Dunmovin is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Inyo County

Inyo County, California

-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. It is located 4.8 km (3 mi) north of Coso Junction

Coso Junction, California

Coso Junction is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California. It is located in Rose Valley, 4.8 km south of Dunmovin and 11.2 km west of Sugarloaf Mountain, at an elevation of 3386 feet ....

 and 21.6 km (13.5 mi) south-southeast of Olancha

Olancha, California

Olancha is a census-designated place in Inyo County of the U.S. state of California. Olancha is located on U.S. Route 395 in California, south-southeast of Independence, at an elevation of 3658 feet...

, at an elevation of 3507 feet (1069 m).

A post office operated at Dunmovin from 1938 to 1941. The place was originally called Cowan Station in honor of homesteader James Cowan. Cowan Station was a freight station for silver ingots being transported from the Cerro Gordo Mines

Cerro Gordo Mines

The Cerro Gordo Mines were a collection of mines located in the Inyo Mountains, in Inyo County, California. Mining operations were undertaken from 1866 until 1957, producing high grade silver, lead, and zinc ore. Some ore was smelted on site, however the remote location led to larger scale...

 to Los Angeles. When Cowan sold out in 1936, the name was changed to Dunmovin. It was a roadside service station, cafe, and store along U.S. Route 395

U.S. Route 395

U.S. Route 395 is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canadian border near Laurier, where the road becomes Highway 395 upon entering British Columbia. At one time, the...

.