Bloomington Petroglyphs - St. George UT

No one really knows when people first arrived in this part of the country, but throughout the ages several groups have called it home. In order, the known groups are Early Hunter/Gatherers, Desert Archaic, Ancestral Puebloan (aka Anasazi), and Paiute. They have all left their marks here. Most of the petroglyphs shown below were thought to have been created by the Ancestral Puebloans as early as 2,000 years ago. As with most of these places, all of what I just said can't really be attributed to exact time periods.

These petroglyphs are located in a little neighborhood park, but it's really just a small area set aside to preserve them. In some of the photos you can see some of the houses. I'm happy to report that we saw very little vandalism.

I'm glad the site is somewhat protected, but was surprised that they would allow structures to be built so close to it at all. A while later I was REALLY surprised to learn that there are also petroglyphs boulders in people's back yards!  When I say surprised, I don't mean it in a good way. It makes me wonder how much history was bulldozed to "develop" this area. It didn't take long for me to find out that many things were destroyed. Have I ever mentioned that I really dislike developers? I'll jump off my soap box now. On with the petroglyphs!

The petros are on those large rocks in the middle of the park. The house to the right is currently for sale. I thought it would be cool to live right across the street. Then reality hit me. There is always some grizzly old guy in the neighborhood chasing kids off his lawn. That guy would most certainly be me. Of course there aren't any lawns here, so I'm sure I'd be obsessed with protecting the petros instead.

 It must have been quite a sight to see that large rock split in half.

 Based on the angle of the petros on the front rock, It must have split a very long time ago.

 It looks like there are at least two layers of petros in some spots.

 The presence of a grinding surfaces tells us that this area was also used for some type of habitation. Maybe a seasonal, or temporary camp, or maybe even a village. We will never know what else was in the area.

These little depressions are known as "cupules" and considered by many to be a very early form of petroglyphs. 

 Large spiral

 Graffiti mixed with some petros

Although we were just in this area a short while ago, I'm chomping on the bit to go back. There is much to see and do.

.

Bernasconi Pass Petroglyph and Luiseno Creation Story

This very interesting petroglyph sits in Bernasconi Pass in Riverside County. It has not been dated, but Indians have been in this area for thousands of years.  Luiseno creation lore says that the symbols on this rock represents Tukmit (the first man) and Tomayowit (the first woman). When the hollow part on top of the rock fills with water, it flows from one depression into another representing the male, and then into the lower representing the female. Then it flows through the female symbol to the ground. This is how the people, the land, the plants, and animals were created. 

Following creation, their first born children were sent to the four corners of the of the earth. Tomayowit lay down and become the Earth Mother. Tukmit rose above it all to become Father Sky. 

Although information relating to most petroglyphs no longer exits, it is fantastic that we still have sites like this one. This spot is included in a no trespassing zone adjacent to a dam, and I was fortunate to be allowed to see it. The stone was moved down the pass to this spot about 60 years ago to save it from seemingly ever present bulldozers.

The back side gives no clues. 

 A view of the symbols.

 I used DStretch only to highlight the symbols. You can more clearly see the path of the water passing from the male through the female symbol (yoni).

A little scenery

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

There may or may not have been more petroglyphs further up the pass. If there was, they might have been destroyed when the road and dam were built. 

.

San Luis Bay Chumash Habitation Site - California Central Coast

We really enjoy finding these ancient sites. Sometimes though, there is an equal amount of disappointment involved. This is one of those places. I had seen an old photo of it (without the pier), but that was all. We had no references, or other clues as to where it was. I have a pretty good idea where many of these sites can be found, but it is still a lot of work.

We basically followed the Pacific Coast Trail along the bluffs for a few miles on foot, and several more by car. We never did find it the first day, but we figured it out that night, and pretty much drove right to it the next morning. 

This is where we went. It all started with a very pleasant view.  Better than that actually, because there was so much more to see than we expected.

This site could easily be thousands of years old. I stopped counting mortars at 75. There were also depressions that I believed to be the remains of many others. Also, no telling how many are under that concrete on the left.

 Cupules

 A look across San Luis bay.

A view from across the bay, back to the mortar site.  Imagine this scene a thousand years ago. Nothing made by modern man would be seen. It would be hundreds of years, before any white person even laid eyes on the area. Now imagine a Chumash village in the area of those buildings above the far pier. There were probably some of village women grinding food in the mortars below it. The village had everything they needed, with no danger of using up all the resources in the area. It was perfect! Right up until the Spanish, Mexicans, and Americans did all they could to wipe them from the face of the earth. Their crime? They were here first...

In one form or another a pier has stood on this spot for well over a hundred years. Every single version contributed to the demise of this important historic cultural area. 

In some cases, they actually reshaped mortars to use as post holes. It amazes me that people would do this without giving so much as a second thought about what they were destroying. (see the square shape inside the round mortar).

 While I'm knee deep in mortars, my wife (who is much more observant than I am), finds some other treasures.

 Seals!

Also, some Cormorants.

-------------------------------

This mortar site is just a few feet away from, and below the road. Based on the geography, I'm positive that the related village was very close by. Unfortunately, I'm sure everything was destroyed by construction of the road, and grading of the slope and shelf above it. 

.

Twin Tanks - Post #1 Joshua Tree National Park

A "tank" is a natural depression in the ground that collects water. Local Indians took advantage of these tanks, and many times, established seasonal villages or camp sites near them. 

After the land was stolen from the Indians, ranchers and miners decided that these tanks would hold more water if they enlarged them. To do this, they added concrete and/or stone dams to them. These two tanks fall into both categories. There are many more natural and enlarged tanks throughout the park. As you can imagine, the ancient history that took place around natural tanks, is much older, and in the eyes of some us, much more interesting. I'll show you what I mean in a minute. 

Technically, Twin Tanks is not a secret. The words "Twin Tanks" appear on the park map, has a shared parking area (fairly well hidden), and even a tiny road sign (that you will likely miss). 

I won't bore you with basic info on how to get to the tanks, because it is readily available elsewhere. In a nutshell, you want to get from where you park your car to the western (slightly southwestern) base of the hill with the large white quartz rocks on top. 

 This hill

You don't have to climb the hill to get to the tanks. I hiked in from a different direction, and had to climb part of it, to get around it anyway. Plus, I wanted to take some photos from up there. That is the only reason I went up all the way.

 Well that climb wasn't too bad!

Actually, it was really steep! DO NOT try this at home kids. If you came to see the tanks, you should do just that, and don't bother with this hill.

 Close up

A view of tank #1 from on top (I'm not showing you tank #2)

 From ground level

The tank itself doesn't interest me all that much. What does interest me is in the middle of the photo. 

Cupules! Lots of cupules! In case you don't remember, cupules are generally considered to be the oldest form of petroglyphs. One other note of interest: See that little metal bracket at the bottom left of the photo? That was one of several brackets that supported a wooden "deck." I'm not sure exactly what it was used for, but the first couple of times I saw this tank (as a young lad) there was still part of the "deck" in place.

Lots of "back in the day" ingenuity went into this structure.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Unless you are a very competent hiker, and have good survival skills, I'd advise you not to seek out these tanks via any route other than the one you'll find on the internet. This place is a warren of washes and small canyons, many of which terminate in a dead end. What I'm saying, is that it is very easy to get lost and/or injured in this area. For most people, getting lost in the desert or wilderness, is a very bad thing. Sometimes, it is a fatal mistake. This is made all the worse, by the absence of cell phone signals here.  Yes, I did hike in from a different direction, but I'm very familiar with the area. If you do go, stick to the route suggested, and get out of there after you see the tanks. Umkay?



.