Land of Little Rain
Independence and Interdependence
Independence, population of just over 600 people (census 2020), has a large impact on this county; it is the county seat of Inyo County. Its residents share their deep love for this arid landscape in many ways: county administrators, hoteliers, record keepers, fruitcake festival organizers, artists, vegetable growers, and ice cream makers.
Payahǖǖnadǖ. Place of flowing water.
The First People called this land Payahǖǖnadǖ, the “Place of flowing water.”
Storm clouds rise above the Sierra Nevada and release their precipitation on the saw-toothed ridge of this range as if it had cut them open to quench its thirst.
It seldom rains on the broad, brown expanse of the valley floor and yet water courses down the mountain canyons and into the river that twists and bends like a writhing serpent in search of prey. Snow usually falls on the high elevations of this mountain chain, melting, cutting, and spilling down the steep sides, seeping into the parched earth of the desert below.
History is Made Here
This is where Mary Austin lived and wrote her best-known and classic work, The Land of Little Rain, and whose home is now preserved as a California Historical Landmark.
Another significant landmark is the monumental County Courthouse. It is a resolute edifice to the harshness of this land and its climate. It is the fourth structure on this site after two were lost to earthquake and fire and the third rebuilt. It has stood for 100-years.
Independence Lost
The preservation and interpretation of one of the saddest periods in our nation’s history remains in honor of those of were interred here during World War II. Manzanar National Historic Site just south of Independence was one of 10 camps in the United States where 120,000 Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were detained. Over 10,000 people spent all or part of WWII in this camp. A commemorative event is held every year in April and many surviving, former internees and a growing number of young people travel to Manzanar to remember and pay tribute to those who lost their independence here.
When it Rains it Pours
The historic Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery was once the largest and best equipped hatchery in California. It opened in 1917 and produced “unmatched quality and quantity” hatchlings. In 2007 a large wildfire burned upstream of the hatchery and a year later a heavy thunderstorm resulted in a massive mudslide that swept down the scarred, barren Oak Creek wash damaging ponds, water supplies, and employee homes. The main building escaped the muddy flood and the facility is now an educational facility that serves to preserve the historical significance of the hatchery and promote awareness and understanding of our natural resources.
The Value of Independence
Directly west of town in the high, rugged landscape of the Sierra Nevada, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) carries hikers over Forester Pass at 13,153-ft, the highest pass along its entire 2,650-mile route from the Mexico border to the Canadian border. Onion Valley, just north and below Forester Pass, is a primary access point for this trail and the John Muir Wilderness making Independence a popular resupply point for PCT trekkers. Here in this small, resilient community connections with people and the landscape are nurtured, and independence is fiercely cherished.
Immerse yourself in the history of the Eastern Sierra in Independence.
