Before outsiders changed the valley, the native people had names for all of the important places.
Wildrose used to be known as “Suunapatun” (‘where willows are growing’). Now it is the location of the Wildrose campground and spring. People hunted for rabbits, bighorn sheep and squirrels. They also gathered berries and seeds. Several families lived in the Wildrose/ “Suunapatun” area during the summer and into the late fall in order to avoid the heat in the valley below.
Wisi (‘hemp’) was the name of the springs in what is now Hanaupa Canyon. People went to this spot looking for prickly pears and to gather hemp to make cord. The canyon is also the beginning of a trail that leads to suunapatun (Wildrose Canyon) and into Hautanglatin Nookompin (Panamint Valley). Trails were critical; they made it easier to move throughout the region and they improved communication with people in different valleys.
At Tumpitina (Nevares Spring) the hot spring was used for healing both physical and mental conditions. Some people maintained gardens near the spring. It was also an important place to hunt bighorn sheep.