Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site is located at the old 1883 railroad depot and eleven-acre yard a few miles north of Bishop, California, where a village sprang up surrounding the depot during the later 1880's and the little community was then referred to simply as "Station." In 1905, after the Carson and Colorado railroad was absorbed into the Southern Pacific line, the small settlement's name was changed from Station to Laws, after R.J. Laws, who was a longtime railroad superintendent. The narrow gauge section of railway running through Laws operated with steam powered locomotives for eighty years, until 1960.

Because of the narrow rail width, a type of engine which powered this railroad was affectionately dubbed the "Slim Princess." Engine No. 9, which resides at Laws and can be viewed by visitors, is one of this type.

This historical railway was constructed starting at Mound House, just east of Carson City. It was originally intended as a transport route with its northen terminus in the Comstock Lode area, served by the Virginia and Truckee railway, and extending all the way south to the Colorado River at Fort Mohave: however, the project eventually reached only as far as 72 miles south of Bishop to the town of Keeler, on the east side of Owens Lake. After Southern Pacific purchased the railroad, the entire line became defunct, except for the section between Laws and Keeler, which continued to operate until the last train rolled down the tracks in 1960. After Southern Pacific abandoned the line, nearly all of the remaining track was removed. The short run passing by the Laws Depot, turntable and water tank represents one of the last remaining vestiges.

Although most of the buildings at Laws now are not original, the feel of the village has been recreated by bringing in historic buildings and an extensive collection of late-19th/early-20th-century artifacts from around the Owens Valley to grace our beautiful museum grounds, which lie near the base of the postcard-worthy White Mountains to the east.