Community spirit and celebration will take center stage in the Inyo County Seat of Independence, Sunday April 10.   At 3:00 pm, a celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Inyo County Courthouse will take place on the historical building’s front steps.

The anniversary celebration incudes history talks, a Native American cultural performance by AkaMya of Big Pine, color guard, county officials, refreshments, and more.

The Courthouse, is actually Inyo’s 4th . The first was destroyed in the 1872 Lone Pine Earthquake and the second courthouse was a victim of the 1886 Independence fire.

Designed by renowned west coast architect William Weeks, the “monumental” Neo-Classical Revival architecture was common for governmental buildings constructed at that time. In 1998, the Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

And earlier in the day at 1:00 pm, on the grounds of the Eastern California Museum (ECM), the Friends of the ECM will be dedicating the new Jane Bright Memorial Rock Garden. The Rock Garden, was the idea of former Inyo County 4 th District Supervisor Keith Bright, who first envisioned it in the 1980s.

Located on the Museum’s NE corner and supported with interpretive signage, the outside exhibit features minerals that have played an important role in Inyo County’s development. In addition, Bright planned for the Rock Garden as a memorial to his wife Jane, who was one of the first women in California to attain a college degree in Geology. Spearheaded by local geologist Dave Wagner and the Friends of the Eastern California Museum, the completed Rock Garden makes a splendid addition to the Eastern California Museum’s many exhibits and displays.