Near Bishop in Inyo County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Bishop Creek Battleground

Photographed by Craig Baker

1. Bishop Creek Battleground Marker

Inscription.
On April 6, 1862, a battle took place around this site between newly arrived citizens of the Owens River Valley and the Paiute and Shoshone Indians, original inhabitants of the land. The reason for this battle is lost in obscurity, but brave men on both sides died here for a cause which they held to be inviolate.

California Registered Historical Landmark No. 811

Erected 1966 by State Department of Parks and Recreation, California Historical Landmarks Advisory Committee, and Eastern California Museum. (Marker Number 811.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the California Historical Landmarks series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1873.

Location. 37° 20.491′ N, 118° 28.872′ W. Marker is near Bishop, California, in Inyo County. It is on East Bishop Creek Road south of California Route 168, on the left when traveling south. Take the dirt road to the east for 100 feet. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bishop CA 93514, 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 Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Buttermilk Road (approx. 2.1 miles away); San Francis Ranch

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(approx. 2.1 miles away); Izaak Walton Park (approx. 2½ miles away); Millpond Recreation Area (approx. 2.8 miles away); Lynching of the Convicts (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bishop.

Also see . . . California and the Indian Wars. The Owens Valley Indian War, by Captain John W. Key, V., U.S. Army Reserve. (Submitted on October 17, 2006.)

Additional keywords. The Battle of the Ditch

Photographed by Karen Key, October 8, 2006

2. Bishop Creek Battleground Marker

Photographed by Karen Key, October 8, 2006

3. Bishop Creek Battleground Marker

Photographed by Craig Baker, October 31, 2025

4. Bishop Creek Battleground Marker

Photographed by Craig Baker, October 31, 2025

5. Bishop Creek Battleground Marker

Sign at Highway image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, November 5, 2025

6. Sign at Highway

The marker is visible at far right.

Marker Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, November 5, 2025

7. Marker Monument

Credits. This page was last revised on November 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 17, 2006, by Karen Key of Sacramento, California. This page has been viewed 4,470 times since then and 86 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 19, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 2, 3. submitted on October 17, 2006, by Karen Key of Sacramento, California. 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 5, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.