Owens Peak
Encyclopedia : O : OW : OWE : Owens Peak
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|- | style="border-top:1px solid #999966; border-right:1px solid #999966" bgcolor=#e7dcc3 width=85 | Topo map: | style="border-top:1px solid #999966" width=220 | USGS Owens Peak |-
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Owens Peak, the highest point in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains at more than 8,400 feet, stands near the center of Owens Peak Wilderness The United States Congress designated the Owens Peak Wilderness in 1994 and it now has a total of 74,060 acres. It presides over mountainous terrain with deep, winding canyons, many with rich riparian vegetation fed by bubbling springs. The Sierra Nevada meets the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert here, creating an unusual ecosystem.
Owens Peak is located in Kern County, about 12 miles west-northwest of Inyokern, 159 miles from Los Angeles.
History
Owens Peak is named after Richard Owens (1812-1902), an Ohio born explorer (aka "Owings"), who accompanied John C. Fremont on his third expedition to California (1845--46). Fremont also named a valley, river and lake for Owens, whom he considered "cool, brave and of good judgment". Owens served as Captain in Fremont's California Battalion during the Mexican-American War, and was California's Secretary of State during Fremont's brief tenure as Governor (1847).References
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