Then came European settlers, and over time, tribe members lost access to nearly all of that land.
Eventually, the water was lost, too: In the early 20th century, the developers of Los Angeles famously built a 226-mile-long aqueduct from Owens Lake to the city.
Less familiar is what happened to the Owens Valley, and the people who lived there, after most of the water was sent south.
Owens Lake is now a patchwork of saline pools covered in pink crystals and wetlands studded with gravel mounds designed to catch dust.
They have recently reclaimed corners of the valley, buoyed by growing momentum across the country to return land to Indigenous stewardship, also known as the “Land Back” movement.
Persons:
Red
Organizations:
Los
Locations:
Owens, Sierra Nevada, Los Angeles, Owens Lake