(rshsdepot) Kelso, CA

[Jim Dent <jdent1_@_optonline.net>]

Sunday, November 6, 2005
NEXT STOP, KELSO
History comes alive with the reopening of historic depot
http://www.desertdispatch.com/2005/113128356719497.html

by Lara Hartley/Press Dispatch

The heyday of passenger trains is long gone. But the lovely lady of 
Kelso is now meticulously restored as the new visitor's center for 
Mojave National Preserve.

"It is a magical place, like an oasis in the desert," said James 
Woolsey, chief of resource interpretation and outreach for National Park 
Service.

Before restoration, Kelso Depot stood crumbling deep in the Eastern 
Mojave Desert -- a tattered, faded grande dame. But hints of her 
original beauty were still intact.

On a hot day, with the heat rising around her, she appeared like a 
mirage in the stark and desolate landscape.

Inside, rat droppings and broken glass littered the floor. But the 
imagination could still hear the mournful steam whistles of trains like 
City of Los Angeles and Gold Coast Limited calling to their passengers.

The depot was built in 1924 by the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad 
(later Union Pacific Railway) as a room, board and entertainment 
facility for its employees. The lunch room served staff members, 
passengers and the public.

The California mission-style stuccoed building was originally called the 
"Club House and Restaurant." Its elegant construction, with its arched 
walkways, was designed to compete with the elaborate Santa Fe Harvey Houses.

Kelso was the perfect spot for a railroading town and depot. It 
furnished water for the heavy steam engines negotiating the steep grade 
between Kelso and Cima, but it was also a community meeting place. 
Church was often held there on Sundays.

Union Pacific Railway closed the depot in 1985. Local citizens, Bureau 
of Land Management officials and Congressman Jerry Lewis saved it from 
destruction. Since then, Union Pacific Railway has contributed many 
items to the exhibits.

Now the baggage room, conductor room and ticket office are restored with 
artifacts from the early days. Exhibits tell the railroad story. 
Upstairs, two of the bedrooms show how the railroaders lived when they 
were there, with jackets hanging on hooks, etc.

Some of the more intriguing exhibits include an audio of Doc Springer's 
show from the healing waters at Zzyzx. And the booming Kelso dunes, also 
known as singing dunes, can be heard from hidden speakers when a button 
is pushed on the display.

Animals tracks on the dunes are also explained.

The depot has been open for three weekends. Last Sunday, visitation 
reached close to 250 visitors, said Catherine Holden, NPS visitor use 
assistant.

Many visitors stopped because of the "lunch room" sign outside, she 
said. Park officials are looking for a concessionaire to run the dining 
room, but as of right now, there is no food available at the depot.

A piece of the original counter was used as a sample to recreate the 
lunch room counter.

Chairs are reproductions of the originals. Period awnings and paint 
matching the original exterior complete the picture.

The restoration was not only meticulous, but lovingly done.

"We did not just what was needed, but what we wanted," Woolsey said.

Visitor Richard Drake may have described it best when he entered the lobby:

"Amazing. What a gem!"

© 2005 Desert Dispatch. A Freedom Communications Newspaper. All rights 
reserved. Material from this site may not be republished without the 
expressed, written permission of the Desert Dispatch.

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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1240
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=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org