Mt. Whitney and Early Lone Pine 2

Lone Pine in the early 1900s

All photo cards and photographs on this page courtesy of Rich McCutchan archives unless otherwise noted.

Owens Valley once was lush from the waters of the Sierra Nevada. Irrigation ditches built in the late 19th century by early pioneers on both sides of the Owens River watered pastures, dairy ranches, apple, peach and pear orchards, fields of alfalfa and corn, along with grape vineyards. In the mid 19th century Lone Pine had been called El Pueblo de las Uvas or the town of grapes by its Mexican setters. Mary Austin wrote a beautiful chapter in her Land of Little Rain that tells that story. Another settlement was called Manzanar, Spanish for apple orchard. Game abounded, such as deer, bighorn sheep, rabbits, quail, pheasant and other small game animals. In the early 1900's fish, such as golden and rainbow trout, had been transplanted from the western streams of the Sierra Nevada and were flourishing in the eastern mountain lakes, Owens River and its tributaries.

(Excerpt from "Desert Padre: Life and Writings of Father John J. Crowley" by Joan Brooks)

Images of Early Lone Pine
Main street Lone Pine in 1914.	Haystacks in the Lone Pine area in 1914.	1924 - Unknown carriage riders.
Main street Lone Pine in 1936.	Camp Lone Pine in the Alabama Hills in the shadow of Mt. Whitney.	Lone Pine's "Square Deal" garage.
Summer - Main street Lone Pine in 1911.	Summer - Main street Lone Pine in 1911.	Winter - Main street Lone Pine in 1911.

"Some Sierra Superlatives"[pdf]
by Oscar Lewis

When Lone Pine and Owens Valley was still something of a pioneer area.

Stuck in the snow at the southern end of Owens Valley in 1924.	Stuck in the snow at the southern end of Owens Valley in 1924.	Stuck in the snow at the southern end of Owens Valley in 1924.
Main Street Lone Pine in the 1930s.	The Dow Hotel in the 1930s.	Main Street Lone Pine in the 1934.

"A Near View of the High Sierra"[pdf]
by John Muir

The Olivas Pack Station
This picture of the kids being packed into Monache by the Olivas'. Pictured are from left to right, George "Wimp" Woods & Marilyn "Buzzy" Woods (children of Louise Olivas Woods), center unknown, and in the pack box to the right are Joe Ruiz and Margaret Ruiz, children of Ethel Ruiz Olivas. This picture had to be taken in the late 30's.s	The Olivas Pack Station in the 1930s when it was owned by Carmen Olivas. Mounted from L to R: George Woods and Louise Olivas Woods.

	Packing & High Sierra Stories
	Mt. Whitney Packers of the 40s - 70s
	More Early Lone Pine
	Wildflowers of the High Sierra
	One Packers High Sierra Experience
	Vintage Eastern High Sierra Brochures

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This page was last updated on 23 August 2007