The Nevada Northern Railway built a siding here in 1906 and called the site "Bews" after a local rancher. The Western Pacific Railroad reached the site in 1907 and the place was renamed "Shafter" after a U.S. Army general in the Spanish-American War.

Both railroads had stations here, as well as a section crew to maintain the tracks. The town had about forty people, plus a store and post office. A school opened in 1908 and lasted until 1933. The site became less important to the railroads in the 1950s and in 1957 all businesses closed. The Railway Express office closed in 1959 and the town was abandoned.

Currently only a few foundations are all that's left of the town. There's supposed to be a cemetery nearby but I didn't see it on this trip. I look again next time I'm in the area. The Nevada Northern tracks originally crossed the Western Pacific tracks. The Nevada Northern tracks still exist on both the north and south side of the WP tracks, but the crossing has been removed.

The most interesting things to see are a pair of derailed freight cars -- a hopper and a side-dump ballast car.

I visited Shafter in August 2024.