Ghost town aficionados say Ludlow is a town that has died twice, and yet still clings tenaciously to life beside Interstate 40 in the southern California desert. Like many other Mojave Desert communities, the town refuses to lie down and be buried.

Rail lines near Ludlow, CA
 c. Lynn D Steed

   First established in 1882 as a water stop on the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, the town (like so many others in the harsher climates throughout the U.S.) really began to boom when a rich gold deposit was uncovered in the nearby Bagdad-Chase mine in 1900. Ironically, the original ore discovery was made during a search for a local water source. Since there was not enough water available nearby to supply a mill, the Ludlow and Southern Railway was established in 1903 to haul unprocessed ore from the mine to the Atlantic and Pacific (a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe) tracks that ran through Ludlow. The ore
was then shipped to Barstow, CA for processing  at a mill owned by the mining company. Later, after the discovery of borax in the area, the Tonopah and Tidewater Railway ran tracks through Ludlow as well, thus bringing a third rail line to the small desert town. All water was hauled in by train from Newberry Springs, over thirty miles away, then transferred to stationary tank cars located in town. Nearby Stedman, a rigid company town located at the mine site, was also a dry town, in more ways than one; not only was water scarce, but no women or liquor were allowed in the town either. Not surprisingly, this made nearby communities very popular on paydays. The two options for weekend entertainment were Ludlow and Ragtown. Only three miles away, Ragtown had saloons and women in plentiful supply but it was only accessible by foot; downhill on the way there, but uphill on the way home at the end of a long night! While farther away, Ludlow was reachable by train; a passenger car was available for paying passengers and flatbed cars for those who had gambled their week's pay away overnight. The travel time was the same, but the lack of physical effort involved made Ludlow the favored destination for off duty miners and railroad men. The train became so crowded on payday that it earned the nickname "The Whiskey Express".

   While most of the town of Ludlow was owned by the Murphy brothers, Thomas and Mike, by far the most colorful and well known business owner was Ma Preston, the legendary "Queen of the Desert". Ma, also known as "Mother" Preston, was born Mathilde Pascaline Vigneron in Oise, France in 1850. She married Gustave Jacques Masquelier (despite the fact that he was reportedly already married) after which they moved to London and then to the United States. The marriage seems to have been less than successful, as Mathilde soon moved to a mining camp and became known as a widow while Gustave referred to himself as a widower.

Despite the fact that Gustave didn't die until 1919, Mathilde married and took the name of a Calico miner, Thomas "T.J." Preston, in 1888. They moved to Ludlow around the turn of the century. At this time, Mathilde was commonly known as "Big Mary", a reference to both her size and personality; she was described in print as "a physical giant", and was known to swipe railroad ties from storage piles and carry them home over her shoulder (seriously folks, you can't make up stuff this good!). While her personality was notoriously bold she was apparently quite camera shy, thus the only verified photo of her is the one attached to her husband's 1920 passport application. It was the first time he had ever been photographed and he chose to do it with his wife at his side (obviously, the rules were looser back then!).

   Some time after their arrival in Ludlow, Big Mary became known as Mother (or "Ma) Preston. While husband TJ ran a small delivery service, Ma's saloon was the couple's real moneymaker; rumors say that Ma Preston had owned a brothel somewhere (thus the "Queen" appellation), but this is hotly contested by several historians. Either way, there is no evidence that she ever ran one in this booming desert community; she did own a saloon, pool room, store, hotel, boarding house, cafe and several houses, all deeded in her name alone. She generously loaned money to those who asked, but did not balk at foreclosing on those who failed to make payments, which is how she acquired the Ludlow Mercantile Company.

   Things went along smoothly for the larger than life Ma Preston until the arrival of the aforementioned Murphy brothers. The colorful Queen of the Desert, who reportedly wore oversize dresses, wide brimmed men's hats, swore like a sailor and was known to pick up unruly revelers by their collar and pants and toss them out the saloon door unassisted, was not a fan of the two newcomers who set up shop next door. She viewed their competing store as a direct affront. They, in turn, wholeheartedly disliked the loud and abrasive force of nature who was firmly established as the reigning monarch of the town of nearly 1000 people. By this time, Ma Preston was also the wealthiest person in town (during WWI she would spend a vast amount of her money purchasing war bonds to support her adopted country) and her word carried a lot of weight.

   The first salvo in a long war was allegedly fired by the Irish brothers. It seems that Ma Preston enjoyed bathing in a water filled barrel in her yard, and one evening a group of exuberant youths tipped the barrel over; out spilled Ma, naked as a jay-bird, to the raucous enjoyment of all within view. Ma immediately placed the blame on the Murphy boys and went to their establishment to call them every vile
name she knew, and I suspect she had quite a versatile vocabulary! History does not record whether she took a moment to run inside and dress; I'll leave that to your imagination. According to the lawsuit later filed by the outraged woman, Mike Murphy lost control of his Irish temper and whipped her with a length of hose in a sensitive area. She was only too happy to further her legal cause by lifting her dress to display the evidence to anyone in town, and since she didn't wear bloomers in summer, her case was evidently quite compelling! She sued for $10,000 but received only a small percentage of that. Some time later, upon hearing that someone had jumped a claim she owned outside of town, the cantankerous entrepreneur vaulted onto a horse and charged out to said claim to confront the interloper. She found a tent with a single occupant inside. Although she later claimed it was an accident and she had tripped over a guy wire, the result was that she landed full bore on top of the man within who (you guessed it) turned out to be Thomas Murphy! His response, according to Ma was to beat her about the head and body with a piece of mining equipment. Once again, Ma filed a lawsuit with the courts; this time for $20,000 to include $10,000 for what she claimed was a permanent injury to her foot. The case appears to have been settled out of court, with unknown results. Since the claimant was in her mid-sixties and Mr. Murphy less than half her age, I would hazard a guess that the result was probably similar to the previous case against brother Mike.

   Sometime in 1920, Ma Preston suddenly announced that she and her husband were going to France to visit relatives. Since she was known to lock TJ in the chicken shed out back if he disagreed with her, her vote carried the day. Ma sold all her holdings for $18,000 (a huge sum back then) and off they went to Europe. In an interesting plot twist, the buyer was her arch rival Thomas Murphy! While Mr. Preston was expecting a limited stay (his passport application requested only one year) he was to be disappointed once again as his indomitable mate overruled him, bought a tobacconist shop and settled in. The couple ran the shop together until TJ's death in 1926. A few months later, at the age of 76, the seemingly invincible Mathilde passed away from heart disease at the American
Hospital in Paris. Her $70,000 legacy was divided among several nieces and nephews. Mathilde had always claimed she would die without her beloved TJ, and while the official cause of death was myocardial infarction, the more romantic among us would say she simply died of a broken heart.

   While Ludlow was prosperous during this era, the good times were destined to end soon. By 1916 the Bagdad-Chase Mine was unable to continue operating at a profit; it closed the operation, taking the Ludlow and Southern Railway down with it. The equipment was parked, but the tracks were maintained to provide a roadbed for the mine caretaker to be able to commute to town by motor-car. After a fire in 1932 destroyed many rail cars, the surviving rolling stock was shipped to the Phillipines in 1935 and sold for use on a sugar plantation there. When General Douglas MacArthur made his famous return to the Islands during WWII, former L&S engine No. 1 was found to be still in operation there.

   During the period of 1927-28 the Borax operation began closing down. Since the 169 mile long Tonopah and Tidewater Railway between Ludlow and Beatty, NV had been established solely for the purpose of shipping borax, in 1933 it too ceased service. By 1943 the tracks had been torn up completely, leaving only one active set of rail lines through the already shrinking community. With the loss of mining and rail income, combined with the Great Depression, people made use of the remaining railroad to leave Ludlow by the hundreds. Saloons, bordellos, restaurants and stores require customers, so shuttered windows and doors became common throughout the small community.

  The advent of Route 66 (completed in 1926 and fully paved by 1938) provided a brief revival of

The leftovers of the mid-century Ludlow Cafe
c. Lynn D Steed

fortunes for Ludlow, and a garage, gas station, cafe and  motor court quickly sprang up to take advantage of the increased automotive traffic. Once again, the town's future looked bright. Sadly, the respite was short lived. Interstate 40, completed in 1973, bypassed Ludlow. Unlike the the National Trails Highway and later the legendary Route 66, the new I-40 was designed for speed and convenience and did not closely follow the railroad tracks. Modern cars could go farther without needing to fill up. Travelers could now drive from Barstow to Needles in two hours, and new towns were born nearby to supply their needs. Many of the old towns along Rt. 66 just faded away, and sadly, Ludlow was one of them.

   The last time we visited this awesome little town, there was a gas station on either side of the highway, a cafe and motel, and a tire shop that may or may not have still been in business; it was closed when we were there, but it was late in the day. Some of the more interesting building remains are located a little ways off of Rt 66, although most are within sight and easily accessible. The thing to keep in mind when exploring Ludlow is that this is all privately owned property, and only available to us because of the kindness of the small band of hardy residents who still live here. Please be respectful when you visit; do not move or remove anything or cause any kind of damage. If asked to leave, please do so...this is not a park or museum. We have never had any issues with quietly roaming around among the deserted buildings.

   While her mortal life ended long ago in the country of her birth, Ma Preston's legend lives on in the crumbling remains of the Ludlow Mercantile building. While the structure itself is merely a skeleton of what it once was, it is still a powerful draw to the 6000 plus people who daily leave I-40 here in search of gas, food or lodging, and find instead a dusty little town full of larger-than-life ghosts.

The Ludlow Mercantile Company building was further
damaged by an earthquake in 2006.
 c. Lynn D Steed

 
    Make every day an adventure, my friends!                                                         -Lynn