The JLLHS was founded in 2008 to honor the history of the community of the June Lake Loop in the Eastern Sierra of California.

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The Loop's earliest known visitors and inhabitants were the Kutzadika'a people.  When explorers the likes of Jedediah Strong Smith and Joseph Reddeford Walker passed through the Eastern Sierra in the early 19th century, they took little note of this unique canyon at the southern rim of the Mono Basin.  Although recognized for its natural beauty and water resources, the miners and ranchers of the Bodie Gold Rush era found no reason to settle the area either. 

 

Finally though, with the decline of the nearby mining communities and the interest in hydroelectric energy to supply faraway cities, a project was established to build a generation plant and three high elevation reservoirs upstream from Silver Lake.  The Rush Creek Power Station was established in 1915, and shortly thereafter, one of its employees, Roy Carson, established a fishing camp on Silver Lake.

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By the mid-1920's, and with the building of a trans-Sierra highway into Yosemite via Tioga Pass, June Lake became a popular stop for Auto Tours.  Many famous personalities were known to visit the loop and a variety of shops and resorts sprung up to accommodate visitors.  In the 1930's the City of Los Angeles arrived in the area to build the Grant Lake Dam and Mono Craters Tunnel, which would divert water from the Mono Basin into the aqueduct.  With the influx of workers and industrial activity, the town boomed, becoming a full-service community and by 1940 there was even a ski area established. 

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The June Lake Loop Historical Society welcomes any contributions relating to the preservation of our history.  We invite you to attend our meetings and programs where the local history is discussed.  It is also our aim to establish a museum to display area artifacts and to preserve and memorialize local historic sites.

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The June Lake Loop Historical Society was originally founded by:
Dan Roberts, President
Max Bowlan, Vice President
Lee Vorobyoff, Secretary
Patti Heinrich, Treasurer
Bev Gilmore and Debi Perilman, Board Members -at-large
Nicholas Faust, Ken Willingham, Andy Gilmore, Al Heinrich, Ron Dunn

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Current officers are:

Heidi Vetter, President

Patti Heinrich, Sec-Tres

Kevin Larson and Greg Bock, Board members at Large

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The June Lake Loop Historical Society is organized as a non-profit corporation in the State of California and has been granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service under section 501(c)-3.