Discover Independence: Museum and Local History

Independence brings together local history and culture with nature-related themes. The different points of interest include a collection on Indigenous lifeways, historic buildings, and route options west of town. For your planning, be sure to check the museum’s current hours and the conditions for excursions.

Museum and Visit Planning

The Eastern California Museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on Mondays and County holidays. Check the opening hours again before your trip, as they may change.

Since March 2026, the museum’s historic west wing has been undergoing renovation; the work is expected to continue into spring 2027. During this time, the Indigenous Lifeways Gallery, reference library, research materials, and museum shop remain open. When planning your visit, you can take these areas that remain open during construction into account.

In a significant collection on the lifeways of Indigenous peoples, the museum displays around 400 baskets from the Owens Valley Paiute and the Panamint Shoshone. The Mary DeDecker Native Plant Garden showcases a wide variety of plants native to the Eastern Sierra. The cultural collection and native plants therefore represent distinct themes.

Traces of History

At the Site of Putnam’s Cabin, Charles Putnam built the first cabin for permanent settlement in what is now Inyo County in August 1861. A building 130 feet west of the site served early settlers as a home, trading post, hospital, and “fort,” as well as a refuge for travelers. These functions belonged to the building, not to the historic site itself.

Three miles northeast of Independence, Camp Independence was reoccupied as Fort Independence in 1865 and abandoned in 1877. The fort enabled early settlements in Owens Valley. These dates provide a separate point of reference alongside the history of the 1861 cabin.

Other buildings tell the story of later decades: The Edwards House on West Market Street was built around the 1860s; its adobe section is the oldest surviving structure in Inyo County. The Commander’s House was built between 1866 and 1869 and moved from Fort Independence to its present location. The historic Winnedumah Hotel in Independence was built in the 1920s.

Mary Austin is also part of local history. The author of The Land of Little Rain and other works about the beauty of Owens Valley lived in Independence. Her home is part of the Independence Historic Walking Tour.

Nature and Route Options

Independence Creek flows through Independence and offers a place to relax. The area’s connection to nature is also evident in the Mary DeDecker Native Plant Garden and its variety of native plants. This lets you consider a landscape theme alongside local history, without treating the different places and offerings as the same.

Thirteen miles west of Independence, Onion Valley provides access to trailheads for routes to Kearsarge Pass, Robinson Lake, and Golden Trout Lakes in the John Muir Wilderness. Road and seasonal conditions can change; check conditions before driving.

A little more than three miles northwest of Independence, the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery was built in 1916 on land donated by citizens of Independence. If you plan to visit, check current access conditions separately. The route options from Onion Valley and the historic site are distinct excursion themes, each with its own planning considerations.

Discover more destinations: Stovepipe Wells, Kearsarge, Death Valley Junction, Olancha, Lone Pine, Death Valley, Tecopa, Big Pine

For the broader travel overview: Inyo.