05/19/2026
Alabama Hills is a scenic, geological wonderment located at the base of Mt. Whitney in a region known as Owens Valley. This area has been a popular location for many movies since the 1920’s, especially Western movies due to its “rugged environment”.
The Paiute-Shoshone Tribe know this area as Payahuunadü, which means “the land of flowing water”. It has been a long time since the Paiute have managed the water here though. Once the Europeans made way to this region, they quickly and forcibly took over the Paiute’s land. Those that survived disease and slaughter were used as laborers due to their knowledge of the mountains and land so well. The Paiutes were later moved to multiple reservations.
The area was later named Alabama Hills by Confederate enthusiasts paying tribute to a Southern warship, the CSS Alabama. Confederate sympathizers initially named the many mining claims in the area after the ship, which later applied to the entire region.
In the early 1900’s, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power built a controversial aqueduct in this region which carried water away from the valley and into the city of Los Angeles. Once President Theodore Roosevelt signed it into congress in 1906, Owen’s Lake (or Patsiata as called by the Paiutes) was slowly drained. This quickly caused a ton of dust pollution which is still a major issue today.
Comment ‘Link’ to read our full article, see more photos and get directions!
