Independence combines cultural history with the natural features of the Eastern Sierra. The Eastern California Museum focuses on the ways of life of Indigenous peoples in a significant collection; historic homes and sites mark different chapters in the history of settlement. Outdoors, Independence Creek in town and the trails starting at Onion Valley offer different experiences. For planning your trip, the key question is whether you would like to spend more time at the museum and exploring local history or hiking in the John Muir Wilderness.
The Eastern California Museum
The 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. Since hours may change, check them before your arrival. Around 400 baskets made by the Owens Valley Paiute and Panamint Shoshone are part of a significant collection about the ways of life of Indigenous peoples. The approximate number and the two named peoples give the exhibit a specific regional focus.
Since March 2026, the museum’s historic west wing has been undergoing renovation; the work is expected to continue through spring 2027. During this time, the Indigenous Lifeways Gallery, reference library, research materials, and museum shop remain open. If these areas are important to your visit, you can take them into account when planning your schedule.
Historic Sites and Architecture
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 this site served early settlers as a home, trading post, hospital, and “fort”; it also offered travelers shelter. The building’s various functions show how a single structure was used in different ways during early settlement.
Three miles northeast of Independence, Camp Independence was reoccupied as Fort Independence in 1865 and abandoned in 1877. The fort enabled early settlement in the Owens Valley. The Edwards House, dating from around the 1860s, stands on West Market Street. Its adobe section is the oldest standing structure in Inyo County. The Commander’s House was built between 1866 and 1869 and moved from Fort Independence to its current location. The historic Winnedumah Hotel in Independence was built in the 1920s.
These places offer different ways to explore local history: Putnam’s Cabin represents early permanent settlement, Camp Independence tells the story of the fort, and the houses reflect different periods of construction and uses. The timeline stretches from 1861 into the 1920s. The dates help put these sites in context without conflating their age, former function, and present-day use.
Mary Austin and the View of the Owens Valley
Mary Austin, author of The Land of Little Rain and other works about the beauty of the Owens Valley, lived in Independence. Her home is part of the Independence Historic Walking Tour. The tour thus adds a literary perspective on the Owens Valley to the area’s architectural and settlement history. Unlike the museum’s collection, this part of local history is connected to a specific person and her home.
Garden, Water, and Trails
The Mary DeDecker Native Plant Garden showcases a wide variety of plants native to the Eastern Sierra. Independence Creek flows through town and offers a place to relax. These two features add different connections to the landscape to the historic sites: native plants in the garden and a stream that flows through Independence.
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 may change; check them before driving.
A little more than three miles northwest of Independence, the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery was built in 1916 on land donated by residents of Independence. If you plan to visit, check current access conditions separately.
Discover more destinations: Stovepipe Wells, Bishop, Death Valley Junction, Death Valley, Tecopa, Lone Pine, Olancha, Big Pine.
For the broader travel overview: Inyo.
