Several of the sites I’ve written about ( and some of the ones I haven’t written about and hope to one day write about! ) are sites that I’ve been hunting for a while: through tedious and meticulous research I gradually build up an idea of where I should go look, and then I head out and look and look and look, and often come away with no more than a pile of “well, it is not here, here or here” to add to my data set!
An overview of the site, which lies at over 7,000 feet elevation in the Sierra. The pictographs are clearly visible under the overhang, even from this far away. Though the overhang is rather shallow, the lack of lichen indicate that it is protected from rain and moisture.
A view of the site from a different angle. The elements are all painted in the same shade of dark orange-red – at least, everything I think are pictographs is painted in that shade! Note the faded, orange bisected circle on the right side of the panel. I am not sure what that is. It looks natural, but that is a really odd shape for natural coloration!
I’ve kind of lost track of the number of times I’ve looked for this site. I think it is at least four, maybe five. It is a long drive to get to it: first along gradually diminishing paved roads and then bumping along dirt Forest Service roads that are often eroded by spring snowmelt. Finally, the road runs out altogether and you have to start hoofing it.
I have fond memories of looking for this site, even though it was such a frustratingly elusive quarry ( I’ve been looking for it for parts of three seasons! ). Since it is situated in the Sierra it is a summertime pursuit and escaping the heat of the desert floor at high elevation is always pleasant. I’ve certainly taken some delightful pulls from a bottle of beer packed in ice in the truck and enjoyed a nice packed sandwich, too, even as I slumped on the duff under a pine tree, defeated yet again.
A nice overview of the whole panel. The elements on the lower left are best preserved, with the elements on the upper right quite faded. The symmetry and precision of the horseshoe-shaped element is remarkable.
The main panel. The line of dots making up the “leg” of the lower right element repeats itself as a design element in the upper right of this panel. All the elements are crisp and well-drawn.
Once I finally found this site I overlaid all my previous GPS search tracks on a map just to confirm what I suspected – yes, the last time I looked for it I turned around within 80 yards or so of the site!
One last fun fact about searching for this site: on the trip where we actually finally found it, we drove for several hours to the end of the road – during hunting season, no less, so we wore our bestest and brightest orange, and we passed several hunters by the side of the road – and then saddled up only to discover that I had meant to pack my boots, but never actually packed them! All I had for foot coverings were my breezy summer sandals!
Well … there was nothing for it but to delicately pick my way cross country for a couple of miles, making sure to lift my feet up high and avoid scratchy vegetation.
Fortunately, my patient companion is the best route finder I know, and he made sure to pick out a route that I could navigate with minimal trouble.
A milling station with more than a dozen mortars of various depths can be seen a short distance from the pictograph panel. Along with the midden and lithic scatter this forms clear evidence that there was a settlement here at one time.
This site was obviously used as a summer processing station for pine nuts: very close to the boulder stack hosting the pictographs is a large bedrock outcropping with mortars ground into its surface. The site is perched under tree cover above a meadow and there is a spring close by to provide water.
I’m not sure what tribe’s territory this site falls under: the Tübatulabal’s territory extends close to this site, and the pine nut processing would certainly fit that tribe, but the pictographs themselves appear more Yokuts-like. Then again, one of the most famous Tübatulabal pictograph sites depict a similar horseshoe-shaped element. It is difficult to impossible to know for sure.
Note the delicate squiggle of the element to the top left of the horseshoe element. The middle part of the pictograph is faded but DStretch clearly shows what its shape used to be.
This site is in great condition and is well-protected from precipitation by a small overhang and the pine forest. Since the pictographs appear so crisp I don’t believe the site is particularly old: maybe it barely predates prehistoric times, maybe it was only painted after Europeans came to the area. Even if that is the case it would be several hundred years old.
The immediate area has many flakes of obsidian scattered around, and I’m sure the thick forest duff hides even more artifacts. I didn’t look – excavating archaeological sites are illegal and can land you a huge fine and besides, if you are interested in this sort of thing you are presumably wise enough to not destroy archaeological sites.
There are remnants of an old logging road running close by the site and it is this road that stirred up the ground enough for me to see some obsidian on the surface.
The series of pictures below shows the various site elements in greater detail.
An intricate geometric design. The upper part is reminiscent of the shield-like designs of the Great Basin.
On the far right these elements are considerably more faded. This portion of the boulder is not under the shallow overhang so it probably gets significantly more rain exposure. These elements are as finely executed as the rest of the panel. See the next image for a DStretch enhancement.
The orange lichen is turned the same color as the pigment by DStretch! Ignoring the bold splatter of lichen, we see there are two cross-hatched Linear elements in this photo. The upper one is supported by an intricate line of dots that terminates in a double circle. The lower one is by itself.
This element is crudely drawn compared to the detailed, precise designs comprising the main panel.
These elements are quite faded and rudimentary, a sharp contrast with the crisp, vivid elements that form the rest of the panel.
The tassel-like element at the bottom of the horseshoe-shaped element.
This handprint-like design at the bottom of the tall, lampshade-like element was executed with great precision.
One of the elements at the top of the panel was damaged when a portion of the boulder exfoliated. There isn’t much difference in surface varnish between the exfoliated portion and the rest of the boulder, so this damage may have occurred very recently.
The ground around the site is covered with obsidian lithic scatter. In this picture two obsidian chips rest close to each other.
A final look at the site.
Fortunately, even though the area have been logged extensively in the past and cattle have grazed in the meadow nearby, the site itself was left undisturbed.
If you happen by, admire the crispness of the design and the vividness of the pigment, but do not touch the pictographs, and do not remove or disturb anything. This site is still a delight to visit because everybody else who’ve been to it has left it behind untouched. Pass on that favor if you happen by.
That ones looks amazing. I want to find this one. I visited about 10 sites there a few weeks ago.