Bend City was among the first town sites to spring up on the east side of the Sierra Nevada in eastern California. Settlers to the fertile Owens Valley began bringing cattle and families and soon began poking around the uplift of the Inyo Range looking for precious metal. Indian uprisings hastened the establishment of Fort Independence to quell the native peoples, and they too started poking around, although Indian troubles plagued citizens of Bend City and other establishments all through its life. On April 20, 1860 the Russ Mining District was formed, taking up much of the east side of Owens Valley. Soon Bend City sprang up on a large bend in the Owens River. A bridge was built over the river to accommodate wheeled traffic as well as foot traffic and was the pride of the town.

Soon jealous eyes were cast at the courthouse over the Sierra and residents began clamoring for county seat status. When that failed, they followed the pattern set by northern neighbors at Aurora (originally Mono County, CA, and then after the new state boundary survey, Esmeralda County, NV) and carve out their own county from the existing west side counties that ran over the mountains to the stateline. The name for this new county was to be called Coso. Residents at Bend City and neighboring San Carlos petitioned the state legislature to create Coso County in February, 1864. The movement died by default because in their zeal, proper legal notices were not filed in time.

That seemed to let the wind out of Bend City's balloon, and soon people started to trickle to the west side of Owens Valley to more fertile lands. Some people did stick around in the towns on the east side of the Owens River to keep a small population. On Thursday, July 28, 1864, William H. Brewer, working for the State Geologist Josiah Whitney, reached Bend City on part of a state tour that lasted over four years. He had this to say about his visit in his journal:

"The Inyo Mountains skirt this valley on the east. They, too, are desert. A little rain falls on them in winter, but too little to support much vegetation or to give birth to springs or streams. They look utterly bare and desolate, but they are covered with scattered trees of the little scrubby nut pine, Pinus fremontiana [actually Pinus monophylla, or the single leaf piñon pine], and some other desert shrubs, but no timber, nor meadows, nor green herbage. There are a few springs, however. These mountains were the strongholds of the Indians during hostilities a year ago. They are destitute of feed, and the water is so scarce and in such obscure places that the soldiers could not penetrate them without suffering for want of water. Camp Independence was located in the valley, and for a year fighting went on, when at last the Indians were conquered -- more were starved out than killed. they came in, made treaties, and became peaceful. One chief, however, Joaquin Jim, never gave up. He retreated into the Sierra with a small band, but he has attempted no hostilities since last fall. These Indians are in a region where we are now, and it was against them that we took the escort of soldiers as a guard. There are a number yet, however, in the valley, living as they can -- a miserable, cruel, and treacherous set.
"Mines of silver and gold were discovered in the Inyo Mountains some two or three years ago. They made some excitement, a few mills were erected, and three villages started -- Owensville, San Carlos, and Bend City. The last two are rivals, being only 2½ miles apart; the first is 50 miles up the river. We camped on the river near Bend City and went into town for fresh meat and to get the horses shod. It is a miserable hole, of perhaps twenty or twenty-five adobe houses, built on the sand in the midst of the sagebrush, but there is a large city laid out -- on paper. It was intensely hot, there appeared to be nothing done, times dull, and everybody talking about the probable uprising of the Indians -- some though that mischief was brewing, others not."

Bend City was totally deserted when the terrible earthquake of 1872 tore asunder Owens Valley and was felt as far away as Salt Lake City, Utah. It is estimated to be near a magnitude 9.5 quake by today's standards. Due to Owens Valley's sparse population, deaths were kept to a minimum. But the Owens River course was changed to the point that the bridge still straddling Bend City was no longer necessary, for the river course changed to a half mile to the west. The quake helped to bury the bleached bones of Bend City.

As late as 1932, photographs showed adobe walls and stone stairways at Bend City. But today, there is little to be found here and only sharp eyes will locate traces of Bend City: melted adobe mounds, stones out of place on sand, heavy, exfoliated iron, square nails, an arrastra.

A heavy piece of slag is found at the furnace site next to the arrastra found along the banks of the old course of the Owens River. Some pieces of slag are heavy and course, while others, like the piece on top, is like glass. October 16, 1999.
Courtesy David A. Wright

A heavy piece of slag shines in the sunshine, found at a second furnace site at Bend City. October 16, 1999.
Courtesy David A. Wright

Heavy glass fragment and exfoliated piece of metal. View east toward Inyo Range. October 16, 1999.
Photo courtesy of David A. Wright, Great Basin Research

Bend City, c.1930.
Courtesy David A. Wright collection

Bend City, c.1930.
Courtesy David A. Wright collection