Eastern California Museum

 

Current Events

The museum currently has an exhibit on barbed wire. The Inyo Good Roads Club exhibit which covers the history of travel in Owens Valley is also currently being displayed. The exhibit features old license plates, road signs and photographs dating back to the grand opening of the "El Camino Sierra" highway (now known as Highway 395) in August 31, 1910.
For more information contact the Museum at 760-878-0258 or
by email at ecmuseum@inyocounty.us

 

Preserving Inyo County’s Heritage

Founded in 1928, the Eastern California Museum features exhibits that reflect the diverse natural and cultural heritage of Inyo County and the Owens Valley. Unique exhibit topics include the artistry of local Owens Valley Paiute and Shoshone Indians as demonstrated through basketry and other crafts, and the story of Manzanar, the Japanese American World War II Internment Center. The site of Manzanar also was home to Indians for hundreds of years, and of the irrigation community developed by George Chaffee in the early 1900s.

Also included on the museum grounds are Remnants of an Abandoned Landscape - a collection of historic agricultural and mining implements used by early Inyo County residents, and equipment used during construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct.

The museum also manages two historic homes located in Independence. The Edward’s House was built in 1861 by Thomas Edwards, who was responsible for laying out the town of Independence in the 1860s. The Commander’s House was built in the late 1880s from lumber recycled from the remains of Camp Independence, a military outpost established in 1862. The home is one of the few remaining examples of rural Victorian architecture in Inyo County.

In addition to exhibits, the Eastern California Museum offers resources for research including an historic photograph collection, our Local History Files, transcripts from our Community Oral History Program, and the Frank Parcher Memorial Library. Research access is available by appointment. The museum gift shop also offers a wide selection of educational material regarding Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra.

The Eastern California Museum is operated by the County of Inyo . There is no admission charge, but donations are appreciated. It is located in Independence three blocks west of US Highway 395 at 155 N. Grant Street. The Museum is open Wednesday through Monday from 10 AM to 4 PM and is closed on Tuesday and some major holidays. The museum can be contacted at 760-878-0258 or 760-878-0364; by mail at PO Box 206, Independence, CA 93526; and by e-mail at: ecmuseum@inyocounty.us.

Visit the Eastern California Museum web site.

 

We invite you to explore our Independence Chamber of Commerce
Online Visitor Information Center.
For more information from our Visitor Information Center contact our friendly staff.

Make Independence Your Gateway To Discovery!