Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel or Kelso Depot, now also the Mojave National Preserve Visitors Center, is located in the Mojave Desert
within the National Park Service
Mojave National Preserve
, on Kelbaker Road in Kelso, California
, between Baker
and Interstate 15
to the north and Interstate 40
to the south.
It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
, and along with the adjacent ghost town
of Kelso
, was declared a United States Historic District
in 2000.
, opened in 1905. In early 1923 the railroad began construction of the new "Kelso Clubhouse & Restaurant" which opened the next year. The Kelso Depot was built to provide services to passengers and railroad employees, and a water stop for the steam locomotive
s. It is an example of a surviving mid-1920s era Mission Revival
and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture Styled railroad depot with a hotel, restaurant, and garden
s in Southern California
. The facility served interstate passenger and shipping traffic and the transport of ore
from local mines, especially the Vulcan Mine. It was an essential element of the 1920s modernization of the Union Pacific Railroad
stations to compete with the Santa Fe Railway
and its Harvey House
s such as "Casa del Desierto"
.
The oasis
-like landscape design
and overall style and character of this remote station made it a popular gathering place for Union Pacific employees, passengers and local residents. The original garden
s with shade from Fremont Cottonwood
s-Populus fremontii, Chinese Elm
s-Ulmus parvifolia, and manicured geometric lawn
s lingered, but did not survive the desert conditions between depot closure and the park's Visitor Center restoration. Only Date palms-Phoenix dactylifera survived.
. The end of World War II marked the beginning of a long decline in the depot’s utility. The sharp decline in the volume of freight traffic and diesel engines
replacing steam caused a reduction in services and the need for fewer employees. The Vulcan Mine closed early in 1947, further reducing freight and passenger traffic. A surge of activity occurred with the outbreak of the Korean War
in the early 1950s, resulting in a renewal of high traffic levels on the Union Pacific line for several years.
In 1953 and 1957, attempts were made to market the low-grade iron ore stockpiled at the Vulcan Mine. However, higher horse power, second generation diesel-electric locomotives
of the 1960s resulted in the further decline in Union Pacific personnel needed at Kelso. This technological change eliminated the need for helper locomotives
entirely in 1959. Coupled with the closing of the station agency and cessation of passenger train service to Kelso on August 14, 1964, this development spelled the end of the depot’s principal function with the exception of the Lunch Room which remained serving until 1985.
The Union Pacific proposed the demolition of the then unused depot in 1983. Efforts to preserve the building culminated in its 1992 transfer to the Bureau of Land Management
and its East Mojave National Scenic Area.
In 1994 the Mojave National Preserve
was established, and the depot was transferred to the National Park Service
. A historical restoration and adaptive reuse project followed in 2002. The Kelso Depot now serves, since 2005, as the main Visitor Center of the Mojave National Preserve.
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
within the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve is located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress...
, on Kelbaker Road in Kelso, California
Kelso, California
Kelso is a ghost town and defunct railroad depot in the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California, USA. It was named after a railroad worker who won a contest to have the town named after him...
, between Baker
Baker, California
Baker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735.Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908,...
and Interstate 15
Interstate 15 in California
In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 15 is a major north–south route through the San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, and it has a length of in the state. It is a major thoroughfare for traffic between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as points beyond...
to the north and Interstate 40
Interstate 40 in California
In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 40 has its western terminus in Barstow. Known as the Needles Freeway, a major east–west route of the Interstate Highway System, it heads east from Barstow across the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County past the Clipper Mountains to Needles,...
to the south.
It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and along with the adjacent ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
of Kelso
Kelso, California
Kelso is a ghost town and defunct railroad depot in the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California, USA. It was named after a railroad worker who won a contest to have the town named after him...
, was declared a United States Historic District
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
in 2000.
Early years
The first depot, by the Los Angeles and Salt Lake RailroadLos Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was a rail company that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities, via Las Vegas, Nevada. Incorporated in Utah in 1901 as the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, the line was largely the brainchild of William Andrews Clark,...
, opened in 1905. In early 1923 the railroad began construction of the new "Kelso Clubhouse & Restaurant" which opened the next year. The Kelso Depot was built to provide services to passengers and railroad employees, and a water stop for the steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s. It is an example of a surviving mid-1920s era Mission Revival
Mission Revival Style architecture
The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture Styled railroad depot with a hotel, restaurant, and garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. The facility served interstate passenger and shipping traffic and the transport of ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
from local mines, especially the Vulcan Mine. It was an essential element of the 1920s modernization of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
stations to compete with the Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
and its Harvey House
Fred Harvey Company
The origin of the Fred Harvey Company can be traced to the 1875 opening of two railroad eating houses located at Wallace, Kansas and Hugo, Colorado on the Kansas Pacific Railway. These cafés were opened by Fred Harvey, then a freight agent for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad...
s such as "Casa del Desierto"
Harvey House Railroad Depot
The Harvey House Railroad Depot, known as the Casa del Desierto - its original name, is a former Fred Harvey Harvey House located in Barstow, in the Mojave Desert within San Bernardino County, California...
.
The oasis
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
-like landscape design
Landscape design
Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practised by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice landscape design bridges between landscape architecture and garden design.-Design scope:...
and overall style and character of this remote station made it a popular gathering place for Union Pacific employees, passengers and local residents. The original garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s with shade from Fremont Cottonwood
Populus fremontii
Populus fremontii, the Fremont cottonwood or Alamo cottonwood, is a cottonwood poplar native to western North America, in California and east to Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, and south into Sonora in northwestern Mexico...
s-Populus fremontii, Chinese Elm
Ulmus parvifolia
Ulmus parvifolia, commonly known as the Chinese Elm or Lacebark Elm, is a species native to China, Japan, North Korea and Vietnam...
s-Ulmus parvifolia, and manicured geometric lawn
Lawn
A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
s lingered, but did not survive the desert conditions between depot closure and the park's Visitor Center restoration. Only Date palms-Phoenix dactylifera survived.
Mid-20th century
The Kelso Depot served as a significant element in the Union Pacific’s contributions to the American war effort during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The end of World War II marked the beginning of a long decline in the depot’s utility. The sharp decline in the volume of freight traffic and diesel engines
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
replacing steam caused a reduction in services and the need for fewer employees. The Vulcan Mine closed early in 1947, further reducing freight and passenger traffic. A surge of activity occurred with the outbreak of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in the early 1950s, resulting in a renewal of high traffic levels on the Union Pacific line for several years.
In 1953 and 1957, attempts were made to market the low-grade iron ore stockpiled at the Vulcan Mine. However, higher horse power, second generation diesel-electric locomotives
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
of the 1960s resulted in the further decline in Union Pacific personnel needed at Kelso. This technological change eliminated the need for helper locomotives
Bank engine
A bank engine or helper engine or pusher engine is a railway locomotive that temporarily assists a train that requires additional power or traction to climb a grade...
entirely in 1959. Coupled with the closing of the station agency and cessation of passenger train service to Kelso on August 14, 1964, this development spelled the end of the depot’s principal function with the exception of the Lunch Room which remained serving until 1985.
Restoration and Visitors Center
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
and its East Mojave National Scenic Area.
In 1994 the Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve is located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress...
was established, and the depot was transferred to the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
. A historical restoration and adaptive reuse project followed in 2002. The Kelso Depot now serves, since 2005, as the main Visitor Center of the Mojave National Preserve.
See also
- Kelso, CaliforniaKelso, CaliforniaKelso is a ghost town and defunct railroad depot in the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California, USA. It was named after a railroad worker who won a contest to have the town named after him...
- Kelso DunesKelso DunesKelso Dunes, also known as the Kelso Dune Field, is the largest field of eolian sand deposits in the Mojave Desert. The region is protected by the Mojave National Preserve and is located near the town of Baker, San Bernardino County, California and the Preserve Visitor Center...
- Kelso MountainsKelso MountainsThe Kelso Mountains are located just north of the small community of Kelso and the Kelso Dunes, in the Mojave National Preserve in southeastern California. The town of Baker, near Interstate 15, lies approximately 18 miles to the northwest of the mountain range. Kelso Peak, at 4,764 feet , is the...
- El Garces HotelEl Garces HotelThe El Garces Hotel is a historic railroad station and hotel located in Needles, California. Built by the Santa Fe Railroad under contract with the Fred Harvey Company in 1908, the El Garces is designed in an elegant Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts style and was considered the 'Crown Jewel of the...
- Needles, CaliforniaNeedles, CaliforniaNeedles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95... - Harvey House Railroad DepotHarvey House Railroad DepotThe Harvey House Railroad Depot, known as the Casa del Desierto - its original name, is a former Fred Harvey Harvey House located in Barstow, in the Mojave Desert within San Bernardino County, California...
- Barstow, CaliforniaBarstow, CaliforniaBarstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
- Western America Railroad MuseumWestern America Railroad MuseumThe Western America Railroad Museum is a railroad museum located in Barstow, California.The museum collects, preserves and shares the history of railroading in the Pacific Southwest...
- Western America Railroad Museum
- Cima Dome & Volcanic Field National Natural LandmarkCima Dome & Volcanic Field National Natural LandmarkThe Cima Dome & Volcanic Field National Natural Landmark, or Cinder Cones National Natural Landmark, includes the Cima Dome, Cima Volcanic Field, and Cima Volcanic Range, and is in the Mojave Desert within San Bernardino County, California, United States.The dome and volcanic field with cinder...
- Lavic Lake volcanic fieldLavic Lake volcanic fieldThe Lavic Lake volcanic field is a volcanic field with extinct cinder cones in the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California, United States...
- Pisgah CraterPisgah CraterPisgah Crater, or Pisgah Volcano, is a young volcanic cinder cone rising above a lava plain in the Mojave Desert, between Barstow and Needles, California in San Bernardino County, California. The volcanic peak is around south of historic U.S...
- Pisgah Crater