San Bernardino County history: Needles – Welcome to San Bernardino County

A wooden wagon with large wheels and text that says 'Needles California' in large letters. — *Wooden wagon on Route 66 welcomes drivers to Needles.*

Needles is one of the oldest cities in San Bernardino County, located in the eastern portion of the county near the borders of Arizona and Nevada.

In 1859, the United States Army established Camp Colorado (later renamed to Ft. Mojave) on the east side of the Colorado River in this region. By 1883, the first railroad crossed the Colorado River from Topock, Arizona to the present-day site of Needles, which led to the town’s formation.

The town was named after “The Needles,” a distinctive group of rock pinnacles and mountain peaks in Mohave County, Arizona, which ranged from 1,207 to over 1,600 feet. In 1890, the railroad company built a high cantilever bridge ten miles downstream from Needles, which was known as the Red Rock Bridge.

As the railroad industry expanded, the railroad company also built a hotel, car sheds, shops and a roundhouse. Needles became the largest port on the river above Yuma, Arizona, and was a regular stop for the Santa Fe Railroad. It also served as an icing station for fruits and vegetables shipped east from California’s fields and orchards.

Another development included the El Garces Hotel, which was built in 1908 by the Fred Harvey Company and is considered the crown jewel of the Fred Harvey chain. The El Garces is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Needles was officially incorporated on Oct. 30, 1913. By the 1920s, it became a popular stop for travelers along U.S. Route 66. Notably, Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts, spent part of his childhood in Needles. As a tribute to his upbringing, one of Schulz’s characters (Snoopy’s brother) lives just outside of Needles.

Th city has also been the scene of two major military training maneuvers: General Patton’s Army in 1942 and Desert Strike training maneuvers during the mid-1960s. Additionally, Needles has been used as a filming location for television and movies, including The Grapes of Wrath, Into the Wild and the Amazing Race.

Today, Needles remains an important part of America’s shipping industry. Interstate 40 runs east to west through the city, with Highway 95 providing north-south access. According to the 2020 United States Census, Needles had a population of 4,931.

The information in this historical feature was originally part of a video series produced by the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office.

Additional County Update News – July 3, 2025