Ellsworth Hayes, son of deceased Bottle Tree Ranch founder Elmer Long, a few days ago popped in at the Historic Route 66 group on Facebook to announce he would “continue his legacy” as the Route 66 landmark approaches its 25th anniversary.
Hayes wrote:
After he passed away from lung cancer In 2019, I basically went silent and did the bare minimum to keep the place from falling down.
The 25th anniversary of building this place is coming up soon and I can’t think of a better time to start the next leg of his journey. I miss him everyday and can only hope I can do him proud!
Hayes also created a 4-minute video showing his father over the years and his candid musings about mourning his death and moving forward.
The Bottle Tree Ranch’s YouTube channel is here.
Long’s roadside park near Oro Grande, California, bristles with recycled bottles on welded trees and festooned with random objects, including a typewriter.
It eventually became known worldwide and even became a backdrop in a horror film.
Long almost certainly took inspiration for his property from Miles Mahan’s Half Acre, also known as Hulaville, which also had a few bottle trees along with other quirky stuff in nearby Hesperia, California.
Mahan’s Half Acre was bulldozed shortly after Mahan’s death in 1997, although a few artifacts remain on display at the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville.
(Image of Bottle Tree Ranch near Oro Grande, California, by Peter Lawther via Flickr)