Upper Lake in Lake County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

The Pomo

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 5, 2012

1. The Pomo Marker

Inscription. Local Pomo groups fished and hunted waterfowl within marshes and adjacent waters. Hunting parties trapped waterfowl using large nets, while individual hunters used snares and slings. The Pomo used nets, brush dams, and basket traps to catch fish. Fishing was mostly done during the spawning season when fish could be taken in large quantities to be dried and stored for use throughout the rest of the year. The onset of spawning among the diverse fish species within Clear Lake depended on water conditions, and the fishing season could stretch from January to July.

The Pomo used marsh plants for food and in the manufacture of nearly everything that they utilized in daily life. Tules were used to construct houses, moccasins, and leggings. Shredded tule was used to manufacture shirts, skirts, and bedding. The Pomo used willow shoots and roots and sedges to weave baskets, cradles, and fish traps. They used bundled tule to make boats that were used for fishing, hunting of waterfowl, and transportation around the lake.

During the spring and early summer, the Pomo inhabited villages and encampments along the lakeshore

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and feeder creeks where they could fish and gather plants. A group of Pomo probably resided at Bloody Island year round, but the fishing season attracted additional people from neighboring areas to the lakeshore. The Pomo held ceremonies and festivals at this time of the year when people were able to come together.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 39° 8.933′ N, 122° 53.264′ W. Marker is in Upper Lake, California, in Lake County. It is on State Highway 20, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Upper Lake CA 95485, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Wine Country

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At

The Pomo Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 5, 2012

2. The Pomo Marker - wide view

The Pomo marker is the leftmost of the three.

least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Clear Lake Habitat (here, next to this marker); Bloody Island (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Bloody Island (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Old Gas Station (approx. 1.6 miles away); Drug and Prescription Store (approx. 1.6 miles away); Diamond Match Lumber Co. (approx. 1.6 miles away); The IOOF Hall (approx. 1.6 miles away); The West Side of Main Street (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Upper Lake.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Upper Lake Through Time (was approx. 1.6 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . The Pomo (Wikipedia). (Submitted on December 19, 2019.)

<i>"Upper Pomo Lake - Gathering Tules</i> (photo on marker) image. Click for full size.

Edward S. Curtis (courtesy of the National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution), March 29, 1924

3. "Upper Pomo Lake - Gathering Tules (photo on marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2019. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2019, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 651 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 19, 2019, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.