The canyon has a long history of summer resorts. Perhaps the first was Andrew’s Camp, located near present day Four Jeffery Campground. Andrew’s Camp operated from about the early 1900’s until at least the 1930’s. The Schober’s Lodge (Bishop Creek Lodge) began in the late 1920’s and the original log cabin still remains as the Bishop Creek Lodge Cafe, serving some of the best food in the high Eastern Sierra today.
Native Americans used Bishop Creek Canyon as long as 7,000 years ago. Signs of their use of the canyon include bedrock mortars and millslicks. The first recorded permanent occupation by Euro-Americans was in 1861 at the mouth of Bishop Creek. In 1893 President Harrison created the Sierra Forest Reserve (aka Sierra Timber Reserve). This reserve encompassed roughly six million acres, including much of the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. In 1907 President Roosevelt created the Inyo National Forest, which now manages most of Bishop Creek and the eastern Sierra. In 1908/09, the Nevada-California Power Company constructed South Lake Dam. Southern California Edison now manages the dam and the power plants further down the canyon.