👍⚓⚓🇺🇲🇺🇲
You are an experienced Desert Rat. And you know how special it when it rains and why we dance when it does.
Those calibration markings very interesting.
I'm from Brazil. I simply LOVE your videos about the Routes in California and Arizona. Big Hug from São Paulo/BR.
I'm really enjoying your channel. You seem to travel a lot of the same roads & highways I remember traveling on as a kid during summer road trips around the country to visit family.
My brother & I would BEG my father to stop at every roadside attraction we passed. I think half the time he did, it was just to get us to shut up. You're bringing back a lot of forgotten memories!
Love your videos. I live in imperial valley so this is in my backyard. I go to those places you've visited, but you've been to places I've never seen. So appreciative of your history! Hope to run into you out on the trail, safe travels sir. Aloha
Very cool! Had no idea. Great history. Thank you so much 👍
I have been the entire length of the 8 several times and never knew any of this, thank you.
That's another great video Steve. If you didn't do this good work, so many of these places would never be described. Thanks as always.
David
You always have some of the most interesting videos on TH-cam. I don't know what it is about the desert, but seeing all these ruins, old buildings, etc is really fascinating.
Yeah, so many places in the desert where things just didn't work out and people just left it all behind.
I love the sky shots! The sky looks different out in the great wide open. I have drove this stretch of road lots of times. Thanks.
Great video Steve. It’s amazing how much history is out there just hidden away. Really enjoyed this explore. Oh behind the Big horn are the remains of an old house. Just the foundations and chimney are left. Weren’t able to find any info on line about it. Could be the family home!
See you down the road Andrea and Steven
It could be where the father lived too, but I'm not sure. Its a shame there isn't more info out there on these places.
Simple but interesting... thanks!!
The I8 Brings back fond memories! When I was training for my commercial airline pilot's license in AZ, we had to complete a 300 nautical mile 'qualifying cross-country' navigation exercise. On one leg of the flight I had to follow that Interstate down to Yuma (where we landed in our Piper Warriors). I remember being at 7000 feet, with not that many features to follow; just the road, stretching out for miles (and also the railroad). There was a 10 mile wide corridor that followed the I8 for general aviation to fly down, as either side of the road were Air Force ranges, and very restricted airspace (and used as a way to reduce smugglers bringing drugs across the border by air). You could also see the remnants of abandoned Air Force relief landing runways along the way near Dateland from WW2. I just remember that view as we cruised along...
Steve, LOVE your videos. Thank you and Keep up the great work!
Thanks Steve, very interesting!
That was interesting as always. 👍☮️🌞❤️
Another great presentation Steve. You always have interesting videos and your presentations are fun to watch. I look forward to each new one.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Another great video with interesting sights and history. Thank you.
Thanks Steve ! Another fun, informative trip. Always a pleasure. Cheers from dreary Detroit 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
These videos teach us how we're not to get attached to stuff but remember the people and the true grit nature they must have had. Simply amazing! Thanks for the videos.
ALWAY GREAT JOURNEY WITH YOU STEVE..THANK YOU..SAFE TRAVELS..
Fascinating! Every time I drive that route I see new and interesting things.
Thanks for this very interesting video. I've driven I 8 so many times and had no idea of these different sights/stops along the route! I really appreciate your videos!
You're knocking it out of the park. Great stuff. I used to live in San Diego (1999-2007) and you look so familiar...
Thank you for pronouncing Casa Grande correctly, it's nice & refreshing, most say it wrong including 'professional' news reporters.
Thanks, love your stuff
Really enjoyed your video, I’ve always had a fascination with the desert southwest. Thank you.
You make it interesting and you're a Padres fan. When I drive through that area now I have some history I can share with my wife. Thanks
Thanks for sharing this info. I often driven that stretch and had no idea of it’s history.
Are use interstate eight in Arizona , every time I visit my son, who lives in Coolidge, Arizona. Hate the traffic through Phoenix. Didn’t realize there was this much history there. Thanks for showing it.
your Interstate 8 video could have included -- the community of Dateland which had 3 military airstrips on the north side of Interstate 8 for touch and go landing practice during World War 2 for B25 bomber pilots stationed at Yuma. This can still be seen on Google Earth maps. The Dateland area was the location of 2 of General Patton's desert training camps, A post office, general store, cafe, and motel was located at the intersection of what old AZ Highway 80 and Yuma County Highway 64E (replaced by Interstate 8), just south of the interchange at Interstate 8 mile marker 67). The Dateland community today has a regional elementary school, post office, and I-8 interchange businesses.
Loving this channel Steve! Love the history! Sharing these videos with friends n family alike!! Look forward to visiting these places in the future!
Awesome, thank you!
Driven that way many times. Never knew of any of these. Thank you.
When you mentioned that the weather took a turn for the worse, IMO, rain is a turn for the better lol I live southeast of Phoenix, and I always welcome those drops of water from above, especially this summer.
Also watched your California Interstate 8 video, will be on this road again November for a trip to SD. I always have the intention to check out a few of these historical locales, but, am in too big if a hurry to either get to the ocean or get home!
Very enjoyable look around that beautiful desert country full of history - all the best and safe travels! Warren.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
My mother was born in yums 1935 then raised in gila bend. Thank you for posting this
Yuma**
Hey thanks for that! I always drive through Gila Bend on Highway 8 on my way home from Tucson. There is a silence and Godly presence along those lonely miles.
Your videos are *really* enjoyable, and I'm saving them to reference during my vacation travels...subscribed
Awesome, thank you!
I enjoy your desert Southwest adventure videos. Being a SoCal desert rat, I am familiar with most of the places you visit, but I always learn about something new to check out. I am guessing my wife and I have traveled I-8 from San Diego to the I-10 junction and back, probably 30 times. We´ll check out these points next time we go to Tucson.
Pleasantly surprised by your videos. Nice work.