Cameron Hills in Fremont in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Land Mammals of the Irvingtonian Age

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, December 14, 2022

1. Land Mammals of the Irvingtonian Age Marker

Inscription. Tens of thousands of fossils, were excavated in what is now Sabercat Historical Park and nearby locations. This discovery was documented by Dr. Don Savage from the University of California, Berkeley. Because of this remarkable unearthing, that time period is described as the “Irvingtonian North American Land Mammal Age,” after Fremont’s Irvington District. Very few complete skeletons were found. The skeletons shown to the right are from other North American sites, but illustrate species that were found here.

These familiar faces are Irvingtonian mammals, too! Many animals survive nearly unchanged from their Ice Age ancestors, including ground squirrels, raccoons, gophers, and coyotes. Though it sounds like the distant past, on the geologic timescale the Irvingtonian Era is recent history—the dinosaurs had been extinct for 63 million years, and the continents were arranged the same as they are today.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Paleontology.

Location. 37° 31.664′ N, 121° 56.529′ W. Marker is in Fremont, California, in Alameda County. It is in Cameron Hills. It can be reached from Via Orinda near Castillejo Way. The resin marker is mounted to a metal stand

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on the Sabercat Creek Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1837 Vía Orinda, Fremont CA 94539, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area

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 least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: In Search of Fossils (a few steps from this marker); Winery Road (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Hirsch Dairy Barn (approx. ¼ mile away); Under the Canopy (approx. ¼ mile away); Sabercat Historical Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Gathering and Cooking Acorns (approx. 0.3 miles away); West View (approx. 0.6 miles away); East View (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fremont.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, December 14, 2022

2. Land Mammals of the Irvingtonian Age Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 747 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 19, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.