This site was quite a challenge to find, being out of the way and located on a single boulder in an area with many, many boulders.
The pictographs are under the overhang on the boulder to the right.
After first finding it on an overcast day, I then had the painful experience of being stuck with photos that didn’t really come out, so I had to trek back one last time.
The site sits above a small ephemeral drainage that in turn feeds into an east-west running seasonal creek.
Rain is an enemy of pictograph survival. These pictographs are protected from vertical rain by a shallow overhang and from blown rain by a large pine tree in front of the boulder. For prehistoric sites, one cannot count on pine trees to provide protection, because they typically don’t live through 1000+ years. But this site is very likely not prehistoric.
This view shows the exfoliation on the rock face. Pictograph elements are to the far middle right, and top right ( pink pigment. )
Despite the protection from rain, the site is not ideal because the boulder face containing the pictographs is extremely prone to exfoliation, and indeed it appears that part of the original design has flaked away.
Another challenge is some of the pictograph elements are difficult to view and photograph because they are done in black or light pink medium on a dark, uneven surface.
The most striking part of these pictographs is a tableau of two Bighorn sheep fending off a predator, seen below.
Two sheep facing off against a possible intruder at right. The center sheep is rendered in a delicate pink that is difficult to see in photographs. There are three vertical red ochre colored lines filling in its body cavity. There is a red dot above the leftmost sheep. The darker areas around the sheep and between them and the predator are natural.
With DStretch, the center sheep is more visible. Note that it has legs while the red sheep does not.
One of the sheep is entirely done in red ochre, the other is done in a very unusual, truly pink pigment, with its body filled in with three red stripes.
The pink sheep is facing the predator, which is drawn in red with a long, slender body, four legs and a head in profile showing one ear.
The sheep have boat-shaped bodies, which indicate they are rendered in the Cosos style. These pictographs are the westernmost samples of Cosos style bighorn sheep in pictograph form known to date.
This fact, along with the presence of a pictograph of a purported horse and rider at this site, makes it likely that these pictographs were painted contemporary to the Ghost Dance movement of the 1880’s to 1890’s.
The pictographs certainly appear new and vivid compared to many other samples of pictographs in the region. They are found close to prehistoric Tübatulabal settlements, but bear no resemblance to known Tübatulabal pictograph styles, lending further credence to the theory that they were painted during the Ghost Dance movement.
An indistinct red element.
To the right of this grouping, there is an indistinct element drawn in red. Even applying DStretch to this element does not show it to have any recognizable shape. It is well-preserved and appears contemporary to the rest of the panel.
This indistinct element is drawn a little to the right of the predator animal shape, and is the rightmost element of the panel.
Below the leftmost, red sheep, there is an intricate element drawn mostly in black, with some red and white lines. It appears vaguely shield-like in shape, rectangular with short lines radiating outwards. Above the leftmost sheep, there is another element done in black and white pigments, but its general shape is abstract and difficult to make out.
The leftmost sheep is seen in the upper right corner. Below and above it to its left are more elements, rendered in mostly black pigment but with some red and white accents.
It is very difficult to accurately discern these elements, and also to tell them from the natural darker areas of the boulder face.
A wide-angle view of the rock face. The sheep are in the lower middle of the rock face. The entire pictograph panel is well below the natural white line slanting horizontally down the middle of the rock face.
The same picture, with the main elements traced on the image afterwards to show their placement more clearly. Because of the multitude of pigments used in the panel, it is difficult to highlight them all at once with DStretch.
An element done in black pigment, possibly damaged by the exfoliation in the lower area.
A DStretch enhancement shows the rake-like vertical lines more clearly.
There is a second group of pictograph elements to the left of the sheep-predator group of elements.
The main pigment color used for these is black, but there are also some elements done in pink.
Unfortunately, this part of the panel has suffered exfoliation damage, which has partially destroyed one element and may have entirely removed others.
The element closest to the sheep consists of several vertical lines in black pigment, depicted in the photos above.
The pink elements.
To the left of this element, there are two more, done in pink pigment. One appears to be a dot with articulated lines angling off, and the other is too indistinct to discern. These elements are depicted to the left.
The other really interesting part of this site, apart from the Cosos style sheep, appears in the top left of the pictograph panel, above the pink elements
The same elements enhanced with DStretch.
and to the left of the black rake-like element.
At first, when I sat under the overhang and stared at the granite, this element was nearly invisible, being painted in black pigment on a dark surface.
Once my eyes had adjusted to the dimmer light, and once I had picked out all the other, more distinct elements, I was able to resolve this element to something more interesting than natural coloring on the rock face.
A pictograph in black pigment.
With DStretch, this certainly looks like a depiction of a horse and rider.
When a DStretch enhancement is applied, it becomes obvious that there is a deliberate design here.
Some researchers have interpreted this design to be a horseback rider. The animal shape below the triangular rider is certainly distinct, and the overall pictograph element does appear to represent a seated rider.
Along with the Cosos-style bighorn sheep elements, this apparent horse-and-rider element suggests that the site was created during the Ghost Dance movement. ( A prehistoric site would not show a horse or a rider, of course. )
This site has some lithic scatter present, but no clear signs of habitation. There are prehistoric habitation sites to the west and east.
These pictographs are fragile, and form part of a unique history of this area. If you come across them, please do not touch them or alter them in any way. The pigments and the rock face they are painted on are fragile. Please leave them as you found them, for others to find and enjoy.
I agree that this is a challenging site to locate among all the other boulders in the area. You have to really study the rock face the see the images described in this article. Having been at many COSO Sites, it was quite interesting to find images in that shape so far West.