h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The phone booth in question was not quite so oddly placed or isolated. It was at the far end of the parking lot for the Kelso Train Station, a station from the 1930's which is itself quite an attraction, despite having been decommissioned in 1985 and almost destroyed (it is now in the care of the National Park Service). The reason for the train station went away...that is, the town of Kelso, which used to be a mining center and railroad watering yard. It is now smack in the middle of the Mojave National Preserve, home to such wonders as the Kelso Dunes, Mitchell Caverns, a pristine Joshua Tree forest and Cima Dome, one of the largest granite domes in the world.

Anyways, the phone booth was there so tourists in need could call for help. It was taken out, I've been told by park rangers, because of the constant calling from the outside, and because of vandalism.

The number for the booth, just for the records, was 760-733-9969. It was removed by Pac Bell (who at first denied it) who said they did it as a result of a "mutual decision" between them and the National Park Service. Before the 6th of October, 2000, the phone number continued to ring despite the absence of the booth. On that date, as the result of an investigatory call by a man named Jared, the number now provides a "no longer in service" notice.

The phone iss now long gone; even the slab and cinder blocks are gone. But Mojave National Preserve is still worth visiting. And there's some movement toward fully renovating the Kelso Depot for use as an interpretive museum.

Just remember, though...our government really doesn't want you to wander around in the desert, especially with a camera. I know...I was the editor of a newspaper serving communities on the west side of the Nevada Test Site, and I saw my share of X-Files weirdness (speaking of which...the opening shots of the X-Files episode broadcast on Sunday, 26 Nov 2000 showed a lone phone booth in the middle of a seemingly endless Joshua Tree forest. Life imitates are imitates life.