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One of the many ruins that dot the Mojave National Preserve. Situated close to the edge of a huge sandy area named the Devil’s Playground – dunes and salt flats that stretch over 40 miles and merge with several dry lake beds around Baker, CA. Kelso is a small settlement that looks as if it has been largely unchanged for many years. The town is built around a large Spanish-style building; formerly a railway depot. It now contains the Mojave National Preserve visitor center. Kelso once had a population of 2,000, and was at one time both an important railway stop, providing water for steam trains on the Los Angeles – Salt Lake City route, and a center for iron ore mining, but is now nearly empty.

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