Kelso / Cima, CA
Distance from Las Vegas : 95 Miles
Time of year to visit : All Year
Gasoline Available : No (available at 'State Line')
Road Conditions :
Tourist Information :
Kelso / Cima, CA History:
Located inside the Mojave National Preserve, Kelso developed as a railroad stop from Los Angeles to Salt Lake in 1905 where it served as a water stop for the steam engines of the time. Boiler water was needed for the locomotives pulling rail cars up the 18 mile, 2,000 foot grade to Cima, CA. In 1924, the line was sold to the Union Pacific railroad, which built a Spanish Style depot for the people of the town which at one point numbered 2,000 residents.
The Spanish style depot is one of only two depots in this still that are still in existence, the two story building had overnight accommodations upstairs for railroad employees, a telegraph office and a waiting room for passengers. Later, a restaurant nicknamed the "Beanery," served home-style meals and large rooms in the basement served as a community center for local residents. The Kelso Depot now serves as the principal information center for the Mojave National Preserve with museum exhibits, historically furnished rooms, a theater, and bookstore.
Further up the road lies the town of Cima, CA., the climb from Kelso to Cima still remains as one of the steepest climbs that the Union Pacific has. There isn't much to see in Cima except a few old buildings and the town's post office.
Directions:
• I-15 S via EXIT 76A toward LOS ANGELES (Crossing into CALIFORNIA)
• LEFT onto NIPTON RD
• RIGHT onto IVANPAH RD
• RIGHT onto MORNING STAR MINE RD
• MORNING STAR MINE RD becomes BRANT CIMA RD
• BRANT CIMA RD becomes KELSO CIMA RD
