Speakers of Ohlone dialects occupied the lands encompassed by Alameda, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and San Francisco Counties. One Ohlone triblet, the Carquin, occupied lands on the north shore of the Carquinez Strait in Solano County and probably in the southern part of Napa County.
4 housepits near Bear Gulch This counts as the most remote site we’ve found to date. Murietta Falls is pretty remote too, but people hike there all the time. No one goes to Bear Gulch other than the committed or those that should be. Be prepared to wade across Alameda Creek several times if you […]
Briggs Creek below Alma College25 bedrock mortars, 8 cupules/anvilsElevation 795 ft.In Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.Acess currently requires a permit. See Bear Creek Redwoods permits for details.Joel’s research led us out here, but we were darn lucky to find this cool site.Looking down at the site.Getting closer to the main kitchen rock.This is one […]
El Sobrante La HondaMidden and probable village site.Elevation 134 ft.Joel strikes again.The house probably sits on top of a village site, perhaps one those along San Pablo Creek marked on Sherburne Cook’s map of East Bay Indian villages.Midden soil.
Jeff’s PestlesOne bedrock mortar and five pestles near a spring northeast of Mission Peak.Elevation 1714 ft.Another one of Jeff’s amazing finds. Please do not remove any of these pestles. Leave them for others to enjoy.Pestles come in various shapes and sizes. Not all are flattened or tapered cylinders.Looking out over the nearby spring toward Mt. […]
Winter Solstice alignmentElevation 734 feetThe rocks in this alignment are the only ones in the immediate vicinity.Dave hit the jackpot when he discovered this rock alignment, which lines up nicely with the gap between Mt. Diablo and North Peak.There is a 360 degree view from this hilltop.Awaiting the sunrise.Winter solstice December 21, 2010. Experts assure […]
Rockwall to Campsite8 bedrock mortars and grinding slick.What’s the function of this wall? A section line? Not likely. Why is it aligned with a Yrgin camp and a spring?Another view of the wall.Photograph by Bob BardellTake time to find all the mortars here and enjoy the ambience of this site. It’s cool in the summer, […]
Sunol Ridge Prayer CircleStacked-rock prayer circle.Elevation 1664 ft.Our jaws dropped when we saw this near the bottom of a little hollow just below the top of Sunol Ridge.A closer look at the geoglyph.Photograph by Bob BardellPart of the “spine” of this stone circle is a natural rock outcrop.This site is on private property. One should […]
Upper Welch Creek Road5 bedrock mortars and 15 cupules, three on a secondary rock.Elevation 2180 ft.Thanks to Bill and Lou for turning us on to this site.The headwaters of Indian Joe Creek rise right across the road.This is one of our few drive up (or pedal up) sites.A closer look at some of the cupules […]
9 bedrock mortarsNear Sunol Regional Wilderness Interpretative Center.Alameda Creek is the Bay Area’s largest. Many of its streambed cobbles look like pre-shaped pestles. Perhaps they were valuable trade items.The park authorities acknowledge and celebrate the Indian presence here.
Brushy Peak Loop Trail6 bedrock mortars and two probable mortarsElevation 1338 ft.We missed this rock in our earlier survey. The new Brushy Peak Loop Trail passes right by it.
