PUMICE AND OBSIDIAN HISTORY IN THE MONO BASIN, A DINNER AND TOUR DURING THE 14TH GHOSTS OF THE SAGEBRUSH TOUR WEEKEND

Marlin cropped 2

Kudzedika Paiute Marlin Thompson will demonstrate obsidian tool-making at August 25 dinner at the Mono Inn

The 14th Annual Ghosts of the Sagebrush Tour and dinner, presenting “Pumice and Obsidian History in the Mono Lake Basin,” will include a Friday evening, August 25 dinner, and a Saturday tour, August 26, from 10 to 4..  The dinner will be at the Mono Inn restaurant, 5 miles north of Lee Vining, at 6 PM, followed by a program about Obsidian and the Mono Lake Paiutes, including a tool-making demonstration by Marlon Thompson.  The Saturday Tour will begin at the Mono Basin History Museum in Lee Vining at 10 AM, August 26, traveling by car up to the 9000 foot elevation in the Mono Craters to visit the U.S. Pumice Mine and hear from former employees about the unique mine’s long history.  Then the tour will move to the Pumice Plant, where the rock is processed in Lee Vining, with a sack lunch included. A historic video will complete the day in the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area Visitor Center theater.  Separate tickets for the dinner and tour, $25 for each, are now available by visiting the museum at 129 Mattly Avenue in Lee Vining, or by credit card over the phone at 760 647-6461.  As part of the event, several items will be raffled off, including a carved pumice bear and a painting by local artist Priscilla Hawkins.

road to pumice mine May 29 1953

Pumice Mine road in Mono Craters being constructed in 1953

This event is a fundraiser for the non-profit Mono Basin Historical Society, which can be reached by email at[email protected] and is online at www.monobasinhistory.org

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