Eastern California Museum

As an archaeology and anthro student, I must say, this small museum has one of the most excellent native american basket collections. Baskets are of superb workmanship, all from tribes of the eastern Sierra. Highly recommended!!! Free, but please leave some money in the donation jar, they deserve it.
Oh yes, fantastic for inquisitive children.

If you are traveling through this area on US Hway 395, you really should make plans to stop at this museum. This museum is wonderful. They have a great collection of local American Indian baskets. I really enjoyed their small section on Manzanar and the Japanese-​American internment. Their local collection of artifacts and photographs add to the story of this American mistake and mistreatment of Japanese –Americans.
They also have a great section dedicated to the building of the LA Aqueduct. There a good exhibit of photos and stories that should men’s tenacity when it came to constructing this ‘marvel’.

This museum is a little gem off the 395. They have a very nice collection of Native American baskets. I really enjoyed their small section on Manzanar and the Japanese American internment. Their collection of artifacts and photographs paint a very personal and human story of this American tragedy. You really understand the personal strength of a group of Americans put into a horrible circumstance. This exhibit makes a good companion piece to visiting Manzanar.
We came to see things about the LA Aqueduct. Not only was there a good exhibit of photos and ephemera but they have a wonderful archives of documents and photos for researchers.
Don’t miss wandering the yard and looking at the rusty relics of a bygone era. Beautiful picnic area with a running stream. Great for kids who are sick of being cooped up in the car!

Absolutely phenomenal collection of Paiute-​Shoshone basket weaving! This museum is small but impressive. The staff is super friendly, and they also have some native jewelry for sale.

Located a few blocks west of Highway 395, the museum is an essential resource to any Owens Valley Eastern Sierra CA visitor. Excellent displays on early mining, Manzanar WWII relocation camp, vast collection of Paiute basketry. Enthusiastic museum staff. Academic researchers will find the staff helpful in searching the extensive historic photo collection. Native Plant garden to the north leads to a walkway through desert landscape and site of ancient Paiute village.

Man, what a place. The staff are 5 star. They live and breath the Eastern Sierra and can fill you with LOADS of information on the history of the region. They turned me on to the Mary Austin house around the corner. They have a nice trail next door with a great view. Good book selection as well. Another must stop place. I go here every single trip now.

I thought that this museum was excellent. My girlfriend and I enjoyed it a lot. It has a lot of really interesting facts on local mountain climbers, natives, the Japanese relocation act and even a really neat collection of historical buildings that have been relocated and historical-​antique machinery.
It was a really nice treat as we were looking for something to break up the monotony of driving.
Recommend highly.

Coyote dentures.
That was why we came.
We were planning a daytrip to Manzanar, and in so looking up other activities to do in the area I read about a guy who lost his teeth and made replacements using ones he pulled from a coyote and setting them in melted toothbrush handles. Figured it was worth driving a few more miles north to check them out.
And here they are:
It’s a nice museum, with further exhibits on Manzanar that’s only a few minutes down south. They’ve got a recreation of the inside of an internment camp barrack (photo:
) as well other relics from that period.
The main building of this free museum is two rooms. The first is mostly baskets woven by the indigenous people of the area (photo:
). I understand the historical significance of collecting and displaying the containers of a culture (baskets, pots, bowls, jars, vases, etc), but I tend to gloss over those things.
The second room is packed to the gills with artifacts from the gold rush era and all sorts of odds and ends. There’s a motorized diorama of mountain goats. Flip the switch and this loud mechanism starts just to show one goat jumping downhill. There are other things like a bamboo opium pipe, antique medicine bottles, a Wimshurst static electric generator, among other things.
Outside they have a yard loaded with equipment used in the building of the L.A. Aqueduct as well as historic buildings like a general store and blacksmith’s forge. Makes for some great pictures with all these mine carts, threshers, rusted over cars, and ghost town-​looking structures in the foreground of the big snowy mountains in whose shadow the museum sits.
Definitely worth visiting on the way to or from Manzanar.

Love the Eastern California Museum! And Jon, Heather, and everyone at the ECM make the wonderful experience even better! History buffs and non-​history buffs alike will love it. It’s perfect for everyone: Adults looking to learn a little more about California history, and kids looking to find the oddest oddities: from an Indian Bugle Marching Band to dentures made of coyote’s teeth… Be sure to sign in the register and leave your mark in history!

They have an excellent collection of personal photos and accounts from Manzanar. If you visit Manazar then you should definitely stop here as well. The place is notlarge but there was not charge for admission. The pictures alone were amazing. Lots of before and after so if you can’t imagine what it really looked like while driving through the auto trail this is extremely helpful.
We did Manzanar first then stopped here after lunch. It may be better to flip the direction.
We also really enjoyed the historic buildings outside. Be sure to peak inside. There’s still real tools of the trade for the assayer, blacksmith, barber, etc.
Ther’s also a very nice collection of Native beadwork and basketry. Very beautiful artifacts.