{"nrhp_refnum":"01000760","name":"Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel","other_names":["Kelso Depot","Kelso Station"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Kelbaker Rd., jct. of Kelbaker and Cima Rds. at Union Pacific Railroad crossing","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kelso","county":"San Bernardino County","state":"CA","lat":35.01220513100003,"lon":-115.65322061699999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-08-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development","Transportation","Engineering","Industry"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A railroad historic district at Kelso in the Mojave National Preserve, San Bernardino County, California. It centers on a two-story Mission Revival depot, restaurant and employees hotel built from 1923 plans by the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, with a coal and supply shed and a designed landscape.","why_significant":"The depot supported Union Pacific operations by housing, feeding and serving train crews, including helper locomotive crews for the climb over Cima Hill, and it was central to the railroad company town of Kelso. It also served wartime traffic in World War II and the Korean Conflict. It is a rare surviving Mission Revival railroad hotel and restaurant in California, and its landscape keeps the original design intent.","narrative":"Kelso Depot sits in the desert community of Kelso, within Mojave National Preserve, and combines a train station, lunchroom and hotel for railroad employees. Designed by the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad's engineering office from 1923 plans, the two-story Mission Revival building has stucco walls, a tile roof, an arcade along three sides and decorative parapets. A coal and supply shed and a designed landscape of palms, brick walkways and roads complete the district. The depot mattered because Kelso was essentially a company town in a remote area, and the building provided lodging, meals and services for crews. Helper locomotives based there moved trains over Cima Hill. The depot handled heavy traffic during World War II and again in the Korean Conflict, then declined as diesel locomotives reduced the need for helpers. Passenger service and the station agency ended in 1964, and the lunchroom closed in 1985. It is among very few surviving Mission Revival railroad hotels in California.","period_of_significance":"1923-1964","architect_builder":"Office of the Chief Engineer, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: California Mission Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant/not in use. The depot closed in 1964, and the lunchroom stayed in service until 1985.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.119038-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/01000760.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000760/bc2327b2c4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000760/bc2327b2c4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"w:User:Pretzelpaws","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kelso_railroad_depot.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">w:User:Pretzelpaws</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kelso_railroad_depot.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860766","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelso_Depot","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6386536"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-bernardino-county/kelso-depot-restaurant-and-employees-hotel-01000760/"}