Camp Independence (Fort)

Colonel George Evans made camp on this ground on 4 July 1862, which is where the town of Independence takes its name. The marker records that hostilities ceased. What it leaves out is that in July 1863 roughly a thousand Nüümü were gathered at this camp and marched more than two hundred miles south to Fort Tejon, and that many died of thirst and hunger on the road. A good number later walked home. The post was abandoned in 1877.

What the plaque says

At the request of settlers, Colonel George Evans led a military expedition to this site on July 4, 1862. Hence its name 'Independence.' Indian hostilities ceased and the camp closed. War again broke out in 1865 and the camp was reoccupied as Fort Independence until its abandonment in 1877. This fort made possible the early settlements in the Owens Valley.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Manzanar National Historic Site — 8.2 mi
  A concentration camp on twice-taken ground, where the United States imprisoned more than eleven thousand of its own.
• Mount Whitney — 18 mi
  At 14,505 feet, the highest summit in the contiguous United States, eighty miles from the lowest point.
• Alabama Hills — 20 mi
  Rounded golden granite under the Sierra wall, and Hollywoods oldest outdoor set.

More markers nearby

• Site of Putnam's Cabin — 2.4 mi
• Mary Austin's Home — 2.5 mi
• Site of Bend City — 5.2 mi
• Manzanar Relocation Center — 8.6 mi