History
For thousands of years Native Americans from what is now Nevada called Summit Valley their summer home. They came to hunt, fish, gather food, and trade with Native Americans from what is now California. We can see evidence of their . . . — — Map (db m129595) HM
This prehistoric giant ground sloth represents the Ice Age
animals that flourished here 40,000 years ago. In 1905, sloth
bones and teeth were recovered from this site with the fossils of bison, horses, camels, mammoths, dire wolves . . . — — Map (db m292677) HM
Orange County's early inhabitants, the Acjachemen and Tongva, have a history that dates thousands of years, long before the arrival of Europeans. Here in what is now called Saddleback Valley, grasslands and woodlands spread across the valley . . . — — Map (db m194208) HM
For thousands of years, ancestors of the Acjachemen came to this site to gather chert. Rich in silica, this hard rock breaks along fracture lines that produce sharpe edges. As a result, chert was a valuable resource for making stone tools like . . . — — Map (db m193798) HM
This fossil-rich sandstone was found locally from within the Topanga Formation, which was deposited during the Miocene epoch. The fossils and sandstone were deposited in a shallow sea that once occupied this area. Fossils include clams, scallops, . . . — — Map (db m188903) HM
In 1932, pilot George Palmer spotted six giant figures etched in
the ground along the Colorado River. Called intaglios or
geoglyphs, these figures range from 95 feet to 171 feet in
length: three humanoid, two animals, and one spiral. . . . — — Map (db m50992) HM
This pictograph, representing a maze, is an outstanding example of the work of prehistoric peoples. It, with 575 acres of land, was donated to Riverside County as a county park on April 16, 1955 by Mr. and Mrs. Roger E. Miller. — — Map (db m50993) HM
Pochea was one of cluster of Indian villages forming the very large settlement of Pahsitna which extended along the ridge east and west of Ramona Bowl. Pahsitnah was thriving when the Spanish first passed by in 1774. A tragic story tells of the . . . — — Map (db m50668) HM
Each year, the desert and pass-dwelling Cahuilla
Indians followed summer's gradual arrival
by moving to higher country of the San Jacinto
Mountains. Living in harmony with the land and its
blessings, the Cahuilla did not separate religion . . . — — Map (db m232747) HM
Long ago in China, small communities would hire a night watchman, called a Geng Fu, to patrol their villages after dark. He would mark the hour by hitting a gong or hollowed wood block while looking out for fire and thieves.
This centuries . . . — — Map (db m272076) HM
Prehistory
Ancient hunters first wandered into the
Fort Irwin area over 10,000 years ago. They
hunted Late Pleistocene animals like the
giant mammoth with large fluted spear-points. These hunters and gatherers lived in
small . . . — — Map (db m192882) HM
Pah-Ute Creek, which runs year around, attracted many Indian tribes, who used several Indian trails through this area. The first white man to visit Pah-Ute Creek was Fr. Francisco Garces in May of 1776. It was given it's name by Lt. A.W. Whipple . . . — — Map (db m78577) HM
A rodent known for its collection of unessential objects is
the original "packrat." Our species is known as the desert
woodrat (Neotoma lepida).
In front of you is a midden, an archeological term for a trash pile. Woodrats
urinate on . . . — — Map (db m291740) HM
The Mojave Desert is home to one of our most famous reptiles, the
desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii).
When tortoises were more abundant, they were a desired food among
desert dwellers. The remains of desert tortoises have been . . . — — Map (db m291739) HM
Conflicts between Indians and white settlers over the rich lands of the San Bernardino Mountains culminated in The Battle at Chimney Rock on February 16, 1867. Although the Indians defended themselves fiercely, they were forced to retreat into the . . . — — Map (db m63982) HM
Cottontail rabbits are about half the size of jackrabbits. Cottontails have smaller ears and shorter legs.
The enormous ears of the jackrabbit look similar to a donkey's ears. A male donkey is called a "jack," and this may explain the . . . — — Map (db m292631) HM
The steep boulder terrain before you is the habitat of the desert bighorn sheep. These majestic rock dwellers are rarely seen.
Native peoples applied skills passed from one generation to the next to successfully hunt the wary desert bighorn. . . . — — Map (db m292602) HM
This desert adapted tree is not a true willow,
but it has similar long, slender leaves. Narrow
leaves reduce surface area through which water is lost
by a process called evapotranspiration.
Since they need more moisture than other desert . . . — — Map (db m292596) HM
Young pencil cholla joints are edible after being boiled. The fruits of this cactus are light brown when ripe and taste a bit like sour apples. The buds are also edible. They can be boiled or fried. The taste is similar to asparagus or . . . — — Map (db m292630) HM
Of all the food preparation sites associated with
tribal villages and camps, the bowl-like mortero
(`ehmuu in Kumeyaay) is the most enduring.
Sites like this one were natural kitchens. Hour
by hour, Kumeyaay women used the . . . — — Map (db m200090) HM
Like all art, the pictographs painted on desert bedrock along this trail have the power to stir the imagination. What do these symbols mean? Who created them? When and why?
It's hard to answer those questions with certainty. Hundreds of . . . — — Map (db m200083) HM
The ancient village of Panhe (pan), meaning "place by the water" in the Acjachemen (A-ha-che-men) language, is nestled along the San Mateo Creek. The Acjachemen are the Native Americans of Orange and Northern San Diego County who have called this . . . — — Map (db m183222) HM
Lands End is the wildest, rockiest corner of San Francisco – a corner strewn with shipwrecks and a history of landslides. At the tip of Lands End is Point Lobos. Named by the Spanish for its many lobos marinos (sea wolves), otherwise known as . . . — — Map (db m211359) HM
You are standing near what was the northwest corner of the Spanish Presidio (1776). For almost fifty years a walled-in cluster of adobe buildings served as the northernmost outpost of Spain's New World colonies. From this site and the Spanish . . . — — Map (db m284716) HM
In 1849, Isadore Boudin baked the first sourdough French loaf. Saving a bit of the dough for the next day’s batch, he began a tradition that continues 150 years later. Today, sourdough is as much a part of San Francisco as cable cars and the . . . — — Map (db m311904) HM
Adobe House Site
This is the site of a Spanish and Mexican-era adobe house, dating from the 1810s to 1850s. The house is gone today, but the original stone foundation remains buried under the modern rock reconstruction you see. . . . — — Map (db m305916) HM
If you had visited El Polin in the early days you would have encountered an active community. The settlers spent most of the day outside since the houses were small and were used mainly for sleeping and storage. All family members, . . . — — Map (db m305961)
Rising above the Carrizo Plain is Painted Rock, an important cultural and spiritual site to California’s native peoples. Most of the pictographs, or painted images found on Painted Rock, are characteristic of the Chumash who lived on the Channel . . . — — Map (db m126610) HM
Who were the first people of these lands? The Aramai settled at Calera Creek and used lands at Mori Point for over 3,000 years. Their villages, Timigtac and Pruristac, totaling 50 people, made up a distinct tribe among . . . — — Map (db m155297) HM
The San Francisco Bay Area was settled by Native Americans before the end of the last Ice Age flooded the river valley (rúmmey waayi) that became San Francisco Bay (about 5,000 years ago). The ancestors (muwékmakuš) of the Muwekma . . . — — Map (db m206786) HM
Fossilized bones were discovered on this site in 2017 during earthwork grading operations for the Stanford Redwood City campus. The bones were found at substantial depth below the ground surface. They were determined to be from the Pleistocene . . . — — Map (db m206827) HM
Strange Discovery
In 1853, the remains of small
"elephants" were discovered on Santa Rosa Island. Over the years the number of remains found continued to grow, and in 1925 this pygmy species was named Mammuthus exilis.
These . . . — — Map (db m283404) HM
Thought to have once been the Indian Village of Syujtun, this site has yielded some of the most important archeological evidence found in California. In 1542 the village was recorded by Cabrillo while on his Voyage of Discovery, and again, in 1769, . . . — — Map (db m137508) HM
Syuxtun (where the Two Trails Run) Village with nearly 500 inhabitants was one of the largest of some 150 villages on the
coast. Ideally located, about where you are standing now, approximately 650 feet
from the beach and just west of Mission . . . — — Map (db m235958) HM
This boulder was originally located below this building near the edge of Uvas Creek. It was removed by helicopter in 1987 to protect it from erosion and vandalism, and moved to Mt. Madonna County Park. There it was vandalized further and moved to . . . — — Map (db m200822) HM
First contact between the Spanish expeditions and the Ohlone tribes was usually friendly. These encounters, recorded in expedition diaries, indicated that throughout Ohlone territory, the Spanish were treated as "distinguished guests," suggesting . . . — — Map (db m197734) HM
The sandstone outcroppings along the eastern terrace of Uvas Creek are ideal for creating bedrock mortars, grinding slabs (metates), and cupules. Key to the aid of processing large quantities of foods were mortars (stone bowls) and . . . — — Map (db m197748) HM
Ohlone villages contained a variety of structures. Some were used as houses, holding up to 8 to 12 people. Others were dug into the earth as partly underground assembly/dance houses. Other similar but smaller structures were used as . . . — — Map (db m198213) HM
Petroglyphs are marking that are pecked, scratched, grooved or cut onto a rock surface. Two petroglygh types are present at Chitactac-Adams Heritage County Park – cupules (small cup-like depressions) and cup-and-ring forms (concentric . . . — — Map (db m198359) HM
Uvas Creek's streamside habitat provided important resources for the inhabitants of Chitactac. Year-round fresh running water was a major factor in the establishment of a permanent village here. The creek was important for food . . . — — Map (db m198395) HM
Mount Umunhum is a sacred site for today's Amah Mustun and Muwekma tribal bands, who are the living descendants of the ancestral Ohlone tribes native to the region. Along with the eagle, hawk, and raven, the hummingbird plays an important role in . . . — — Map (db m114626) HM
This site was originally inhabited by the Puichon tribe of the Ohlone Indians. There were over 50 Ohlone tribes altogether, each inhabiting a specific part of the Bay Area. The watershed of San Francisquito Creek was the territory of the Puichon. . . . — — Map (db m232021) HM
The artworks in this garden were created on location in 1994 by ten artists from the Sepik River region of Papua New Guinea. After six months of chopping and chiseling, socializing and sight-seeing, the artists left not only the artworks you see . . . — — Map (db m232015) HM
For thousands of years, the hill rising in front of you was an island. Ancient Lake Modoc lapped against its base, scouring cliffs. Later, Native Americans canoed to these cliffs to carve symbols in the soft volcanic tuff, and Modocs still tell of . . . — — Map (db m13736) HM
The Yana Indians are a tribe who lived in northeastern California just east of the Sacramento Valley. There were four sub-groups who occupied different but adjoining tracts of land. They are the Northern Yana, Central Yana, Southern Yana and the . . . — — Map (db m88077) HM
The Kaweah Cooperative Colony was a utopian project started in 1886. For several years it attracted international attention and many settlers came here and actually did much to further their ideals. Unable to secure title to the land, and because . . . — — Map (db m166737) HM
On August 11, 1769, the explorers and priests accompanying Portolá found a populous village of Piru Indians near this point. Carrying their bowstrings loose, the Indians offered necklaces of stones, in exchange for which Portolá presented them with . . . — — Map (db m170384) HM
Dating as far back as 12,000 years ago until the late 1800’s, Chumash people had established many villages and seasonal encampments in this area due to territorial and ritual privileges and the abundant source of food and water bestowed upon the . . . — — Map (db m154420) HM
The low-lying Scorpion Valley has always been subject to
flooding, but overgrazing by sheep increased the intensity.
One night in December 1997, over a foot of rain fell on eastern Santa Cruz Island, sending a torrent of mud and water . . . — — Map (db m141329) HM
This landscape is the result of dramatic climate changes that affected plants, animals, and humans. In ancient times, large shallow lakes existed on today's valley floor, and American Indians of the Clovis culture pursued great herds of large . . . — — Map (db m160699) HM
[left to right]
This Payan corrugated jar was found here at the Pit House site and was used for storage of corn, beans and wild seeds.
Mancos [and] Payan Corrugated
This style of pottery was often used for cooking. The corrugations helped . . . — — Map (db m160560) HM
The Northern San Juan Surface Pit House that was constructed here is composed of one large room used as a dwelling area and 3 rectangular room blocks used for storage.
[Left illustration caption reads]
Typical cross-section of surface pit . . . — — Map (db m160562) HM
Kivas or Ceremonial Houses were not only used for religious ceremonies but may have been used for governmental and social events as well. Kivas varied in size and had flat or cribbed roofs.
The cribbed roofs of kivas were constructed of logs . . . — — Map (db m160561) HM
Rising from a 90-million-year-old seabed. Chimney Rock's twin towers stand 300 feet above the surrounding mesa. The Europeans who first saw them probably approached from due east, obscuring their view of the westernmost spire. As a result, Spanish . . . — — Map (db m293894) HM
Learning About Our Past, Preserving Our Legacy
The extraordinary archaeological resources at Chimney Rock have helped illuminate the history of the ancestral Puebloans who lived here over a thousand years ago. They built structures from the . . . — — Map (db m153331) HM
Dinosaur Freeway Geology of John Martin Reservoir
is part of the Dakota sandstone
formations which extend from Denver,
Colorado to Tucumcari, New Mexico.
In the Cretaceous period the region
was bordered with lakes, swamps . . . — — Map (db m181091) HM
If you were here in 1908, you'd be singing, dancing or playing poker at the luxurious Crags Hotel. The Hotel's success was short lived. A fire destroyed the building in 1912.
Archaeologists who studied this site discovered significant . . . — — Map (db m185412) HM
Established in 2006 through an act of Congress, the purpose of the Rio Grande Natural Area is to “conserve, restore and protect the natural, historic, cultural, scientific, scenic, wildlife and recreational resources” of the lower Rio Grande in . . . — — Map (db m294498) HM
Architectural Details From afar, tipis display a very symmetrical form, but on closer inspection, their actual "tilted cone" shape comes into view. Steepest in the rear, the tipi wall slopes more gradually on the front side toward the doorway, . . . — — Map (db m290970) HM
Ancestral Puebloans
Beginning around A.D. 600, Ancestral Puebloans built Colorado's first permanent towns in the canyon country south of here. Hundreds of these settlements sprawled across the desert, with an overall population possibly . . . — — Map (db m160128) HM
[Text blocks, counter-clockwise from top left, read]
• The Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway is a remarkable tour through western Colorado's remote canyon country. Copper, radium, vanadium, and uranium all enticed miners . . . — — Map (db m160155) HM
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado
Garden Park
Type Locality of Dinosaurs
The first remains of several species of dinosaurs were found within a two-mile radius of this point in 1877 by Prof. O.C. . . . — — Map (db m251375) HM
The Indian and Eagle are highly regarded symbols of Americana. Prized by the Indian, eagle feathers guided arrows to their targets, and feathers served in civil, military, and religious displays. To capture these noble rulers of the heavens, . . . — — Map (db m288498) HM
During construction of the Windy Gap pipeline, workers uncovered prehistoric sites of national significance. This discovery temporarily halted construction so that evidence of past human culture could be studied. Before the Windy Gap findings, . . . — — Map (db m311360) HM
Petroglyphs, designs pecked or scraped into stone, often generate more questions than answers. Scientists believe that humans have been in this area for a long time. The lines and curves on this rock may have been etched as early as 10,000 years . . . — — Map (db m283399) HM
Nearly 10,000 years ago, Archaic hunters and gatherers camped along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. Here they hunted wild game such as bighorn sheep and elk in these alpine valleys. At the end of the last Ice Age, Archaic big game . . . — — Map (db m292297) HM
Images of bighorn sheep are commonly found in Native American rock art. Numerous figures of stone, bone, shell, and pottery suggest that ancient cultures revered this animal. The bighorn sheep were honored to ensure a good relationship between . . . — — Map (db m286696) HM
This replica is an exact copy of a large dinosaur bone unearthed in 2008 from a quarry located in Picket Wire Canyonlands. Apatosaurus is among the most massive land animals ever to exist. A member of the long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur is called . . . — — Map (db m184919) HM
Excavations of the Ludlow tent cellars permitted archaeologists to contribute to the historical record.
The cellars provided the most comprehensive snapshot of daily life in the tent colony.
The goals of archaeology at Ludlow were to . . . — — Map (db m193557) HM
Between 1997 and 2002 archaeologists studied the living conditions of miners in southern Colorado.
Archaeologists carried out excavations at the Berwind coal camp and the Ludlow tent colony - two sites from the 1913-1914 Colorado coalfield . . . — — Map (db m193558) HM
History often neglects or omits the 1913-1914 Colorado coalfield strike and massacre
Looking onto this prairie, you see one of several places where coal miners lived during the strike.
Miners demanded better wages, an eight-hour work . . . — — Map (db m193668) HM
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument encompasses 164,000 acres of southwest Colorado. It was established on June 9, 2000, to protect the cultural and natural resources of the canyons and mesas.
For hundreds of years, the canyons and . . . — — Map (db m160230) HM
For more than 12,000 years, Native American people have inhabited this area. As the Ice Age ended, these nomadic people hunted bison and mastodons in the valleys, and gathered plants along the edges of glacial lakes and wetlands. . . . — — Map (db m160236) HM
The yucca-fiber sandals of Ancestral Puebloans, the leather sandals of Franciscan priests, work boots of ranchers and lumbermen, the rubber tires of wheelchairs, and the nylon and leather shoes of visitors today have traversed the landscape of . . . — — Map (db m290395) HM
Sagebrush is one of the most common shrubs in the high desert of the southwest. Preferring dry, rocky areas, big sagebrush grows in elevations up to 7,500 feet. Homesteaders learned that big sagebrush grew noticeably taller where soils were deeper . . . — — Map (db m290499) HM
Small homes like Dominguez are common in southwest Colorado. Dominguez has three rooms and an earth-walled kiva. It is in an ideal location with southern exposure and good farmland and is close to the Dolores River. Dominguez Pueblo's construction . . . — — Map (db m290396) HM
At the ruin, there is, as is the case at many of these sites, a sense of tranquility which I cannot explain. This cluster of mounds seems to gather the surrounding landscape around itself in such a way as to become the center of that circle of . . . — — Map (db m290589) HM
Gambel oak is a shrub which grows up to 15 feet tall. The acorns are a favorite food for chipmunks. Acorns ripen in the fall and must be leached to remove the bitterness before eating. The hard wood has been used as fuel since prehistoric times. . . . — — Map (db m290482) HM
Sleeping Ute Mountain, Colorado The Sleeping Ute is surrounded by the 550,000 acre Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. McElmo Canyon, Colorado and Utah This canyon has been the main travel route between the Montezuma Valley and southeast Utah . . . — — Map (db m290495) HM
A common grass throughout lower elevations of the Colorado Plateau, ricegrass is easily identifiable by its lacy appearance. Ricegrass seeds ripen in late summer and provide valuable winter food for birds and rodents. Seeds were gathered by . . . — — Map (db m290398) HM
Although there are several species of juniper, the Utah juniper growing here is the most common species in southwest Colorado. Junipers can grow to 25 feet tall and may live for several hundred years. Junipers and piñon pines form dense forests in . . . — — Map (db m290497) HM
Mountain mahogany is best identified by its leaves, which are toothed, oval-shaped and fuzzy. The seeds are attached to unique spiral, feathery "tails". This plant grows on dry, rocky slopes at elevations from 3,000 to 9,500 feet. It is an . . . — — Map (db m290488) HM
The piñon pine is the smallest member of the pine family and requires the least amount of moisture. Although the nut crop is unpredictable, the piñon has always been a “grocery tree” to people of the southwest. It provides food, medicine and . . . — — Map (db m290498) HM
Prickly pear cactus is found throughout the southwest. Its showy flowers may be yellow, pink, purple or red. The edible fruit ripens in late summer. Despite formidable spines, the pads and fruit have been eaten since prehistoric times. Ancestral . . . — — Map (db m290594) HM
Rabbitbrush is a native shrub that commonly grows thickest along roadsides and in disturbed areas between 2,000 and 8,000 feet. The small flowers bloom in dense masses in late summer, covering the bush in a cloud of golden yellow. Rabbitbrush . . . — — Map (db m290588) HM
When Fathers Dominguez and Escalante headed northwest toward the Dolores River on August 12, 1776, they had none of the advantages of high-speed travel, good roads, relative security of life and limb, which are taken so much for granted today. They . . . — — Map (db m283794) HM
The pungent smell of the leaves gives this plant its common name. Ripe red berries make a tart lemon-tasting drink when mixed with water, providing another common name of lemonade-bush.
Sumac branches (K' ii') are used for . . . — — Map (db m314499) HM
On July 29, 1776, a few weeks after the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, ten explorers left the Spanish colonial capital of Santa Fe and headed northwest into unfamiliar territory. Led by Father Francisco Silvestre Velez de . . . — — Map (db m290591) HM
During their two day encampment along the Dolores River, members of the Dominguez-Escalante expedition visited prehistoric ruins on the hills west of the river. Today, the Escalante Ruins are excavated and open for public viewing. They are a . . . — — Map (db m283796) HM
This hilltop is a magnificent location. The striking view encompasses 360 degrees of landscape critical to understanding the people in the past, present and future. This is a place of microclimates within climates. The land plunges from . . . — — Map (db m290593) HM
In the very old days, Sleeping Ute Mountain was a great warrior god. He fought against Evil Ones who were causing much trouble. During a battle between the Warrior God and the Evil Ones, the Warrior God was hurt. He lay down to rest and fell . . . — — Map (db m290490) HM
These people had no written history; theirs was an oral system of maintaining the records of ages.... In the mind's eye one sees the elders speak, their eyes alight, their gestures emphasizing or elaborating a point, as they reveal the ancient . . . — — Map (db m290590) HM
Birds like the magpie, hawk and eagle are commonly seen overhead. Pueblo groups revere them as messengers between the sky beings and the people of the earth. Their feathers are worn as symbols of rank on ceremonial masks and costumes. According . . . — — Map (db m290595) HM
Various species of yucca are found in the southwest. This broad-leaved variety is known as banana yucca. The cream-colored flowers on a single flower stalk give way to edible green fruit in the summer. Ancestral Puebloans separated the yucca's . . . — — Map (db m290397) HM
Surrounded by deep canyons, villages here seem isolated, cut off from people on other mesas. Look closely at these cliffs and imagine hand and toe trails pecked into the sheer sandstone. These vertical trails were the Anasazi’s highways; steep . . . — — Map (db m71206) HM
Adapting to Alcoves To level the sloping alcove floor, the Anasazi filled in behind retaining walls. The altered floor not only supported rooms but also provided working space and a safe play area for children.
Oak Tree House appears to . . . — — Map (db m71209) HM
There is an enormous gap between identifying pithouse features—the hollows and scattered stones—and visualizing the inhabitants’ daily lives. Set in the four corner post holes, timbers supported a ceiling that was probably head-high. . . . — — Map (db m71203) HM
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