Kelso in San Bernardino County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Kelso Jail
Mojave National Preserve
Photographed by Don Morfe, September 22, 2007
1. Kelso Jail Marker
After several decades, the infamous, two cell, metal jail is in its original home near the Kelso Depot Visitor Center in Mojave National Preserve. Twelve years ago, officials at the Barstow office of the Health Department wanted it removed from their grounds. Barstow residents, Kay Mahoney and her husband, took it off their hands. In the fall of 2005, Mahoney donated the Kelso Jail back to the Mojave N.P.
Bureau of Land Management Maintenance Foreman, Mike Trost, skillfully extricated the Jail which was surrounded by trees, fences and woodpiles. From the Mahoney yard, Trost and crew loaded the Jail onto a flatbed and transported it to Kelso.
World War II era Kelso resident, Richard Klepper, remembers around 1944, when the jail first arrived in Kelso, Before that, the constable used a reefer car for a jail, Klepper said. In those days, he added, Kelso was loaded with drunks from both the Kaiser (Vulcan) Mine and Union Pacific. A night spent in the Kelso Jail might encourage sobriety.
Erected by National Park Service-United States Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Law Enforcement. A significant historical year for this entry is 1944.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby.
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Regionally, this marker was in Greater Los Angeles, in the Mojave Desert, in the Peninsular Ranges, and specifically in the Transverse Ranges. It was also in the American Southwest. Globally, it was in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within 14 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Kelso Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); Mitchell Caverns (approx. 9.3 miles away); The Mojave Road (approx. 14 miles away).
Another marker is no longer nearby. Pozos de San Juan de Dios (was approx. 10.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
More about this marker. This marker has been replaced by an interpretive sign. See Nearby Marker - Kelso Depot.
Photographed by Don Morfe, September 22, 2007
2. Foundation of a burned out house
Photographed by Don Morfe, September 22, 2007
3. Kelso Jail and Marker
Photographed by Don Morfe, September 22, 2007
4. Old Post Office
Credits. This page was last revised on March 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 13, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 750 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 13, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
