A Tour of the Barstow Museum and Depot
Friday February 19, 2010 turned out to be a pretty good day. I had made arrangements about six weeks ago to provide a guided tour for some of the residents of the California Veterans Home in Barstow, CA. Madeleine Gaba , who is in charge of recreation for the Veterans Home, thought that a tour would be a great idea and provided the assistance and transportation needed. Margaret SanMillan a volunteer for the museum also assisted.
I drove to the Barstow Veterans Home where the members boarded the shuttle bus, and the bus followed my car to the museum. When we arrived at the former Harvey House Railroad Depot, I gave a verbal presentation focusing on the history of both Fred Harvey and this wonderful restored building. Presently this former Harvey House now serves as an unstaffed train station, serving Amtrak's "Southwest Chief".
When I finished my presentation the group which numbered 12, asked quite a few questions and they were all very interested in the vast history of the museum, Fred Harvey restaurants and hotels, along with present day and historic train travel.
When I passed out the schedules of Amtrak's Southwest Chief, many of these folks were surprised that they could still catch a train at this station, and the questions flowed.
I must admit that I certainly enjoyed hosting this event for our former military veterans. This was certainly a very enjoyable day.
Robert Manning, President
Southwest Rail passenger Association
A Few Photos From The Event:
