The Geology and History of Mono Lake

In 1859, migrant prospectors discovered placer gold along the northwest shores of Mono Lake and the town Monoville instantly sprung up, quickly reaching a population of 1200 residents a year later. Although devoid of the hefty nuggets that made the western Sierra slope so popular, the Mono Lake mining district contained large amounts of what the miner's termed “shot gold”, which are flat flakes about the size of rice. This made recovery difficult for individual miners and by the early 1860's, most of the mineral claims were consolidated by large hydraulic mining companies.

In an attempt to economically recover the fine gold flakes from the hills flanking the lake, a 12 to 14 mile long ditch and sluice network was constructed in the early 1860's to provide water for mining. Water from Virginia Creek was transported to the arid Monoville area for large-scale hydraulic mining. This labor intensive and costly undertaking did not pan out for the miners of Monoville and by the middle of the 1860's, almost all of the residents had emigrated from the area to more promising mining towns.

The Monoville workings were the first major gold discoveries in the Eastern Sierra region and the excitement caused a rapid influx of businessmen and miners to the Mono Lake Basin. Twenty years after the discovery at Monoville, prospectors struck gold at nearby Bodie and the region again experienced a period of rapid population growth as the mines began producing precious metals.

Although very little remains of the Monoville town site today, visitors can still get a grasp on the harsh conditions 19th-century miners endured when extracting natural resources in the west. None of the town's buildings are still standing, although remnants of the water ditch and the scars of hydraulic mining are still apparent throughout Rattlesnake Canyon. To get to the site, head east for a short distance on the maintained Conway Ranch dirt road, which is located about one mile north of the junction of U.S. Route 395 and State Route 167 (4.5 miles north of Lee Vining, CA). A California State Historic Marker indicates the location of the town site and summer visitors are reminded to be aware of the reptiles that inspired the canyon's name.

In the early 1940's, Eastern Sierra runoff water that would have naturally fed Mono Lake was diverted into the Los Angeles Aqueduct system. Without adequate inflow and recharge from the runoff, evaporation quickly caused lake levels to drop and water salinity levels to increase. By 1990, the lake had lost over half of its water volume and salinity levels doubled, creating an ecological disaster and health hazard (due to airborne alkaline dust) for the region.

In 1994, the California State Water Resources Control Board issued orders to protect the Mono Lake Basin in response to outcries by several conservation groups. Although the lake will likely never fully recover to its pre-diversion levels, lake levels have steadily risen and target lake levels may be reached by the end of the decade. On the positive side, the lowering of the lake exposed the spectacular and photogenic tufa towers that characterize the lake and mesmerize visitors today.

The natural beauty of this desert water body is as diverse as its history. For additional information about the geologic, natural, and early anthropogenic history of the region, visit the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area Visitor Center. This facility, located just off of US Route 395 north of Lee Vining, CA., has extensive exhibits informing visitors about the natural and human-influenced history of the lake and seasonal guided group tours of the area are also available.

• Stop by the Visitor Center in Lee Vining
• Take the one-mile, self-guided nature trail at South Tufa.
  • Don't forget to bring your camera. Photographers from all over the world come to Mono Lake to photograph the grandeur of the Sierra juxtaposed against the moon-like features of the tufa towers. The light on Mono Lake can be particularly spectacular at sunset. Famed 20th-century photographer Ansel Adams dubbed the Eastern Sierra for good reason!
• Take a quick swim. Because of Mono Lake's saltiness, the water is denser than regular water, which means you can float without treading water! Don't stay in too long though. Prolonged exposure to the alkalinity in Mono Lake can be unhealthy. Keep your swim to under 20 minutes.
• Enjoy a gourmet dinner at Mobil Mart on Tioga Pass...yes, the gas station. Trust us, this is a must do!

Additional Resources:

• Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve
• South Tufa Trail Map
  
• Mono Lake Committee: (Book a guided bird watching trip or an interpretive canoe trips)
• Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua