William J. Wallace

The Little Sycamore Site and the Early Milling Stone Cultures of Southern California

The Presence in the southern California coastal region of prehistoric cultures showing considerable use of milling stones has been recognized for some years. Attention was called to this fact by the publication in 1929 of David Banks Rogers’ Prehistoric Man of the Santa Barbara Coast. Rogers distinguished a sequence of three aboriginal cultures in the Santa Barbara area, the earliest of which (Oak Grove) was characterized by the employment of this form of grinding implement almost to the exclusion of other artifacts. In the same year Malcolm J. Rogers noted a somewhat analogous complex (now La Jolla) in western San Diego County (M. J. Rogers 1929: 456-7). Occurrences of similar assemblages have been reported upon since (Treganza and Malamud 1950; Walker 1952). An investigation conducted at the Little Sycamore site (Ven 1) in Ventura County by a class in archaeological field methods from the University of Southern California uncovered evidence of yet another milling stone complex.

Prehistoric Cultural Development in the Southern Californian Deserts

Archaeological remains from the southern Californian desert region, spanning a period from 7000 B.C. to historic times, are segregated into four broad cultural horizons. The earliest certain evidences of human occupation consist of stone tools and weapons from the shore line of ancient Lake Mohave. The Lake Mohave artifacts comprise types designed primarily for hunting and related activities. Next in sequence are the lithic materials from Pinto Basin and other localities that demonstrate a mixed hunting-gathering economy. The third or Amargosa period is inadequately known. Triangular arrowpoints, pottery, and numerous seed-grinding implements distinguish the closing aboriginal phase. The major research needs are indicated.

Archaeology of Wildrose Canyon, Death Valley National Monument

Wildrose Canyon, the site of the summer headquarters of the National Park Service for Death Valley National Monument, is on the west side of the Panamint Range in eastern California. The canyon, which runs in a roughly east-west direction, is about 13 miles long. Structurally, its width widens from its mouth where it measures less than 1/4 of a mile inland to a maximum of 1 1/2 miles and then narrows again in its upper reaches. There is a general upslope of the valley floor from about 4000 to over 8000 feet in elevation. The valley is flanked on either side with rugged mountains which rise steeply above its floor. Their sides are furrowed with many gulches and narrow canyons and the lower slopes are piled high with rock debris. The uneven valley floor is covered with boulders, gravel, sand, and silt washed down from the surrounding heights. Branch canyons extend back into the mountains at many points, dwindling to narrow gorges in their upper reaches.

Cache of Unfired Clay Objects from Death Valley, California

An unusual cache of unfired-clay basketry effigies and human figurines was uncovered by a windstorm near Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley National Monument. These specimens and others from nearby archaeological sites demonstrate a more extensive use of sun-dried articles in the Death Valley region than hitherto suspected. The unbaked-clay industry appears to come into the area by way of the Great Basin extension of Anasazi culture around A.D. 900-1100 and to have persisted into the second half of the 19th century. A FEW YEARS ago an exceptionally violent windstorm brought to view near Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley National Monument, California, a remarkable group of unfired, miniature clay vessels and figurines. The articles were discovered high up on a sand dune (Fig. 1) by a nine-year-old boy, who had the uncommon good sense not to touch or to pick up any of the uncovered items. Instead, he reported his find to Monument personnel, who guarded the objects until a field party from the University of Southern California, which was excavating an archaeological site elsewhere in Death Valley, could be summoned to remove them. Originally the clay articles must have been only a few inches below the surface. Their preservation can be attributed to the general dryness and good drainage provided by the loose surrounding sand. But it is remarkable that such fragile artifacts could have escaped destruction because the find-spot, located only a few hundred yards from a well-traveled road, is tramped over by hundreds of Monument visitors each year. Concentrated in an area measuring only 12 by 12 in., some of the vessels had been placed inside one another (Fig. 2). The figurines lay nearby. Sand in the immediate vicinity of the exposed items was thoroughly examined by being troweled and then passed through a smallmesh hand screen. This work revealed that nearly the complete contents of the cache had been exposed by the wind. The only additional clay objects that turned up consisted of two completely crushed vessels. These lay 18 in. south of the original finds and 3 in. below ground level. A few glass and shell beads comprised the only other archaeological materials unearthed in the immediate vicinity. However, abundant camp debris littered the ground at the edge of the dune about 75 ft. away. The delicate clay specimens, most already in a broken condition, were removed with extreme care and buried in a sand-filled wooden box to protect them during transit to the University of Southern California Anthropology Laboratory. This precaution resulted in their arriving at the Laboratory in reasonably good condition. It proved possible to restore some of the fragments of vessels and figurines to their proper position. Finding the articles in a restricted area, with no less than 30 to 35 specimens massed together, suggests that they had been made here and then buried. It is well within reason to assume that their maker.had intended to pick them up later but for some reason never did. The hiding away for safety of objects at or near the top of sand dunes seems to have been a well-established and long-standing custom among the aboriginal inhabitants of Death Valley. Of course, the whole collection might have been deliberately placed at the spot as a votive offering. The clay used in the manufacture of the objects is of a better quality than that regularly utilized by the local Indians in making earthenware cooking pots. A finer material may have been selected because large particles would have been a hindrance in modeling such small-sized articles. Apparently no tempering has been added to the paste, though it contains a natural admixture of extremely fine-grained sand, as well as a few tiny flecks of mica. The clay has a tannish-buff color, similar to that of dried mud in nearby washes. Though none of the articles has been fired, at least two show slight discoloration from exposure to fire or smoke. Perhaps they had been placed close to an open campfire while drying.

An Aboriginal Hematite Quarry in Oakland, California

At the junction of Redwood Road and Mountain Boulevard in Oakland, California is an outcrop of rock containing hematite which shows signs of having been worked aboriginally. The exposed stratum measures 30 by 20 feet by 6.5 feet at its highest point. Hematite occurs in almost pure form as thin layers in the main body of rock. Sizeable cavities can be seen at the base of the deposit, indicating where the hematite was chipped out. Fire may have been used as an aid in getting out the ore, this being suggested by the presence of charcoal and smoke blackening. No quarrying tools were found.