Recalling The Mojave Phone Booth
The Mojave Phone Booth--Charlie Wilcox (l) and Richard Elliott--photo Richard Elliott
“Hello. The Mojave Phone Booth, Richard speaking.” Similarly, during the 1990s,that is how most people answered the continuous calls to the public payphone, situated 14-miles off of I-15, in the heart of the Mojave National Preserve. Its meteoric rise to fame was also the cause for its demise. Both the payphone and booth were unceremoniously ripped away and silenced. Through an unannounced joint agreement between the National Park Service and Southwestern Bell Communication, the phone company clandestinely removed the phone booth, on May 17, 2000. Why all this commotion over a public phone booth? Let’s go back to the beginning.
The hand cranked payphone, known to locals as the Cima Dome phone, was installed in the Mojave Desert in the 1960s, along a dirt, washboard road called the Atkins Mine Road. It provided local ranchers and cinder miners with the only phone service for miles around. Fast forward to the 1990s.
Around 1997, a person had noticed a phone handset symbol on a map. Investigating, the individual actually found the phone booth, just like on the map! Writing a letter to a counterculture magazine, he told his tale and the phone booth number–(760) 733-9969–was published in the article. Soon after, Godfrey Daniels of Tempe, AZ saw the story and phone number. Daniels began calling, and calling, until one day a ladie’s voice said, “Hello?” Thus was the “birth” of the Mojave Phone Booth (MPB), with Daniels becoming the “father” of its popularity, etc.
Daniels started a website, www.deuceofclubs.com/moj/mojave.htm, chronicling the tales of his first call and his trips to answer calls to the booth. Unknown to Daniels, the phone booth would soon grab worldwide attention.
I first read about the MPB phenomenon in “Hearing the Desert’s Call,” the San Jose Mercury News, September 27, 1999. Curious, I began calling, and one day heard, “Hello, the Mojave Phone Booth.” People were actually going there to answer it. Now, I had to go!
I arrived at the MPB in the late afternoon, October 20, 1999. Standing there was Charlie Wilcox, local resident and “unofficial mayor” of the MPB, just as described in the fastly growing number of TV, radio, and newspaper stories latching onto the MPB story.
I began answering the non-stop phone calls from 5:00 p.m until 4:00 a.m. the next morning, stopping after 11 hours to get some sleep! Answering the calls felt akin to a spiritual experience, instilling my faith in mankind, because people were calling worldwide, just to say “Hello.” I began ending the calls saying, “Thank you for calling the Mojave Phone Booth. Now, the world has gotten a little smaller and friendlier.”
During my two-day visit, I answered 190 calls from many U.S. cities and from countries like Guam, Great Britain, Germany and more. Radio stations in Austria and Austrailia interviewed me live on radio. One friendly German caller said, “I am Harold Mueller of Leonburg, Germany. Call me “Harry.”
Harry asked for my phone number. Two months later, with a 9-hour time difference between us, I was awakened at 5:00 a.m. to “Hello. I don’t know if you remember me…” Recognizing the voice, I interrupted saying, “Yes! Harry, how are you?” A longtime friendship began, with Harry calling me to chat, once or twice a month.
Sadly, I last heard from Harry on June 13, 2004. “Richard, I cannot call anymore. I have sores on my throat. I think I have cancer.” Sometime later I dialed his number and a stranger answered. Harry must have passed away, like the MPB. Ah, the memories!
Excellent story, Richard! Loved it. That’s cool that you actually answered all those calls.
I was there too! (not at the same time). Thanks for writing the article. I am actually digging out my old footage of a documentary we were working on for the phone booth. I am uploading it to Youtube and should be all up in the next couple of days. Search for stevord.
Best,
stevo
Stevo,
You work for WAAF? Thanks for the YouTube link. I LOVED it. I watched many of the YouTubes. The booth was a phenomenon for sure! I am so glad I went to answer calls. I had 190 calls in 2 days. It made the world a “smaller and better place,” as I told each caller. I’ve met Desert Chad, visted Charlie several times (interviewed him, too), been in emails with Duece of Clubs guy and became friends with Harry Mueller from Germany, who asked for my home phone when we chatted at the booth. Harry called me every month (sometimes a few times in each month) for over 5-years. I believe he has passed away:( BUT, here’s the thing! In video #20, at 4:58 minutes THAT was Harry calling Mistress Carrie! Hearing his voice made the hair on my arms stand up, and I began to weep. I really miss Harry and thanks to the booth I had a great friend. Saved #20 to my FAV places to watch again and again! I LOVED watching the booth YouTubes! The documentary was interesting, too. Sorry for the late response, but had a computer glitch. Best to you.
Richard Elliott
Manteca, CA