The Eastern California Museum in Independence will be open to the public during its regular hours, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., on Veteran’s Day, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010, The museum will also be open for the entire Veteran’s Day weekend.

Mary Austin, shown here as a young woman, rose to fame after publication of “Land of Little Rain,” which she wrote in 1903 when she lived in Independence. Community Printing of Bishop has just released a new edition of the original book, which is available at the Eastern California Museum Bookstore. Photo courtesy Eastern California Museum

The popular exhibit, “Faces Through Time – Pioneering Women of Inyo County” is still on display, in addition to the Museum’s permanent exhibits featuring Paiute Shoshone basketry, Norman Clyde, Manzanar, mining, and pioneer life in Inyo County.

The bookstore contains a large section of non-fiction and historic accounts about Inyo County, the Owens Valley, California and Owens Valley water history, Native Americans, mining, camping and hiking, and Eastern Sierra plant and animal reference works. The bookstore also has a wide selection of the fictional works of noted Victorian author Mary Austin, many of which are set in the Owens Valley and Independence, where she once lived. Of special note is a new edition of “Land of Little Rain,” Austin’s first and most popular book.

The Eastern California Museum and Bookstores is located at 155 N. Grant Street, three blocks west of the historic courthouse in Independence, and is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends and weekdays. Call the museum at 760-878-0258 for more information, or check the museum Web page at www.inyocounty.us/ecmuseum.