34° 49’ 48.59” N.
115° 03’ 05.01” W.
115° 03’ 05.01” W.
Mountain Spring Summit is at the intersection of I-40, National Trails Highway, and Mountain Springs Road, 24 miles west of Needles, California and 14 miles east of Essex. Today it is just an unremarkable interchange on I-40 and there is little evidence that before the construction of I-40 it was the site of Mountain Spring Auto Camp, a Chevron service station, a garage, a restaurant/café and several cabins owned by Joe and Effel Rudy. There is some uncertainty if the Rudys were the original owners or if they acquired it from a previous owner.
Although the Rudys owned the property and occupied a house there, the café and service station were operated by Joe and Millie Turcott who lived in the small living quarters in the back of the restaurant. Millie Turcott’s dad, “Grandpa”, who spoke with a think German accent, lived in one of the small cabins adjacent to the property.
When the Turcotts left, Mountain Springs was taken over by the Montoya family, but the years of ownership for all of the families who lived there are uncertain. All of the facilities would have been demolished when I-40 was built in the early 1970s.
Today, there are some concrete foundations scattered on the south-facing side of the hill that faces the highway - traces perhaps of cabins or out-buildings related to the business, but I-40 has apparently been built over the place where the garage and service station once stood.
All photos courtesy of Betty Hunter.
Although the Rudys owned the property and occupied a house there, the café and service station were operated by Joe and Millie Turcott who lived in the small living quarters in the back of the restaurant. Millie Turcott’s dad, “Grandpa”, who spoke with a think German accent, lived in one of the small cabins adjacent to the property.
When the Turcotts left, Mountain Springs was taken over by the Montoya family, but the years of ownership for all of the families who lived there are uncertain. All of the facilities would have been demolished when I-40 was built in the early 1970s.
Today, there are some concrete foundations scattered on the south-facing side of the hill that faces the highway - traces perhaps of cabins or out-buildings related to the business, but I-40 has apparently been built over the place where the garage and service station once stood.
All photos courtesy of Betty Hunter.
Mountain Spring Auto Camp.
Mountain Spring with Goffs Bluff in the distance.
"Grandpa" Turcott. A very distinguished looking gentlemanm, at Mountain Spring with Goffs Bluff in the distance.