Kelso Depot

«I – THINK – I – CAN, I – THINK – I – CAN.”~Thomas the Train
Kelso Depot seems like a quiet anomaly in the middle of the desert – but for the
Union Pacific Railroad, it was a thriving necessity. Since its inception in 1862, the
Union Pacific (UP) wanted a foothold on the west coast. After reaching Portland,
Oregon, UP turned its attention to the rich California markets and the ports around
Los Angeles. To get there, it needed to construct a railroad across the Mojave Desert.
The steep two percent grade from Kelso to Kessler Summit (later renamed Cima) meant that «helper engines» would need to be stationed nearby to assist locomotives up the 2,078 foot ascent. Additionally, steam locomotives of the era desperately needed water. Kelso had a reliable water source from a spring in the Providence Mountains, so it became the site of the «helper engine» station.
The first depot at Kelso opened in 1905, followed a few months later by a post office, an engine house, and an «eating house» to serve railroad employees
and passengers on trains without dining cars. Over time, the town grew as more workers were needed and their families moved to Kelso to join them. Kelso was crucial to reaching that goal.
STATS:
Free parking
Free admission
Sunday– Saturday 9 :00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.
Picnic area
Indoor plumbing
EXPERIENCE:
After a long drive and a relatively short hike, me and The Crew stopped here to get our geek on. What was formerly a working depot is now a three-​story museum filled with memories and remnants of the old days at the depot.
Walking from the parking lot, a dirt path leads visitors to the front entrance, but not without dropping dead by a couple old jail cells sitting in the exposed sun. Upon entering, there is a visitor’s desk on the left and a fountain counter on the right, in the middle of the room. Alas, the fellow who used to work the counter won the lotto and hasn’t been heard from since.
A back room offers a 20 minute history of the Kelso station, I didn’t watch it this time, too much to see and so little time.
The first floor has a bookstore with all sorts of knickknacks, local history books as well as nature books. Also on the first level are some artifacts, a horse saddle and lasso. Fun to play with, just don’t get caught. The staff members, at least on our visit weren’t all that friendly as I rapidly found out when my curiosity made itself known and was thumping round the counter when we first walked in. Anyway, I digress. A mail room and office complete the circuit of the first level.
The second level is where employees lived, small rooms with only the very barest of essentials.
Down two flights we found ourselves in the bowels of the depot, where a mini-​model of the compound was on display. With little houses, post office, general store, lots of train tracks, and maintenance buildings.
Upon exiting, I wanted some answers to a few questions about Kelso history, unfortunately the two staff members were annoyed at my interest and didn’t have answers. I’m not going to knock this place down for their inability to answer my questions in a professional, that’s what Google is for. I enjoyed my self guided tour with a few of The Crew.
On our way out to the cars, we wandered around a bit, my favorite role of travelling to places that are no longer and especially relatively in their innate stage. Bearing along a cement slab with a few ground holes and rusty pipes coming up from below, my imagination ran wild, envision what once was. A gas stove or even a pot belly in this corner, a sink in that, the remnants of a brick fireplace screamed living area. Oh, I could go on, but I’ll stop here so you can visit and let your imagination run away with thoughts of the simple life the residents of Kelso lived.
One more thing, a choo-​choo still comes by and if you’re lucky, you can go over to the iron fence and pump your arm, they just may toot their whistle.
Review 34 Unilocal 100+ Challenge 2015
#kelsodepot #trains #mojave #museum

If you’re driving through the desolation of the Mojave desert, you will pass Kelso so stop in the restored depot that became a visitors center in 2005. Rooms have been converted to historical displays and there is a small gift/​book shop.
When I’m camping in the area or visiting the nearby dunes, the old depot offers a great respite from the sun.

Went out to see the Depot at Kelso because I was having to stay in Baker CA and needed some time to kill. I was disappointed because it is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays now and those were the nights I was there. I have been there before and really do enjoy it. The Nation Park Service did a very good job at restoring the depot back to its former glory.
I do agree with one of the other reviewers that said it is a good source or a bad source of information about the area depending on who you talk to there.
All and all if you are between LA and Vegas on the I15 it is only about 30 miles out to it and the road is good with some needy places here and there. Or you can access it from I 40 as well. If you are going from Vegas to Laughlin that is another option but quite a bit further. There is now a Café open in the Depot, but as I said nothing was open on the day I was there.
They have several static displays that show the living conditions of the workers on the Rail Road. Also the surrounding town is still mainly Rail Road workers.

This was the least exciting part of our trip to the park. I would like to see, before I die a NPS display about the native americans that was really for them, not just a comma in the history of the area.

5 star review for the restoration job — 4 stars for the NPS associates who are either not that friendly, or not that knowledgeable (or both).
They SORT OF have a wealth of information. Sort of, depending upon who you talk to. The bookstore has a lot, but some of their books are really expensive. Makes me feel like I’m in college all over again. Wait… I am in college LOL. But yeah — I’m not paying $ 40 for a book on mines that consists of 40 pages bound together.
It’s air conditioned inside, so it’s nice when it’s hot outside, and nobody cares if you use the parking lot — after a long day of getting the car stuck in sand, I spent the night in the parking lot (because I was too tired to go back to my campsite) and nobody had a problem with it.

A couple of my friends and I stayed in Los Angeles for a few days before driving out to Las Vegas and decided to make this a litle side-​trip during the drive. The road going there was bumpy in some parts, but overall smooth. The depot was really nicely renovated and restored. There are 3 floors of exhibits including a model replica of the town on the bottom floor. There was a little gift shop with decently priced and unique gifts. We didn’t eat at the café, but a few people were sitting there and it looked cute. The staff was very friendly and willing to answer any questions you had or give you more information about Kelso. Overall, I’m glad we stopped — it was an unexpected highlight of our trip.

Well worth the diversion if you’re returning from Laughlin to LA; a 40 mile round trip into the Depot and back to Interstate 40. Scenic road in and the Visitors Center is in the restored RR Depot. I didn’t eat there but the café has been well received and the menu didn’t look over-​priced. There are new, clean modern restrooms in a separate building at the parking lot.
My GPS computed almost the same total distance [Laughlin to LA] to swing out to the west and join I15 at Baker as it was to turn back to I40, but then you meet the Vegas traffic on I15. Your choice.

I grew up in Palm Springs and have been traveling the back way to and from Vegas since I was very little. I have seen this place go into disarray and love that they have cleaned it up and are making use of the building once again.
They included some outside bathrooms to use so if you just need to make a quick stop you can. I pretty much stop here on my way to visit my parents or back home to Vegas. When I have my dog with me its a great place to relax in the grass or take a quick walk.
Inside, the Mojave National Preserve has done a great job of cleaning up the building and restoring it. I enjoy learning a bit of history about the area and am always surprised on the amount of people that stop here and visit. Again, I remember traveling this rode when I was 10 – 11 and you wouldn’t see a car in sight!
I have also noticed on my last trip that one of the other buildings down the road is getting updated. I don’t know what they are planning on doing with it but its great to see these little towns get brought back to life. Make sure you wave to the train when it does come by!

Stop at the Mojave National Preserve Visitor Center first for some helpful info about routes through the preserve and great sites to see. Kelso Depot was the perfect place to stop for our picnic lunch. We ate on the shaded benches lining the depot – packed a cooler with ice, lunch food, and plenty of water. We have a toddler and were on our way to another location, so we did not go inside the Depot, but the shaded spots were perfect! There are bathrooms, as well.

The Mojave National Preserve made the former Kelso Station into a visitor center. The ground floor houses The Beanery (a lunch counter), the National Preserve Visitor Center, theater and a gift shop. At the southwest corner of the building is the restored ticket office. Downstairs houses temporary exhibits and restrooms (the main restrooms are outside by the parking lot). There are picnic tables and informational displays outside, also.
If you are taking a trip through the preserve, it’s a good idea to stop here first to watch the brief video and see the museum to see what the area is all about. It is a short drive from there to see the Kelso Dunes.

An old train depot during the days of the steam engine, and now a museum/​restaurant. It’s worth visiting if you are touring the Mojave National Preserve. The museum is pretty small but features a great snapshot of the people and history of the depot. Train spotting is an extra feature when visiting this spot. Really a must visit if you are in the area.