Keeler Depot, Carson & Colorado Railroad

 train station, narrow gauge railway

The Carson and Colorado Railway was incorporated 10 May 1880 to build a narrow gauge rail line from Mound House, Nevada (on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad) along the Carson River to a point on the Colorado River, hence "Carson & Colorado."
Construction started 31 May 1880 and reached Keeler on Owens Lake 12 July 1883.
The first train arrived at Keeler on 1 August 1883.
The railroad was purchased in March of 1900 by the Southern Pacific Railroad, which continued to operate it as the Carson and Colorado.
In October 1904, the Hazen Cut-off was started as standard gauge and the narrow gauge track was changed to standard gauge south to Tonopah Junction, a few miles south of Mina. The new track was finished in August 1905. The name of the railroad was changed to Nevada and California Railway on 11 May 1905.
In 1912 the name was changed again, to Southern Pacific.
The narrow gauge line from Mina to Benton was abandoned in 1938, and from Benton to Laws in 1942. The rest of the line from Laws to Keeler was abandoned as of 30 April 1959.
The Southern Pacific standard gauge line from Mojave to Lone Pine was built between May 1908 and October 1910. The line from Lone Pine to Searles was abandoned in 1982.
The line was called the "Slim Princess" by the local population.
Until Highway 395 was paved, and otherwise improved, along the west side of the Owens Valley, the "Slim Princess" was a major transportation resource, but it was built to service the mineral resource industries and so it ran down the less habitable east side of the valley. All the "major" (relatively speaking) population centers of the Owens Valley were spread out along Highway 395, so for many Owens Valley inhabitants it was a long trip just to get to the railroad.