Sycamore Inn
Rancho Cucamonga, CA Photo courtesy Chris & Ginger
Long before Route 66 brought motorists through Rancho Cucamonga, The Sycamore Inn offered hospitality to an earlier generation of travelers. Its history reaches back to 1848, with stagecoaches eventually giving way to cars pulling in for a steak dinner. The transportation changed, but hungry travelers kept arriving. 06-07
John Klusman began construction of the present building in 1920, including eight upstairs hotel rooms. Irl Hinrichsen acquired it in 1939, discontinued the rooms, and renamed it the Sycamore Inn. Dinner became the main attraction.
Marilyn Monroe reportedly favored a table near the kitchen. Other visitors may have stayed considerably longer: chef Louis Alvarez described unexplained cigar smoke in the Venetian room, joking about its resident ghost. An unverified haunting, of course. Really? Perhaps someone hadn’t finished his after-dinner cigar.
UPDATE: The Sycamore Inn remains open as a prime steakhouse at 8318 Foothill Boulevard, continuing its hospitality tradition along historic Route 66. 10-26
Derby East (Demolished)
Glendora, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Along Route 66 in Glendora, Derby East carried on the dinner-house tradition of a property many locals remembered as the Old Hickory Inn. Steaks, a lounge, and live entertainment gave customers reasons to spend an evening here rather than grab something and return to the road. Unfortunately, this landmark eventually gave way to a Walgreens. Dinner apparently lost out to the prescription counter. 04-08
The site’s history reached back to a fruit stand operated by Walt Wiley in 1937. Homer and Opal Weimer turned it into a restaurant in 1949, advertising hickory-smoked cooking in an old English atmosphere. Quite a progression from picking up fruit to settling in for a substantial dinner. The Derby name arrived in the early 1990s, connecting the Glendora restaurant with its better-known Arcadia relative.
For neighborhood customers, the attraction included an evening of food and entertainment. For roadside visitors, it was another independent landmark along a highway once lined with distinctive places to stop. The Old Hickory name may have changed, but the property continued its long assignment of feeding people along the old road.
Derby East entrance
Glendora, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
One unexpected piece of its story survived demolition. Material from the Glendora Derby’s façade was used to repair the façade of the Arcadia restaurant. A little of the departed dinner house managed to keep working farther west along Route 66. That’s certainly a better retirement than a trip to the landfill.
UPDATE: Derby East was demolished in the early 2000s, and Walgreens replaced it at the northeast corner of Grand Avenue and Route 66. Portions of its façade found a second life at The Derby in Arcadia. 10-26
More photos
Derby East open for brunch
Glendora, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Derby East sign on wall
Glendora, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Trails Restaurant (Demolished)
Duarte, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
A tall roadside sign gave The Trails Restaurant in Duarte plenty of opportunity to catch passing motorists. Along Huntington Drive, this Route 66 landmark offered the sort of substantial meal stop that could turn a quick dinner into an entire evening. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed in 2001 and was demolished the following year despite preservation efforts. 04-08
Opened in 1952, The Trails built a following for generous portions, thick soups, crusty cheese bread, and lounge entertainment. As the freeways pulled travelers away from the old highway, neighborhood regulars helped keep the dining rooms busy. The restaurant became as much a local gathering place as a stop for people passing through.
The Trails Restaurant (Demolished)
Duarte, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The replacement housing development retained a few reminders. Street names including Waterfall, Hideaway, and Crossroads recall the restaurant’s dining rooms, while a historical marker tells its story along Huntington Drive. They won’t bring back dinner, but they give the old name somewhere to linger.
UPDATE: Homes occupy the former restaurant property, but its salvaged neon sign has a future. In January 2026, a $5,000 preservation grant was awarded for restoration and relocation, with eventual display planned at the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville. Another chance for The Trails to catch a traveler’s eye. 10-26
Sycamore Inn
Long before Route 66 brought motorists through Rancho Cucamonga, The Sycamore Inn offered hospitality to an earlier generation of travelers. Its history reaches back to 1848, with stagecoaches eventually giving way to cars pulling in for a steak dinner. The transportation changed, but hungry travelers kept arriving. 06-07
Derby East (Demolished)
Derby East entrance
The Trails Restaurant (Demolished)
The Trails Restaurant (Demolished)
