Granite Pass Microwave Station

AT&T microwave station in the southern Mojave National Preserve.

There is some useful information about this station (e.g. construction timeline and some interesting stories) in the NPS history of the Kelso depot, so I need to review that document and fill in more here. From memory, I believe the modern-day power line to Kelso was installed as part of a deal AT&T made with the railroad—the railroad would foot the bill for much of the power line to Kelso (since they needed it to pass the microwave station anyway), and in exchange the railroad provided considerable logistical support to AT&T in the construction (for example, construction workers stayed in the guest rooms in the Kelso depot).

Like some other Long Lines facilities in the Mojave region, it appears that the Granite Pass microwave station was at least temporarily connected to the open-wire Defense Baseline Route as it proceeds south. This may have been an alternate connection for alarms. Some of the hardware involved looks relatively modern, so it may be that this was done under American Tower ownership.

Signage indicates later use by Verizon, although I don't see sector antennas on the tower.

Cannot find any CF licenses for this site; probably means that there haven't been any since ULS records start around 2000.

Above-ground hardened structure with a modular microwave tower. The “Building #2” outhouse has an unusual device on the vent that almost looks like a blast valve. I haven't seen this on other sites and it's certainly amusing.