Last updated: December 1, 2023
Place
Mojave National Preserve, the Old Spanish Trail
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
near Barstow, California
Significance:
The Mojave Road, through Mojave National Preserve, is considered a branch of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Designation:
National Preserve
MANAGED BY:
The Mojave Road, through Mojave National Preserve, is considered a branch of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Mojave Desert has a vibrant history. Before contact with the Europeans changed their world, the Chemehuevi lived on prickly pear, mesquite and roasted agave blooms and hunted deer and bighorn sheep. They resided in the Kingston, New York, and Providence Mountains west to Soda Dry Lake and south to the Whipple Mountains. Mojave tribal peoples were concentrated along the Colorado River and the Mojave trail became their main trading route.
When explorer Father Francis Garces traveled across the Mojave Desert, in 1776, he was met by members of the Mojave Tribe. Other intrepid explorers would follow Garces, including Jedediah Smith in 1826 and John Fremont in 1844. Concern abounded about tribal attacks on the mail carriers who traveled the Mojave Road. During the 1860s government outposts were established providing protection for the mail wagons.
During this same era, gold fever struck California. The General Mining Law of 1872 permitted individuals to stake a claim on an area of land where a mineral deposit was discovered. Copper, iron, gold and silver mines rapidly became established in the Mojave. In 1883, on the eastern side of the Providence Mountains, silver was discovered in the Bonanza King Mine.
Mojave's history is as varied and colorful as the individuals who staked their claim in the desert. Read more...
Additional History & Information
Site Information
Location (Mojave National Preserve is located in Eastern California. Our administrative headquaters are in Barstow. To reach the actual National Preserve, you will need to travel an additional 64 miles to reach the nearest entrance in Baker on Interstate 15 or 80 miles to reach the nearest entrance on Interstate 40 at Kelbaker Road.)
Kelso Depot Visitor Center
Originally opened in 1924 as a train station, Kelso Depot was renovated and reopened in 2005 a Visitor Center for Mojave National Preserve. Former dormitory rooms contain exhibits describing the cultural and natural history of the surrounding desert. The baggage room, ticket office and two dormitory rooms have been furnished to illustrate depot life during the first half of the twentieth century. A 20-minute orientation film is shown in the theater. Note: Kelso Depot is currently closed for repairs.
Safety Considerations