Bend City

Bend City is a ghost town in Inyo County, California, that traces its origins to 1863, when it took shape as a mining camp along the Owens River near what is now the town of Kearsarge. At its peak it claimed a notable distinction: the first county bridge to span the Owens River was built here, marking it as a modest but genuine hub of early settlement activity.

The town's decline was already underway when the 1872 Lone Pine earthquake delivered a decisive blow — dramatically shifting the course of the Owens River away from the townsite and stranding it from the very waterway that had defined its location. Little physical evidence remains today, but the site carries official recognition as California Historical Landmark #209, giving historically curious visitors a concrete reason to seek it out.

Expect a quiet, undeveloped setting rather than preserved structures. The landmark designation provides context, but the experience is essentially one of open terrain and imagination. Visitors drawn to California history and heritage sites will find the most reward here.