Ancient Village

 I've been looking forward to writing this post for a while now. Please pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable, as it's going to be a long one!

 

"Ancient Village" is a little known site in a remote area of the S CA desert. Very remote. And "little known" might be an understatement. Unknown is more accurate. I definitely won't be sharing the location, and will try my best not to even give any hints.

The area is just a jumble of boulders. I had heard rumors that long ago, this was a thriving Native American village site. Not just a seasonal camp, but an actual established village. Two virtual desert explorer friends encouraged me to explore the area, and to them I owe a huge thank you: Dave and Ben. They are the only people I know of who have visited this site in recent times, although I'm sure there must be others. I had a rough idea of the site's location, but beyond that, it would just be a matter of painstakingly searching, poking around, looking in all the nooks and crannies of the thousands of boulders in the area. I might get lucky and find something, or I might not. One thing for sure: The area is much too large, complex and remote to explore in a single day. To do it right would require mutliple visits.
 

I would be looking for pottery sherds, grinding slicks and manos, olla nests, lithic scatter, and anything else that might indicate that Native Americans had long ago inhabited the area.

 

I had picked a great day to explore. Warm but not hot, and a pretty sky. As expected, I didn't see another human being all day. Not even a footprint. Not even an OLD footprint! Clearly, this area is almost never visited.

 

After a long desert slog and finally arriving at the area I suspected to be the Ancient Village site, I noticed this large boulder with a smoothed out, lighter-colored area that looked suspiciously like a grinding slick. Even better: What appeared to be the grinding stone or "mano" was right next to it! As I started to search around the boulders, I started seeing pottery sherds and lithic scatter (chipped stone debris that indicate rocks were being chipped and formed into tools and points). LOTS of pottery sherds. I actually became aware that I need to watch more closely where I was stepping to avoid stepping on and breaking pottery sherds. I've never seen so much pottery!

 

I came across what looked like it might be a small shelter area. Right away I noticed a grinding slick (bottom center), and then a smaller slick with the mano sitting on top of it (upper right). I noticed some dead looking weeds (center, and close up below) that raised a flag in my mind. I didn't recognize the plant, and it seemed out of place.  It kind of looked like pine needles. No pines in this area, but I was so excited to find the grinding slicks and mano that I didn't think much more about it. But keep it in the back of your mind.

What the heck is this stuff?? Is it hiding something?

 

Standing in this little shelter area and looking out, I could see three grinding slicks, with a forth on my left (out of the photo). Then I noticed this:

I'll call this "significant find #1". It's kind of a grinding stone holding rock. Three grinding stones or manos sitting side by side, as if they are waiting to be picked up and used! The worn surfaces on the manos are easy to see. It certainly makes you wonder who set them here, and whose was the last hand to touch them. Fascinating!
 

Interesting side note: An archeologist by the name of Daniel McCarthy explored and documented this area on multiple dates throughout the year 1975. His photos documenting the area can be found in a photo archive, and I've reviewed them all closely. He found many things in this area that I wasn't able to find, but he didn't document this mano holding rock!

I explore another potential shelter (there are many like this).

 

In one corner, there are rocks that appear to have been arranged in roughly a circle. And outside the shelter, more pottery sherds, some of them quite large (the lens cap fits my wide angle lens and is a large one). There is also what might be a stone tool that was next to the sherds (right in photo below). It fit perfectly in my hand, and even felt like it had finger ridges. I can only make guesses as to its possible uses.

 

Another possible stone tool.

 

McCarthy documented many petroglyph sites in the area, but I'm only able to find a couple.

 

An interesting split rock. I notice something unusual on top of the rock (right side, arrow). Is it natural weathering or perhaps a petroglyph? I have no idea. I cropped the photo (below) for a better view.

 

More petroglyphs

  

Yet another grinding slick. They are all over out here!

Smiley rock!

 

Then we came across something that just made my jaw drop: Inside a beautiful large shelter is an olla nest! (significant find #2)

 

Olla: "A large, widemouthed earthenware vessel used (as by Native Americans) for storage or as a container for water." This perfectly preserved olla "nest" was used by Native Americans to hold an olla and its contents in a safe place, and out of direct sunlight. This exact olla nest was document by Daniel McCarthy in 1975.

 

Oh, and remember that weird weedy material that looked like pine needles that I told you to keep in the back of your mind? Well, here it is again, lining the bottom of the olla nest!

 

Photo credit: Mitch

 

1975 photo of the same olla nest, by D. McCarthy. The nest looks identical today, with the exception of the spirit stick, which has fallen over, and some of the nesting material has degraded.
 

Screenshot, taken from "The Desert Was Home", of William Campbell with two ollas. Photo likely taken in the 1920's.

  

If you're wondering where the olla or ollas are that might have been at this site, my guess (and hope) is they were removed, perhaps by Daniel McCarthy (he was employed by Joshua Tree National Park during the time he was out here documenting things), or perhaps much earlier by William and Elizabeth Campbell. I wouldn't be surprised if they are sitting in the JTNP Museum collection right at this very moment!

 

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Thanks for joining me on this adventure!

 

These sites are incredibly fragile. If you happen upon one, please leave it exactly as you found it.