Independence was reached and passed; the freight, nearly emptied by now, and much shortened, rolled along the shores of Owen Lake. At a place called Keeler it stopped definitely. It was the terminus of the road.
The town of Keeler was a one-street town, not unlike Iowa Hill -- the post-office, the bar and hotel, the Odd Fellows' Hall, and the livery stable being the principal buildings.
--Frank Norris, McTeague, 1899
KEELER, 13 m. (3,610 alt., 360 pop.), a desert settlement, has been for many years the headquarters of a plant engaged in extracting soda-ash from Owens Lake.
--The WPA Guide to California, 1939
[B]y the 1950s all mining had ceased. Train service was stopped in 1960 and the tracks were removed in 1961. Water exports from the Owens Valley to the City of Los Angeles in the 1920s led the Owens Lake to eventually dry up, causing alkili [sic] dust storms to blow through Keeler, driving many residents away. Dust remediation efforts in the early 21st century reduced this problem, but few residents remain.
--Wikipedia
Historical photos of Keeler here.
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