Laws Railroad Museum & Historical Site - Bishop, California

Reacy S.

If you are ever in Bishop/Mammoth Lakes, please drop by and visit Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site. We had such a fun time! You walk around the 11-acre museum at your own pace which is really cool so you can get to know the pieces and the buildings more. We had an especially great time with the ladies at the train exhibit, who were very knowledgeable about their craft. We also had so much fun and we learned a lot from the gentleman at the mining exhibit, Jay! He was exceptionally well read and proficient with everything at the mining exhibit. We spent almost an hour and a half with Jay and it was the most fun time! He showed us how the early mining machines worked, and we were especially amazed at how he restored century-old motors. The coolest part is when he showed us how those worked! Jay also introduced us to many rocks and minerals which were very cool. We learned a lot from this visit, especially with Jay, and we would be sure to come back when it's not too cold anymore so Jay can show us how the 100-year-old engine works! Thank you, Jay! 😊

Overall, this museum is a must visit! If you can, please donate more. The ladies at the train exhibit and Jay (mining exhibit) are volunteers who are very devoted to their craft. Their dedication to their exhibits are truly a labor of love. Donations help them restore historic pieces which tells us visitors a lot about history. They are very passionate about their craft which makes the visit worth it. ❤️

Julia T.

Beautiful open-air Museum with a lot of artifacts of that time.. A community that popped up around a railway station that is still there. Other homes and buildings were moved there from nearby.

Kathy S.

What a jewel of time past. We thoroughly enjoyed the history of this railroad depot. Not only do they have an engine train being restored, a passenger trolley that’s been restored, and as a bonus has a whole town with an amazing amount of antique treasures to view. A post office, barber shop, dentist and doctor offices, pharmacy, general store, school house, newspaper office with equipment, blacksmith shop and more. Each building has an abundance of tools of the trade and history.
If you are in the area it should be as a must see. This type of history is rarely found.

Eugen T. D.

Amazing preservation of history. Very well put together museum. Highly recommend if you’re in the area. Prepare to spend 1-2 hours. Great gift shop too.

Ro M.

Must say you've seen one of these places.It's just a variation on others. This is interesting and worth a visit if you have seen no other old towns.
Mini wooden houses from about the eighteen nineties nineteen hundreds.

Felix F.

A walk through the past. Very nice museum with a lot of different equipment used in the past. It’s very nostalgic just looking at the pictures from people in black and white and seeing the clothes that they would wear, I just found it so fascinating. I would recommend this place.

David H. S.

Great museum with an INCREDIBLE number of interesting displays. And not just about railroad history but lots of information about life in those days. The new 20 mule borax wagons are really cool! I HIGHLY recommend to stop to visit this museum.

Bobby T.

This is a great place to take a walk into the past. Tons of old items; old dentistry and doctor equipment. An old pharmacy and optimist office. Lots of wood and coal stoves and antique appliances. There's old railcars and farming equipment. Lots of old mining equipment with an old machine shop. An old schoolhouse, blacksmith shop and a huge collection of old bottles. And of course the old depot. There's an old s steam locomotive at the rear with folks to answer all your question and share their knowledge of the rail line. I stop in every time I'm passing through Bishop.