This site is located in Tübatulabal territory, on the western slope of one of a network of contributing ephemeral drainages draining southerly into a more permanent creek. What makes this site attractive as a habitation site is the presence of a small spring, leading to some lush vegetation in the drainage.

Looking towards the boulder that forms the main feature of the site. There are pictographs on this face of the boulder, and a rock shelf with mortars are to the right of the main boulder, down by the drainage.

The site is dominated by a towering boulder with natural overhangs to the east and northeast. On a rock shelf on the southern side of the boulder, numerous bedrock mortars can be found. Right above these mortars, on the cliff face provided by the boulder, there is a single panel of pictographs.

On a lower rock shelf to the east, close to the spring-fed drainage, more bedrock mortars can be found.

Finally, a waist-high boulder to the southwest of the shelter boasts more mortar holes.

A closer look at the pictographs and the bedrock mortars in front of it.

The site is surrounded by extensive lithic scatter. Making my way towards it, the consistent scatter raised my hopes long before I could get close enough to notice the pictographs.

The pictographs, close up. The pigment is still vivid, but exfoliation seem to have taken a toll.

The pictographs themselves are still vivid, though it appears as if there’s also been some oddly localized fading, and possibly the eastern portion of the panel has flaked off completely due to exfoliation.

Examining the pictographs, at first they appear to be partially faded anthropomorphs. However, DStretch enhancements find no evidence of pigment in the lower areas of these pictograph to indicate legs, and arms are missing also.

A DStretch enhancement of the pictographs.

Instead, it appears as if the design was intended to be a set of four vertical lines, the first and third terminating in circles at the top, all joined with a horizontal line at the top.

There is the suggestion of more linear elements to the left of the visible elements, and possibly a circle as well, and maybe also more linear elements to the right, below the exfoliated area.

A big rock slab near the spring houses many more bedrock mortars.

These pictographs are fairly large, which makes their rudimentary nature all the more surprising. They are very visible when approaching this site from the south, almost as if they are standing guard.

This design of circles and lines is not common in Tübatulabal pictographs, though it can be found extensively in pictographs in other areas.

A boulder some distance away from the main complex also houses many mortars at a comfortable height.

It is also unusual to see these pictographs right above an extensive number of bedrock mortars – right in the common working space, so to speak. This site has the appearance of a summer processing station for piñon pine seeds, given the numerous mortars and the higher elevation.

This site is very close to some historic elements, and a shard of purple glass can be seen a short distance from the pictographs.

Some light purple glass found below the boulder. This glass is more than a century old, dating from 1860-1915.

Finding purple glass out in the wild is interesting, because it means that the glass dates to a specific time period – 1860’s to the mid 1910’s. These glass fragments were originally clear, but the glass manufactured during that time period was clarified in a process that uses manganese. Subsequent sun exposure turns the glass light purple.

It appears as if the spring that originally attracted the Tübatulabal, also attracted European settlers in later years.

This site now forms a part of the archeological record. If you visit it, please leave it undisturbed – do not touch the pictograph panel, and leave any historical artifacts in place for others to find.