Motorists driving through Mojave National Preserve are often surprised to find the substantial Kelso Depot. It seems out of place sitting alone in the desert. The question is asked - why here?

Kelso Depot did service the small town of Kelso, which at various times in its history had as many as several hundred people. But this does not not explain the size of this railroad station. In fact, Kelso Depot was far more than a depot, for here the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad (later the Union Pacific) combined in a single building a depot, an employees boarding and rooming house, and a restaurant which served both employees and as a meal stop for passenger trains.

Kelso was perfectly located to provide these functions. The steep grade of the Cima Hill was too much for the early steam locomotives, so the railroad needed extra helper engines to pull the trains up the hill. Kelso was near the beginning of the steepest part of the grade, and there was also an abundant water supply provided by nearby springs. Many men were needed to carry out this work, and the Depot itself served as a boardinghouse for workers. The distance between Las Vegas and the connection with the Santa Fe line at Daggett was too far for trains without a meal car, so Kelso also made perfect sense as a restaurant stop.

The Depot was built in 1923 to replace an earlier building. The railroad decided to build in a grand style to stay competitive with other companies. The Santa Fe line had built its famous Harvey Houses to feed its passengers, so good food and service was now an essential ingredient for capturing passenger traffic. Along its line, the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad designed its architecture in the California mission style to create an identity for itself. The Kelso Depot survives as a window into this past age, when the railroads were the primary means of transportation in a rapidly growing nation.

The Depot finally closed in 1985, and early plans called for it to be demolished. Concerned citizens rallied to save the structure. Soon this grand structure will find a new use. It will be restored and renovated for use as the park's principal information center, scheduled to open in 2004. As part of the exhibits, several of the rooms will be furnished as they were between 1923 and 1945. A Historic Furnishings Report, Kelso Depot: A Furnishings History and Recommended Plan, will guide the furnishing of these rooms. It also contains interesting historical information.