Huell Howser passed away a week ago, and many people fondly recall watching his "California's Gold" video presentations over the years. One of note, and related to Mt Whitney is his re-creation of the October, 1937, "Wedding of the Waters" in 1997.
Chapman University, in the city of Orange, California, carries a video library of Huell Howser's "California's Gold" presentations. Here is their video. Read more on their web page here: "
Wedding of the Waters".
The water was obtained from Tulainyo Lake, over the Sierra crest from Whitney Portal, just north of Mt Russell. Doug Sr from the Whitney Portal Store, and a Cheyenne Indian descendant hiked into the lake, filled the special gourd prepared for the event, and carried it back to Whitney Portal. That section of the video is between 8:00 and 11:00. There is some video of the horseback rider carrying the water down Whitney Portal Road just below Whitney Portal.
The video goes on to show donkey, stage coach, conestoga wagon carrying the water. The steam locomotive in Independence was part of the original trip, carrying the water to Keeler on the east side of Owens Lake. A 1937 Lincoln Zephyr drove the gourd to Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley (both in 1937 AND in the recreation!) Finally, an airplane flew over Badwater, where the water was poured out the window, therefore "wedding" the waters from the High Sierra and Death Valley.
Here's the video from Chapman University's library. 55 minutes, and fun to watch.
