Mary Austin House 253-299 West Market Street, Independence, CA 93526

"The house and property is in very poor condition, the mineral museum was also closed in the middle of the day, My advice, Keep driving .."

"Mary Hunter Austin - novelist, poet, critic, playwright, feminist - was born in Illinois in 1868. In 1888, she accompanied her parents when they relocated to California's San Joaquin Valley. Three years later, she married Stafford Wallace Austin and the couple moved to Independence where they designed the house that is now a California Historical Landmark. After the people of Owens Valley lost the battle to prevent Los Angeles from diverting the Owens River to support the orange groves and suburbs of the Southland, Stafford moved to Death Valley and Mary moved to Carmel where her friends included Jack London, Ambrose Bierce, and George Sterling. She died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1934. Her best known work is The Land of Little Rain, a collection of essays about the Southwest. A 1950 edition was illustrated with photographs by Ansel Adams."

"Sorry exciting"

"Old styles"

"This is a drive bye site. No public services are offered. Nice plaque is located on street front. That tells you the history of this building."