Although
Kelso was started to service the railroad, Kelso’s population
boomed to about 2,000 residents when borax and iron mines opened and later gold
and silver was discovered in the nearby hills. However, when the mines played
out the miners started leaving. About the same time the steam locomotives
were replaced with more powerful diesel engines that could climb the Cima Grade without assistance, which caused the population of
Kelso to decline even further. In the 1970s there was reported to be about 70
residents in Kelso, and Kelso was one of the few remaining communities in the
United States that did not have television service. However, that changed with
the invention of the satellite dish.
After the train depot closed in 1986, the building began to deteriorate in the harsh desert environment and the railroad was on the verge of demolishing the structure when preservationists stepped in to save it. In 1992 the building was transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and in 1994 it was transferred to the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). In 2002 the Park Service started a historical restoration and reuse project and in 2005 the building was opened to the public as the new Mojave National Preserve’s Visitor Center.
Most of the other historic buildings in Kelso remain in a state of disrepair.
Kelso Post Office (closed)
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