San Bernardino County history: Kelso – Welcome to San Bernardino County

"San Bernardino County Update", yellow arrowhead and "SBCounty.gov

A historic building surrounded by several trees. A sign in the foreground reads "Kelso." — *The Kelso Depot is now the Mojave National Preserve Visitor Center.*

In 1905, a depot named Siding 16 was built along the railroad line between Los Angeles and Utah. This site served as a base of operations for the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. Trains stopped to fill up on water at the depot and helper locomotives were attached to assist regular trains up the steep Cima Hill.

Siding 16 soon boomed because of local mining. The depot also became a convenient stop for travelers because the closest major city, Las Vegas, was hundreds of miles away. As the small town grew, three railroad workers put their names in a hat to rename the area. The winner was John H. Kelso.

Kelso soon gained a post office, and the small train depot was replaced by a much larger structure. In 1925, the new depot functioned as a boarding house, restaurant, community center and dance hall. It also housed a telegraph office, a waiting room and a restaurant nicknamed the “Beanery” that served homestyle meals.

At its peak in the 1940s, Kelso had a population of nearly 2,000 people and a dozen steam locomotives were stationed there. Military trains arrived several times each hour and freight trains frequently hauled 2,500 tons of iron ore from the nearby Vulcan Mine to the Kaiser Steel plant in Fontana. The iron ore supported America’s wartime shipbuilding efforts during World War II.

By the 1970s, Kelso had 75 residents. It became known as a town without television, because broadcast signals could not reach the area. The depot officially closed in 1962, although the housing and dining facilities for crew members remained open until 1985. As a result of the harsh conditions of the desert, the main building began to deteriorate.

Preservationists stepped in to save the structure, and it was renovated to become the Mojave National Preserve Visitor Center. At the Kelso Depot, visitors can explore historical exhibits in the former dormitory rooms, baggage room and ticket office. The depot is also near the Kelso Dunes, as well as the cinder cones that are accessible off Kelbaker Road.

Additional County Update News – September 24, 2026