History

This part of the Sierra Nevada, this beautiful range of mountains described by John Muir, as, on "above all others . . . The Range of Light", has only been known to western man for about 180 years. Jedediah Smith, Captain Joe Walker, John C. Fremont, Kit Carson and others explored the eastern Sierra and Owens Valley early in the 1800's and Smith is credited with the "discovery" of Mono Lake in 1825. F.W. Von Schmidth in 1855, conducts the first survey east of the Sierra starting from near Mono Lake and progressing south to beyond Owens Lake. While in the Owens Valley area, Schmidt noted:

"This valley contains about 1,000 Indians, and they are a fine looking set of men. They live principally on pine nuts, fish and hares, which are very plenty. On the western edge of this valley I found great quantities of grouse; other game very scarce. On a general average, the country forming Owens Valley is worthless to the white man, both in soil and climate. "But with all this they are in poor condition. The families being divided off and each having his own hunting ground causes some to go without food for days. One chief told me that sometimes he had nothing to eat for six days at a time. They are in a state of nudity, with the exception of a small cloth about their loins".

The discovery of gold by Cord Norst near Mono Lake in 1859 brought a rush of miners and the persona of the fiesty and clever, Mr. Samuel Clements (Mark Twain). Twain was on "leave" from his job as Reporter of Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, Nevada, and joined the search for the "Lost Cement" gold mine in the mid 1800's. Discussion of his travels and adventures in this area are found in his book "Roughing It".

At about this same time in history, John Muir made his way across the dry Central Valley of California, and up the Merced River to Yosemite Valley. His book, "My First Summer in the Sierra" is a memorable account of his adventures and the great love and respect he developed for his "Range of Light".

The mid 1800's and early 1900's brought newcomers in search of lands to farm and ranch, plus a few geologists and fishermen. In 1861 Samuel Bishop brought 500 head of cattle and 50 head of horses into the Owens Valley from Fort Tejon. Others followed and the stockmen herds damage the best seed collecting areas of the local Paiutes. Bloody battles erupted between the previously peaceful Paiutes and the stockmen. William B. Brewer in 1864, while mapping the eastern Sierra for the California geological survey wrote:

"Tens of thousands of the starving cattle of the state have been driven here this year, and there is feed for twice as many more. "We camped on the river near Bend City and went into town for fresh meat and to get horses shod. It is a miserable hole, of perhaps 20 or 25 adobe houses, built on the sand in the midst of the sagebrush . . . "We wanted some fresh meat, so two of the boys went out and shot a fine heifer and brought in the beef. They assumed that she belonged to a Secessionist and confiscated her. It is very common here for men traveling to supply themselves with beef from the large herds . . . "At the north end of the valley there are nine or ten square miles of the best grass I have seen in the state. Three or four settlers have come in this year with cattle and horses, but there is feed for ten times as many. One has started a garden to sell vegetables in Owensville and Aurora". (Adapted from Up and Down California, Francis P. Farquhar, ed.)

On another note, Brewer describes the Owen Valley:

"It lies four thousand to five thousand feet above the sea and is entirely closed in by mountains. On the west the Sierra Nevada rises to over fourteen thousand feet; on the east the Inyo Mountains to twelve thousand or thirteen thousand feet. The Owens River is fed by streams from the Sierra Nevada, runs through a crooked channel through this valley, and empties into Owens Lake. This lake is the color of coffee, has no outlet, and is a nearly-saturated solution of salt and alkali. The Sierra Nevada catches all the rains and clouds from the west. To the east are deserts, so, of course, this valley sees but little rain, but where streams come down from the Sierra they spread out and great meadows of green grass occur".

Mining continued to be an important part of the limited economy, but most prospects were poor and of little value. This isolated corner of California remained quiet and almost forgotten.

In the early 1900's, the purchase of much of the water rights to the Owens Valley by the City of Los Angeles, brought new controversy and activity to the area. The City's purchase of water later extended north into Mono County with the ultimate diversion of water from the Mono Lake watershed to the upper Owens River. This diversion of water has recently been stopped and the receding shoreline of Mono Lake is once again enlarging.

In the 1920's, the June Lake area was a favorite "fishing hole". In 1924, a dirt road was built from June Lake Junction to June Lake. Subdivision such as Wispering Pines were created and Boulder Lodge and June Lodge (later to become the Heidelberg Inn) were built. Carson's Camp, located on the shore of Silver Lake, had been a favorite fishing camp for years and was an annual destination for many Californians. Carson peak was named after the owners of this Camp, Roy and Nancy Carson.

Fishing and enjoyment of the splendid mountain scenery continued to draw a large number of visitors in the area. In 1960, Bud Hayward obtained a lease from the United States Forest Service to build the June Mountain Ski Lift.

A fine history of this area is provided in the book, "Horseshoe Canyon", by Betty Bean, published by Chalfant Press in 1977.


History This part of the Sierra Nevada, this beautiful range of mountains described by John Muir, as, on "above all others . . . The Range of Light", has only been known to western man for about 180 years. Jedediah Smith, Captain Joe Walker, John C. Fremont, Kit Carson and others explored the eastern Sierra and Owens Valley early in the 1800's and Smith is credited with the "discovery" of Mono Lake in 1825. F.W. Von Schmidth in 1855, conducts the first survey east of the Sierra starting from near Mono Lake and progressing south to beyond Owens Lake. While in the Owens Valley area, Schmidt noted: "This valley contains about 1,000 Indians, and they are a fine looking set of men. They live principally on pine nuts, fish and hares, which are very plenty. On the western edge of this valley I found great quantities of grouse; other game very scarce. On a general average, the country forming Owens Valley is worthless to the white man, both in soil and climate. "But with all this they are in poor condition. The families being divided off and each having his own hunting ground causes some to go without food for days. One chief told me that sometimes he had nothing to eat for six days at a time. They are in a state of nudity, with the exception of a small cloth about their loins". The discovery of gold by Cord Norst near Mono Lake in 1859 brought a rush of miners and the persona of the fiesty and clever, Mr. Samuel Clements (Mark Twain). Twain was on "leave" from his job as Reporter of Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, Nevada, and joined the search for the "Lost Cement" gold mine in the mid 1800's. Discussion of his travels and adventures in this area are found in his book "Roughing It". At about this same time in history, John Muir made his way across the dry Central Valley of California, and up the Merced River to Yosemite Valley. His book, "My First Summer in the Sierra" is a memorable account of his adventures and the great love and respect he developed for his "Range of Light". The mid 1800's and early 1900's brought newcomers in search of lands to farm and ranch, plus a few geologists and fishermen. In 1861 Samuel Bishop brought 500 head of cattle and 50 head of horses into the Owens Valley from Fort Tejon. Others followed and the stockmen herds damage the best seed collecting areas of the local Paiutes. Bloody battles erupted between the previously peaceful Paiutes and the stockmen. William B. Brewer in 1864, while mapping the eastern Sierra for the California geological survey wrote: "Tens of thousands of the starving cattle of the state have been driven here this year, and there is feed for twice as many more. "We camped on the river near Bend City and went into town for fresh meat and to get horses shod. It is a miserable hole, of perhaps 20 or 25 adobe houses, built on the sand in the midst of the sagebrush . . . "We wanted some fresh meat, so two of the boys went out and shot a fine heifer and brought in the beef. They assumed that she belonged to a Secessionist and confiscated her. It is very common here for men traveling to supply themselves with beef from the large herds . . . "At the north end of the valley there are nine or ten square miles of the best grass I have seen in the state. Three or four settlers have come in this year with cattle and horses, but there is feed for ten times as many. One has started a garden to sell vegetables in Owensville and Aurora". (Adapted from Up and Down California, Francis P. Farquhar, ed.) On another note, Brewer describes the Owen Valley: "It lies four thousand to five thousand feet above the sea and is entirely closed in by mountains. On the west the Sierra Nevada rises to over fourteen thousand feet; on the east the Inyo Mountains to twelve thousand or thirteen thousand feet. The Owens River is fed by streams from the Sierra Nevada, runs through a crooked channel through this valley, and empties into Owens Lake. This lake is the color of coffee, has no outlet, and is a nearly-saturated solution of salt and alkali. The Sierra Nevada catches all the rains and clouds from the west. To the east are deserts, so, of course, this valley sees but little rain, but where streams come down from the Sierra they spread out and great meadows of green grass occur". Mining continued to be an important part of the limited economy, but most prospects were poor and of little value. This isolated corner of California remained quiet and almost forgotten. In the early 1900's, the purchase of much of the water rights to the Owens Valley by the City of Los Angeles, brought new controversy and activity to the area. The City's purchase of water later extended north into Mono County with the ultimate diversion of water from the Mono Lake watershed to the upper Owens River. This diversion of water has recently been stopped and the receding shoreline of Mono Lake is once again enlarging. In the 1920's, the June Lake area was a favorite "fishing hole". In 1924, a dirt road was built from June Lake Junction to June Lake. Subdivision such as Wispering Pines were created and Boulder Lodge and June Lodge (later to become the Heidelberg Inn) were built. Carson's Camp, located on the shore of Silver Lake, had been a favorite fishing camp for years and was an annual destination for many Californians. Carson peak was named after the owners of this Camp, Roy and Nancy Carson. Fishing and enjoyment of the splendid mountain scenery continued to draw a large number of visitors in the area. In 1960, Bud Hayward obtained a lease from the United States Forest Service to build the June Mountain Ski Lift. A fine history of this area is provided in the book, "Horseshoe Canyon", by Betty Bean, published by Chalfant Press in 1977.