Tag: eastern Sierra

  • Independence, California

    and the Southern Owens Valley

    Independence, California, is a small town in the Owens Valley’s southern stretch, backed by the towering Sierra Nevada to the west and the Inyo Mountains to the east. With around 600 residents, it serves as the Inyo County seat and a quiet gateway to rich history and dramatic desert landscapes.

    The town was founded in 1861, during the mining boom, and named in honor of the Declaration of Independence. While gold rush ambitions shaped its early days, Independence is better known for its historical and cultural sites today. The Eastern California Museum offers an impressive collection of Native American artifacts, pioneer relics, and mining tools, showcasing the region’s layered past. Just a few miles away is the Manzanar National Historic Site, a powerful and sobering reminder of World War II, where thousands of Japanese Americans were interned during a dark chapter in U.S. history.

    But the story of this region runs deeper than its buildings and monuments. In contrast, the southern Owens Valley, from Poverty Hill to Rose Valley—including the Owens Lake basin—is a geological and ecological study. This broad alluvial plain was once home to a large lake fed by snowmelt from the Sierras. During the Ice Age, Owens Lake sometimes overflowed southward, but it’s mostly dry today. Its water has been diverted to supply Los Angeles for a long time.

    The valley’s surface tells the story of time and erosion. Quaternary sediments—old alluvial fan deposits, lakebed clays, and basin fill—comprise much of the ground. You’ll also find volcanic rock from ancient lava flows like the Aberdeen Lava, along with rugged outcrops such as the Alabama Hills and Poverty Hill, made of granite, old volcanic, and metamorphic rock.

    The land is mostly flat to gently sloping, though it rises in places from 3,000 to 6,000 feet. Soils vary from gravelly and well-drained on the fans to fine and occasionally saturated in the low-lying basin. Many playa surfaces remain barren, having only recently reemerged from beneath the former lake. Vegetation reflects these conditions—on the basin fill you’ll see greasewood and saltbush, while the alluvial fans support shadscale, hop-sage, blackbush, and creosote bush. Grasslands include saltgrass and alkali sacaton. Though sparse, woodland species like mountain mahogany and water birch hang on in a few upland areas.

    The climate here is dry and extreme. Rainfall averages 4 to 8 inches annually, mostly falling as rain. Summers are hot, winters are cold, and the skies are often crystal clear, making Independence a draw for stargazers and astrophotographers.

    Water now runs in limited channels. The Owens River still threads through the valley, but much of it is captured and diverted south. Natural outflow from the region is rare, and the lake that once anchored the valley is now a dusty remnant of its former self.

    Still, there’s something magnetic about Independence and the valley that surrounds it. Maybe it’s the blend of natural beauty and historical depth. Perhaps it’s the vast open space. Either way, this stretch of the Eastern Sierra remains a place worth exploring for its past, present, and the ever-changing story written in its land.

  • Keeler to Mojave by Stage

    Book Review: 101 moments in Eastern Sierra History
    by Dave Babb

    “In the 1890s, Mr. W.K. Miller established a six horse stage line between Keeler, on the northeast shore of Owens Lake, and Mojave.

    The stage left Keeler and Mojave every other day at noon. In those days the trip took nearly 24 hours of continuous dusty travel through cactus and sand, and around hummocks.

    The coach was that typical Concorde carriage of the day, square and rather high. It had a door on each side, and multiple layers of leather straps served as springs.

    Inside,  two seats face each other and eight people could be seated. A ninth could ride on top with the driver and kids could sit on their parents laps. The fare was $10 per person.

    The first leg of the trap, from Keeler to Olancha, was the roughest part of all — taking up to six hours. After a change of horses, which took about five minutes,  Haiwee could be reached in another three hours.

    They changed horses eight times during the trip, and had to average about 5 mph to make a few Mojave by noon.  Some 60 horses were kept in reserve to keep the stage rolling in on time.

    Passengers carried their own food and water, and comfort stops were made upon request — behind the nearest bush at the back of the stage.”

    Dave Babb first came to the eastern Sierra in 1952, at the age of 13 for a two-week camping and hiking trip along the John Muir Trail.   after completing his education receiving BS and MS degrees in wildlife biology he returned to Bishop with his wife and their three children.

    He has authored or co-authored nearly two dozen publications on the history and natural resources of the Inyo-Mono region and written more than 170 articles on Eastern Sierra wildlife.

    This is a great little book to own, entertaining and informative.
    You may be able to find it here.

    101 moments in Eastern Sierra History
    by Dave Babb
    Published by Community Printing
    ISBN 10: 0912494395 ISBN 13: 9780912494395