THE BUILDING THAT LOOKS OUT OF PLACE
At the junction of historic U.S. 66 and 91 in Daggett stands a building whose sharply sloped roof has earned nicknames such as the Ski Slope House and Russian House. The National Park Service identifies it as a 1926 California Information Bureau building.
A PRE-INTERNET TRAVEL CENTER
The California Information Society operated offices near major entrances to the state and provided travelers with free guidance on routes, hotels, restaurants and tours. The Daggett structure served motorists entering California across the Mojave during the formative years of automobile tourism.
FROM WELCOME CENTER TO CAFE
After its information-office years, the building operated as Ma Millet’s Cafe. As Route 66 traffic patterns changed and interstate highways pulled travelers away from old desert main streets, many comparable roadside buildings vanished.
THE LAST SURVIVOR
NPS preservation records describe the Daggett building as the last known surviving example of this type of California Information Bureau structure. In 2024 it received Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program support for rehabilitation, with plans to restore its original appearance and open it as a museum.
ABANDONMENT AND RETURN
The building belongs in ODDKNOWN because it represents a different kind of abandoned place: not a vanished mining camp, but a nearly lost piece of roadside infrastructure now being recovered. Its weathered years are part of the story, but preservation work means its status is changing.
PARANORMAL CLAIMS
Local abandoned buildings often generate stories, but ODDKNOWN did not find authoritative evidence of a documented haunting attached specifically to this structure. Its mystery comes from its odd architecture and near-disappearance rather than a verified ghost case.