Mono County, California Mono County was created by an act of the Legislature on April 21, 1861, and was the first of the mining counties to be organized as such on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the state of California. The county seat is in the town of Bridgeport, where most of the county offices are located in the handsome and historic courthouse which was built in 1880. Located in the east-central section of California, Mono County averages 108 miles in length, reaching from the Alpine County border to the north to the Inyo County border to the south. The average width of the county is 38 miles from the crest of the mighty Sierras to the Nevada state line on the east. It's land area is 3,030 square miles, 80% of which is Federally owned. Much of this land is contained in the Inyo and Toiyabe National Forests. The summer and fall visitors enjoy many varied activities such as fishing, hunting, camping, hiking and some of the most spectacular scenery found in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is a land rich in the history of the early days of the state and the west. Winter visitors engage in skiing, snowmobiling and various other winter sports at two of the finest winter sports and skiing areas to be found in the entire country. These areas are located at Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain. The land is rough, mountainous and spectacular. In a general way, Mono is a large plateau, 5,500 to 7,000 feet above sea level bordered on the west by the Sierra Nevada Mountains and on the east by the Bodie Hills and the White Mountains. The Sweetwater mountains lie along the northeastern border and the rugged White mountains are located on the extreme southeastern corner of the county. Lying between these high mountain boundaries are precipitous canyons, broad valleys, many crystal clear lakes of glacial formation and a very interesting sage brush covered semi-desert land. -The Sierra Nevada boundary is dominated by three towering peaks which rise to an elevation of over 13,000 feet; Mt, Dana, the loftiest, Mt, Lyell and Castle Peak. Land drainage in the county is accomplished by the East and West Walker rivers to the north and by the Owens river to the south; and also by innumerable Sierra streams. Mono Lake, "The Dead Sea of Mono" aptly called by poets and writers alike, "Mono's Mountains of the Moon", is vividly described in the famous book "Roughing It" by Mark Twain. The lake is a fascinating and unusual body of water lying at the beginning of a chain of 21 extinct volcanic cones. The lake nestles in a basin created by massive volcanic action. Extensive thermal activity still exists in the area surrounding the lake itself. In the center of this lake lie two islands, Negit and Paoha, that were formed by ancient volcanic action. Mono Lake and the surrounding area is famous for its water fowl population and thousands of seagulls use the locality for one of the largest rookeries in the west. Another famous lake lying wholly within Mono County is Crowley Lake, which was created by the Department of Water and Power of the City of Los Angeles as part of the city's water system. This lake provides some of the finest trout fishing to be found east of the High Sierra. In addition to Mono's fame as a vacation wonderland, it is also known for the excellent beef cattle and sheep that are raised in this high mountain country. Some of the best Morgan horses are raised on Mono's fertile grasslands. Many excellent resort areas, mountain pack stations, and guest ranches dot the entire mountain country. The county is capable of accommodating a much larger population than it now has and in its strategic position as the center of a vast scenic area along U.S. Highway 395, between the populous areas of Southern California and the equally interesting and beautiful cities of Nevada. Mono County is attracting an increasingly large number of permanent residents who recognize its healthful and pleasant advantages. Mono is known as the eastern gateway to Yosemite National Park. Over the famed Tioga Pass leading from the Mono Lake area to the floor of the famous valley of Yosemite may be found some of the most spectacular scenery to be found in the western United States. The ghost town of Bodie is located seven miles south and thirteen miles east of the town of Bridgeport, the County seat. Bodie is now a State Historical Park, a National Historic Site and a California State Historical Landmark. Bodie was known as the wildest, meanest and toughest of all the gold camps of yesterday's west. The ghost of the "Bad Man From Bodie" still lives in legend along the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. State Park Rangers are in constant attendance to assist visitors. A beautiful and interesting highway also crosses the southern portion of Mono County through the picturesque areas of old Benton and Chalfant Valley. This highway connects with U.S, Highway 395 at the town of Bishop thereby affording an excellent opportunity for persons travelling to California from the east to visit Mono County by turning north on U.S. Highway 395. The county has been often mentioned as "A gem in a setting rare," which indeed describes it. Come enjoy and see for yourself. You will be glad you came and we of the county will be sorry to see you leave. From materials compiled by Geo. C. Delury, Jr. revisions by W. Lee Symmonds, Historian, Mono County Dept. of Parks and Recreation.