|
The Story of Laws
Compiled from The Story of Laws by Clarabelle
Hawkins
On May 20, 1880, the Carson and Colorado Railroad Company
was formed and incorporated by William Sharon, Hume
Yerington and Darius Mills. They planned to run the
narrow gauge railroad from Mound House, Nevada, and
Carson River to the Colorado River, calling it the C&C
Railroad. It never reached the Colorado River but stopped
at Keeler, California. It has often been referred to
as, "the railroad that was built 300 miles too
long or 300 years too soon".
| |
  |
As the word was out that the
railroad would run east of the Owens River, people
started to arrive at what is known now as Laws.
A new railroad town was built. It took 3 years
for the rails to be laid from Mound House to Laws,
with the first train arriving in April of 1883.
The depot, agent's house, section boss' house,
outhouses, water tank and turntable were all ready
when it arrived.
|
In addition to the railroad buildings, other construction
quickly followed which included many homes, barns, and
corrals, two general stores, a rooming house, eating
house, hotel, boarding house, pool hall and dance hall,
blacksmith shop, post office, barber shop, powder magazine
and warehouses. Several industrial buildings followed
later. Many ranches surrounded Laws and used the railroad
to ship their crops.
|
The decline and demise of Laws
and the railroad were the result of the local
mines closing, trucking becoming cheaper than
rail freight and the city of Los Angeles buying
most of the valley for the water rights. By 1959,
when the railroad ceased operation, there was
no trace of any of the buildings at Laws as they
had all been torn down for salvage. Only the depot,
agent's house, oil and water tanks and the turntable
survived. All the other buildings you see at the
museum today were doomed for destruction locally
but were saved by being moved to the museum grounds.
|
Laws Railroad Museum Exhibits
| RECEPTION CENTER - Gifts
and books
CAMERA DISPLAY - Antique cameras
and photos
TRADING POST - Thrift store
GENERAL STORE - Early western
store
WESTERN DISPLAY - Saddles, brands
and antique hearse
POST OFFICE - Last original
Laws Post Office
STOVE ROOM - Antique stoves
PRINT SHOP - Printing equipment
dating to 1880
PIONEER BUILDING - Antique bathtubs,
guns, radios, telephones, pianos, sewing machines
and military items
FIRE STATION - Antique fire
equipment and auto related items
MEDICAL BUILDING - Old medical
displays & barber shop
ORIGINAL 1883 AGENT HOUSE
ORIGINAL 1883 DEPOT - Railroad
memorabilia and model train displays
ENGINE #9 AND FREIGHT CARS
CABOOSE
DEATH VALLEY CAR - 929 Self-propelled
car from the Death Valley Railroad
BOX CAR VILLAGE - (not open
to public)
OIL AND WATER TANKS
ORIGINAL TURNTABLE
WATER WELL
ANTIQUE FARM EQUIPMENT
MINING EQUIPMENT
MINER SHACK
ASSAY OFFICE
RAILROAD TIE BARN
AUTO GARAGE
BLACKSMITH SHOP
ANTIQUE TOOL DISPLAY
WAGON BARN - Wagons, tractors
and engines
ORIGINAL 1909 NORTH INYO SCHOOL
HOUSE - Local school history
GAZEBO
LIBRARY AND ARTS - Also antique
musical instruments
BELL RACK
WELLS FARGO BUILDING - Rock
displays, assay equipment, Indian artifacts
BOTTLE HOUSE - Extensive bottle
display
RANCH HOUSE - Restored circa
1900 ranch house
|
|
 |
11 Acres of Unique Exhibits
OPEN ALL YEAR: VISITING HOURS - 10 am
to 4 pm
Operated by the
Bishop Museum & Historical Society
PO BOX 363 Bishop, California 93515
(760) 873-5950
|
