In
1883 the Carson and Colorado Railroad was built from Belleville, Nevada,
across the White Mountains to Benton and down into the Owens Valley where
the rail line ended in Keeler. The engine was nicknamed "The Slim
Princess". The arrival of the rail line and stagecoach in Keller was
a great event. Passengers came in on the evening train twice a week to
take the stage on the following day to Mojave. Passengers spent the layover
at the Lake View Hotel, later the name changed to the Hotel Keeler.
To the north the short line connected with the Virginia & Truckee
Line at Mound House, Nevada. A portion of Keeler's railroad history is
still visible in the old railroad station, stationmaster's house, and remnants
of passenger coaches that are now converted into residences.
North of Lone Pine is the Lone Pine Station Road, which goes east to
the abandoned Southern Pacific depot (now a private residence). With the
building of the LA aqueduct, large quantities of freight were needed in
the Owens Valley, and the railroad was extended from Mojave to Lone Pine
for this purpose.
In
1883 the Carson and Colorado Railroad was built from Belleville, Nevada,
across the White Mountains to Benton and down into the Owens Valley where
the rail line ended in Keeler. The engine was nicknamed "The Slim
Princess". The arrival of the rail line and stagecoach in Keller was
a great event. Passengers came in on the evening train twice a week to
take the stage on the following day to Mojave. Passengers spent the layover
at the Lake View Hotel, later the name changed to the Hotel Keeler.