In the nineteenth century , the Owens River was first seen by American explorers . One of the first explorers was John C. Fremont , who led a cartographic expedition to the Owens Valley in 1845 . His party included Kit Carson , Edward Kern and Richard Owens , the latter for whom the river , lake and valley are named . Other well-known adventurers included Jedediah Smith and Joseph R. Walker , who also came into the area in the 1800s . Gradually , the river 's surroundings were settled by farmers and ranchers . The valley never accumulated a very large population , but mining activities brought significant income to the new inhabitants of the area . Ore was shipped down the Owens River from the north , and also borax and silver from Death Valley to the east . Up until 1924 , Owens Lake was still so large that a steamboat ferry operated between its east and west sides , ferrying freight and passengers across in three hours , much less than the three days required to semi-circumnavigate the lake . In 1872 , the Lone Pine earthquake killed 27 people in the Owens Valley , mostly in Lone Pine
Lone Pine earthquake
1872 Lone Pine earthquake
Owens River