Owens Lake in Inyo County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Traces of the Past
Ranching and Mining Relics Rest on the Land
Photographed by Craig Baker, April 30, 2023
1. Traces of the Past Marker
The region yielded other resources as well, like grazing land, soda ash, trona, and borax. Weatherworn cattle chutes, abandoned mines and factories stand as testament to past human activity. Cerro Gordo remains a ghost town. In Keeler, the Carson and Colorado Railroad Depot and a talc mill still stand. Remnants of the Swansea Pier remain along the east shore. Charcoal kilns, cattle chutes, and a plate glass factory remain on the west shore. Amidst these relics, ranching and mining still take place today.
" In March of 1950, I was 11 years old and spent many days playing in the sand dunes out on the playa just west of the Inyo Development Company ruins. One day three friends and I found a ship's anchor with a length of chain nearby. We tried to get it closer to the shore, but couldn't, so we went back to town and told our parents. Back with help the anchor was brought in and displayed for some time at the Desert Club in Keeler and later at [National Soda Products]." (Mr. Francis Pedneau as recorded in 2015).
photo caption:
On display at the Eastern California Museum, this anchor was retrieved from a meadow near Owens Lake.
Erected 2016 by Los Angeles DWP.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce
this page online
Location. 36° 31.488′ N, 117° 56.008′ W. Marker is in Owens Lake, California, in Inyo County. It can be reached from California Route 136. From Highway 395, take Highway 136 ten miles east to the dirt road. Drive one mile west to the second parking area. Walk (or drive) two miles north to the marker. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lone Pine CA 93545, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s Sierra Nevada. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Gifts of Rock and Water (approx. 0.4 miles away); New Water, New Life (approx. 0.9 miles away); Dolomite Mine (approx. 1.1 miles away); Owens Lake Silver-Lead Furnace (approx. 1.6 miles away); Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program (approx. 2.8 miles away); Keeler Then to Now (approx. 4.1 miles away); Keeler (approx. 4.2 miles away); Cerro Gordo (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Owens Lake.
More about this marker. This marker is a continuation of the nearby marker Gifts of Rock and Water.
Also see . . . Owens Lake Trails & Plaza. LADWP website includes a downloadable brochure with maps. (Submitted on May 3, 2023.)
Photographed by Craig Baker, April 30, 2023
2. Traces of the Past Marker
Photographed by Craig Baker, April 30, 2023
3. Traces of the Past Marker
Photographed by Craig Baker, April 30, 2023
4. Carson and Colorado Railroad Depot in Keeler
Photographed by Craig Baker, April 30, 2023
5. Talc Mill in Keeler
by LADWP
6. Trails Map
This map is on the information kiosk at the highway turnoff. It is also in the downloadable brochure. (Red arrow added here to show marker location)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 3, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 307 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 3, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.
