Before we left Mojave we walked over to the White Cross World War I Memorial which was first constructed at Sunrise Rock in 1934. It’s a beautiful setting of granite rock outcropping maintained by volunteers. Unfortunately, like most things these days, this memorial was controversial and after a Supreme Court case, Congress eventually transferred the land surrounding the cross to a veterans group so that separation of church and state existed.
On our way through Mojave to our next spot we stopped at the Historic Kelso Train Depot. Unfortunately, the Kelso Depot Visitor Center is currently closed due to major mechanical failure of the climate control systems. Reopening is anticipated in Spring 2023. So, we were only able to walk around the building and peak in the windows.
Union Pacific stretched from LA to SaIt Lake City and Kelso was pivotal. It became “Kelso” when two warehousemen put their names into a hat along with that of a third worker, John Kelso, who had previously left the area. Kelso won. The first depot at Kelso opened in 1905, followed a few months later by a post office, an engine house and an “eating house” to serve both railroad employees and the passengers on trains without dining cars. The town grew over time as more employees and their families moved to the Mojave Desert. With the closing of the Vulcan mine in the area, the depot also closed and the town is no more.
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