depot was initially located at the intersection of Twelfth and Oak Streets, near the railyard, but was disassembled and moved, stone by stone, to its current location in 1915 to be closer to the central business district of Alturas.

[2] In 1926, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company purchased the N.C.O., converting the line to standard gauge starting in 1927.

Passenger service to Alturas was discontinued on January 1, 1938, and the depot was converted for use as railroad crew housing.

[3] The depot was constructed from stone blocks from a local quarry and is placed with its longest side parallel to the railroad tracks.

[2] It is largely unmodified from its days as a passenger depot, and is built in the late Queen Anne style, with an appearance more in common with contemporary stations in the eastern United States than other stations in California.