Hastie Bus Restoration Project

The restoration of a 1928 Chevrolet bus promises to bring back the colorful stories and history of the Morongo Basin's first public transportation service-the 29 Palms Stage and Express. It was in the depths of the Depression and the mid-thirities when Johnnie Hastie first drove into Twentynine Palms. His vehicle was the soon-to-become familiar, 1928 twelve passenger bus complete with wood-burning stove-lovingly called Old Betsy.

At the time there were only 150 people in the entire Morongo Basin. The population was composed of miners, ranchers, World War I veterans, homesteaders, and a scattering of children. The Stage ran daily from Twentynine Palms to Banning, making stops in Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, and Morongo Valley along the way. To sustain himself and his business, Johnnie offered to deliver anything under ten pounds for ten cents. A bale of hay would be fifty cents over the cost of the hay. Johnnie rode a saddle horse around Twentynine Palms, picking up orders for his daily trips. In Joshua Tree, orders were tied on to an old iron ring that had been hammered into a Joshua tree. In Yucca Valley the orders were left at Hardesty's Market and Post Office. For years and years he drove down to Banning and back, seven days a week. One round trip per day, and he was loaded with passengers, orders, and money to pay for them, shopping lists, and banking transactions, as there were no banks on the desert.

To preserve this historic precursor to our current Morongo Basin Transit Authority (MBTA), the 29 Palms Historical Society has acquired the remains of this bus, and established a committee to restore it. This bus will again drive the streets of the Morongo Basin-this time only for parades-to remind us all of early life on the desert. Plans include storing the bus in a "bus-stop" diorama, depicting its service to our earliest residents.

RESTORATION

The goal of the Society's Hastie Bus Restoration Project is to restore Johnny Hastie's first bus. We do not intend for the restored bus to be of "show quality" but rather that it be operable and reasonably close to the way it was when Johnny and the bus carried passengers and cargo between Twentynine Palms and Banning.

The project has an estimated total cost of $41,000 and is being funded entirely by donations.

The restoration is being accomplished by Kenny Duke with help from volunteers.

Rebuilding of the wooden frame of the coach has been completed. The chassis has been partially cleaned of rust and primed, the engine (running and ready) has been installed, and the restored wooden-spoked wheels are installed. The coach frame has been temporarily mounted on the chassis and most all of the sheet metal for the skin and trim molding has been cut and fitted. Once all the sheet metal work is completed the panels and trim will be removed, primed on both sides, and reattached. Next, the coach will be lifted from the chassis and the chassis and running gear will be gone through in detail and then painted. Finally, the coach will be permanently mounted to the chassis and wiring and windows will be installed and finally the bus will be primed and painted.

The restoration committee is in need of cash donations to pay for parts and labor. Parts currently needed include a 1928 Chevrolet radiator cap, period dome light fixtures, windows, and electrical components.

Johnnie Hastie assists a passenger board original bus.
Pioneer Days Parade 29 Palms, 1957

MBTA Bus - Betsy II
From left, Dick Moran, president of the Twentynine Palms Historical Society,
Alan Rasmussen, Morongo Basin Transit Authority director, Liz Meyer, Hastie
Bus renovation project chair and Joe Meer, MBTA general manager, show off a
new bus honoring the Basin's first public transportation, Johhnie Hastie's
Betsy. Over the years, Hastie's busses were also known as the Banning Bullet
and Blue Goose, names MBTA also intends to incorporate into their fleet.
Photo & caption courtesy of Hi-Desert Publishing.