Thepublication reported that more than 82,000 acres were still availablefor cultivation, and two-thirds of Round Valley, which contained much ofthe region's most fertile land, remained open for settlement. Ī promotional pamphlet published in 1886 optimistically advertisedthe agricultural possibilities in Inyo County and Owens Valley.
By 1886, a variety of fruits and vegetables were beingraised in the valley, bringing good prices to growers. Barley was the principal crop.Two years later, 250 tons of grain were harvested from 5,000 acres ofcultivated land in the valley, thus indicating a rapid expansion in farmoperations. By 1867 farmers werecultivating approximately 2,000 acres. Īlthough farm operations got off to a slow start in Owens Valley,they expanded rapidly during "the late 1860s. The hard economic times that set in after each boom reducedagricultural interests but could not eliminate them as they did mining.The slumps in the region after 1880 attest to the difficulties in theeconomic sector that supported miners, but the persistence of farmersand stockmen attests to the steady character of livelihoods tied torenewable wealth of the land. Despite this dependence, however,farmers and ranchers lent an air of stability to the lands east of theSierras. Initially, agriculture relied upon themarket that miners provided, as did other industries that suppliedlumber, transportation, and water. While the mining rushes had profound effects on the development ofthe Owens Valley region, they were primarily short-lived affairs.Agriculturalists began settlements that had a more permanent character,although even farms were but temporary features upon the landscape insome parts of eastern California. Before reviewing these mining booms, however, it is important tounderstand their historic context and their relationship to ongoingsettlement and agricultural development. During the last thirty five years of the19th century, Owens Valley underwent substantial development that wouldshape its future and determine to a large extent its present character.Two prominent mining booms took place in the area the strikes atCerro Gordo and Bodie that would dominate the history of theregion. With the conquest of the Paiute, thelands of the eastern Sierra opened up to rapid settlement anddevelopment by white Americans. GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF OWENSVALLEY (continued)ĭevelopment: 1860-1890s. SITE SELECTION FOR MANZANAR WARRELOCATION CENTER HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF OWENS VALLEY ANDMANZANAR VICINITY (continued)
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