NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Travel

James Dean's California death spot a traffic stopper

By Michael Wayne
AAP·
1 Dec, 2016 10:35 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Jack Ranch Cafe in Cholame, California. Under a tree outside is a memorial to Hollywood star James Dean, who died in a car crash nearby. Photo / Creative Commons by Wikimedia user Model Citizen

The Jack Ranch Cafe in Cholame, California. Under a tree outside is a memorial to Hollywood star James Dean, who died in a car crash nearby. Photo / Creative Commons by Wikimedia user Model Citizen

A set of traffic lights in the middle of a California highway perplexes Michael Wayne . . . until he reads the sign

An eerie feeling strikes me as I clip along the long, lonely two-lane blacktop westbound toward Cholame, California. There's no reason for it — just a sudden sense of unease.

I'm currently on my way from Las Vegas to San Francisco. It's a pretty straightforward and non-descript series of highways and national routes offering little in the way of visual stimulation, unless you're a wheat enthusiast.

That's why it's strange when I see a huge standee of a 50s greaser pointing to a petrol station in the middle of nowhere. He's sporting a petulant smirk, and radiates an easy cool in his leather jacket and Levis 501s. There's some text beside him, but I'm going too fast to read it.

It's a reminder that I'd better slow down.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
The James Dean Memorial Junction at the intersection of highways 46 and 41 in Cholame, California. Photo / Creative Commons image by Wikimedia user Piotr Flatau
The James Dean Memorial Junction at the intersection of highways 46 and 41 in Cholame, California. Photo / Creative Commons image by Wikimedia user Piotr Flatau

A few dozen wheat fields later comes another, more immediate reminder: a set of traffic lights. Give me a break! There's nothing around. I'm literally miles from nowhere. It's a 55mph highway, but I'm stopped at a red light. My impatient eyes drift to the big green sign beside the angry red eye that's brought us to a standstill. James Dean Memorial Junction.

Suddenly, it all makes sense.

It's been over six decades since Dean, a rising Hollywood star, crashed his cursed Porsche 550 Spyder and died aged just 24. Go and have a look at any picture of Dean. Does he look 24? They lived large back then, and nowhere did James Dean live larger than behind the wheel.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Film icon James Dean in a still from the movie 'Giant'. Photo / Supplied
Film icon James Dean in a still from the movie 'Giant'. Photo / Supplied

An avid auto racer, Dean competed in professional racing events around California in the months before his death. Cholame, more the sound of a throat being cleared than a town, was meant to be just another cluster of lights in his rear view mirror on his way to victory.

Instead, he made it immortal.

Ooh, my soul.

Once I get a green, I pull over to check out the memorial. Just past the sign, someone has collated a bunch of stuff along a fence: an American flag, some flowers, a note that reads "We love you, James".

Discover more

Travel

California: Spanish lullaby

08 Jun 04:00 PM
Travel

Driving California's Pacific Coast Highway

04 Dec 08:15 PM
Travel

Ten great coastal road trips

10 Mar 02:00 AM
Travel

Memphis: Guests of his majesty

04 Dec 11:00 PM

I notice that it's all fairly recent, and as I take another look around the desolate landscape, I get another chill. Someone's coming out here regularly to maintain this.

Further up the highway is the Jack Ranch Cafe, which is a kind of de facto town hall for Cholame.

Here, you can enjoy some damn good food and check out the bizarre tribute to Dean beneath the tree outside.

In 1977, Japanese businessman and big James Dean fan Seita Ohnishi erected the memorial, which includes a place to throw money and a plaque inscribed with the exact time of Dean's death. I toss a five and dime onto it and head back to the car.

The James Dean Memorial set up in 1977 by Japanese businessman and James Dean fan Seita Ohnishi. Photo / Creative Commons image by Wikimedia user WaltMaken
The James Dean Memorial set up in 1977 by Japanese businessman and James Dean fan Seita Ohnishi. Photo / Creative Commons image by Wikimedia user WaltMaken

There's so little to Cholame that I wonder why they don't name more things around here after the man. There's the James Dean Memorial Tractor, the James Dean Memorial Hill, the James Dean Memorial Hay Bales. In fact, why not just rename the town James Dean? It's easier to pronounce.

I'd later learn that the traffic lights were put in to prevent the accident that claimed Dean's life from ever happening again. That cacophony of honks I can hear in the distance are probably offered in thanks by grateful motorists.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

IF YOU GO

Getting there: The James Dean Memorial Junction sits where California State Route 41 and 46 meet, just a little to the east of Cholame, which itself is about three hours' drive northwest of Los Angeles. Just don't hire a Porsche Spyder.

The writer travelled at his own expense.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Travel

Travel

Cemeteries worth making a stop at in Europe

03 Jul 08:00 AM
Travel

Husband’s oversight grounds Auckland woman’s 60th Hawaii holiday – but he still goes

03 Jul 06:30 AM
Entertainment

The Kiwi still teaching Aussies to wave after 30 years

03 Jul 05:31 AM

One pass, ten snowy adventures

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Travel

Cemeteries worth making a stop at in Europe

Cemeteries worth making a stop at in Europe

03 Jul 08:00 AM

Europe’s cemeteries are rich in history, art and atmosphere.

Husband’s oversight grounds Auckland woman’s 60th Hawaii holiday – but he still goes

Husband’s oversight grounds Auckland woman’s 60th Hawaii holiday – but he still goes

03 Jul 06:30 AM
The Kiwi still teaching Aussies to wave after 30 years

The Kiwi still teaching Aussies to wave after 30 years

03 Jul 05:31 AM
Winter in Melbourne is a delight, if you know where to look

Winter in Melbourne is a delight, if you know where to look

02 Jul 07:00 AM
Your Fiordland experience, levelled up
sponsored

Your Fiordland experience, levelled up

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP