Haiwee (

Timbisha The Timbisha ("rock paint", Timbisha language: Nümü Tümpisattsi) are a Native American tribe federally recognized as the Death Valley Timbisha Shoshone Band of California. They are known as the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and are located in sout ...

: ''Heewi'', meaning "Dove") is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Inyo County Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad south-southwest of Keeler, at an elevation of 4075 feet (1242 m).

History

Haiwee has variously been known formerly as "McGuire's", Willie Arthur Chalfant, The story of Inyo, Hammond Press, W. B. Conkey Company, Chicago, 1922, p. 180–183
/ref> "Haiwai", "Hawaii" and "Hayways". The settlement there began in 1864, as a waystop at Haiwai Meadows on the road between

Visalia Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

and the

Owens Valley Owens Valley ( Numic: ''Payahǖǖnadǖ'', meaning "place of flowing water") is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada, west of the White Mountains and Iny ...

. The stop was run by a man named McGuire and his wife and young son. McGuire's wife and son were killed in an Indian attack while he was away on January 1, 1865. Owens Valley settler

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

avenged their deaths, with an attack on the Indian village where the killers had taken refuge, in the

Owens Lake Massacre Owens may refer to: Places in the United States *Owens Station, Delaware * Owens Township, St. Louis County, Minnesota *Owens, Missouri *Owens, Ohio *Owens, Virginia People * Owens (surname), including a list of people with the name * Owens Br ...

on January 6, 1865. This was one of the last fights in the

Owens Valley Indian War The Owens Valley War was fought between 1862 and 1863, by California Volunteers and local settlers against the Owens Valley Paiutes, and their Shoshone and Kawaiisu allies, in the Owens Valley of California and the southwestern Nevada borde ...

. The original settlement site and the Haiwai Meadows are under the water of the

Haiwee Reservoir Haiwee (Timbisha: ''Heewi'', meaning "Dove") is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California. It is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad south-southwest of Keeler, at an elevation of 4075 feet (1242 m). History Haiwee has variou ...

. The town moved to a site west of the reservoir. A post office operated at Haiwee from 1906 to 1913, moving in 1909. The 2020 population of Haiwee is 25 within Census Tract 8, Blocks 2270, 2273, 2274, 2242, 2169, 2267, 2264, 2165https://www.inyocounty.us/sites/default/files/2020-02/Landuse%20Diagrams.pdf

Climate

Haiwee has a

hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

: ''Csa'') with winters being cold and summers being very hot. Due to its high elevation and low humidity, it experiences dramatic

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak da ...

, and it is common to have a difference of 30 °F between daily highs and lows.

References

Unincorporated communities in California Unincorporated communities in Inyo County, California {{InyoCountyCA-geo-stub