Laws, California

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Laws
Unincorporated community
Laws station in 1998.
Laws
Location in California
Coordinates: 37°24′03″N 118°20′44″W / 37.40083°N 118.34556°W / 37.40083; -118.34556Coordinates: 37°24′03″N 118°20′44″W / 37.40083°N 118.34556°W / 37.40083; -118.34556
Country United States
State California
County Inyo County
Elevation[1] 4,117 ft (1,255 m)
Official name: Laws Station[2]
Reference No. 953

Laws (formerly, Station and Bishop Depot)[3] is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California.[1] Laws is located 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Bishop on U.S. Route 6, towards the Nevada state line.[3]

Geography

The U.S. Geological Survey shows official coordinates for the town as 37°24′03″N 118°20′44″W / 37.40083°N 118.34556°W / 37.40083; -118.34556. The town is in ZIP code 93514 and area code 760. . The official elevation is 4,117 feet (1,255 m) AMSL.[1] The town is bordered by the White Mountains to the east and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the "Eastern Sierras," to the west. It is located near the Owens River in upper Owens Valley.

History

The settlement of Station was formed in 1883 as a depot on the Carson and Colorado Railroad.[3] The name was changed to Laws in honor of R.J. Laws, a railroad official.[3] A post office operated at Laws from 1887 to 1963.[3] The town of Laws was a railroad station along a Narrow gauge railway portion of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Today the town of Laws exists as a museum of Owens Valley and Eastern Sierra Nevada history. It is registered as California Historical Landmark #953.[2]

Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site

Railroads displays

Train in the historic district
The Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site includes static displays of a train consisting of an oil-fired steam engine Steam locomotive, Southern Pacific #9 and several freight cars from the Southern Pacific Railroad's 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge lines. There are also operating locomotives (none of which are steam-powered) that run on the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge track on the museum's grounds. The museum's display explains that the railroad was relied on by many Eastern Sierra communities before modern roads were built during the 1950s and 1960s.

A station agent's home is located south of the railroad station. Docents portray the station agent on most days, helping visitors understand the period culture.

The Museum includes several historic buildings moved to the museum site from downtown Bishop. There is a church and school house. There is a wooden Western Electric 11-type telephone booth. A vehicle on display was a 1949 ambulance, which was later painted black, stripped of emergency lighting, and used as a hearse. Medical implements from a historic local doctor's office are on display.

Owens Valley history displays

Owens Valley history, including construction and impact of the Los Angeles Aqueduct project, or "Owens Valley Aqueduct," is described in Museum displays. Today, land on all sides of the museum is property of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, of the City of Los Angeles. Photographs and docents show and explain that the Valley included large tracts of agricultural land; from the Paiute Native American era, through pioneer days, to the Aqueduct 'water wars era' that began diversions of water in the early 20th century to Los Angeles. A tour docent, sharing a vintage black-and-white photograph, explained "This is a picture of my mom's apple orchard."

Government

In the state legislature, Laws is in the 8th Senate District, represented by Democrat Leland Yee,[4] and the 26th Assembly District, represented by Republican Connie Conway.[5]

Federally, Laws is in California's 8th congressional district, represented by Republican Paul Cook.[6]

See also

Desert railroads

  • List of defunct California railroads
  • List of defunct Nevada railroads

Locale

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Laws, California
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Laws Station". Office of Historical Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-07. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Quill Driver Books. p. 1177. ISBN 9781884995149. 
  4. ↑ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved April 11, 2013. 
  5. ↑ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved April 11, 2013. 
  6. ↑ "California's 8th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved April 11, 2013. 

Sources

  • Map: "Laws, California 7.5-minute Quadrangle," U.S. Geological Survey, 1994.
  • Map: "Guide to Eastern Sierra, #2463" Automobile Club of Southern California, 1996.
  • Map: "Inyo National Forest," U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, Geometronics Service Center, 1989.
  • U.S. Geological Survey, National Geographic Names Database.

External links

Municipalities and communities of Inyo County, California, United States
City
CDPs
Unincorporated
communities
Indian
reservations
Ghost towns
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