Independence, California

Inyo County

06-36350

Independence is a census -designated place in Inyo County in the U.S. state of California with 574 inhabitants. The area of the town amounts to 10.4 km ². The population density is 55.4 / km ². Independence is located in the Owens Valley on Independence Creek, a tributary of the Owens River.

History

Since the beginning of the 60s of the 19th century, many prospectors were on the way to the gold fields of California's Owens Valley, therefore, was on July 4, 1862 at Oak Creek, 4 km north of the present town Independence, an outpost of the U.S. Army set up the Camp Independence. After this Independence was named. In 1866, the Inyo Country was established Independence was determined to be their headquarters.

In the 40s of the 20th century, 10 km south of the town center, the Manzanar War Relocation Center, an internment camp set up for Japanese and Japanese Americans in the internment of Japanese -born Americans from a restricted zone on the west coast. Mid-1943 was held there over 10,000 people behind barbed wire. Their fate inform both the memorial Manzanar National Historic Site and the Eastern California Museum in Independence.