Big Government versus an elderly, solitary widow in the Mojave Desert. The government didn't stand a chance.

When bulldozers came to carve a highway through her property, one woman refused to move. Margaret “Bonnie” Orcutt wasn’t just protecting her home—she was standing her ground against the unstoppable weight of progress all the way to the White House.

Set against the sun-scorched backdrop of Newberry Springs, California, Mrs. Orcutt’s Driveway tells the true and stirring story of a retired widow, a long-forgotten patch of Route 66, and the power of quiet defiance. With goats, tortoises, and an island in her handmade lake, Bonnie’s life was anything but ordinary—and her resistance made headlines across America.

A historical narrative, this book is part biography, part roadside legend, and all heart.

A true-life David vs. Goliath tale that has become a legend. Car and Driver Magazine even wrote an article about this driveway becoming a famed test track. People who enjoy the grit and emotional depth of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, the candid resilience of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the environmental insight of Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams, the Americana charm of Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon, the folk spirit of The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols, or the investigative power of Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann will find something to admire here.

Perfect for lovers of the 1960s, Route 66 history, desert mysteries, or tales of everyday grit, this is not just a story you’ll listen to. It’s one you’ll carry with you.

Travel the road.

Meet the woman.

Preserve the memory.