Butcher Road Milling Station9 bedrock mortarsElevation 250 ft.Thanks to Joel for steering us toward this beautiful rock.A view of the milling station on a rainy day.A closeup of some of the mortars. Note the mortar in a basinPhotographs by Bob Bardell
Curry Creek Milling Station.18 bedrock mortar milling station on a side creek; leaching slick in the creek.The huge bowls found here are like no others we’ve discovered in the East Bay hills. They are deep and wide and have bullet-shaped mortars in their bottoms. Deep cone-shaped mortars with unusually large oval mouths also appear here. […]
Garin, single mortar1 bedrock mortar next to the trail under a tree.Was this little camp a traveler’s rest stop?Bob’s right hand just about spans the mortar’s mouth.One should secure permission before visiting this site.
Jalquin Vista Park16 bedrock Mortars, many with recessed “Olla” rims3 housepitsElevation 1194 ft.What’s in a name? The City of Hayward may think this site was in Jalquin territory, but we believe the Yrgin controlled all of the Walpert Ridge “high country.”This is a great site with extensive views. You can drive right up to it.Note […]
Lion’s Mane Village72 bedrock mortars. Housepits.Named for an edible fungus found here.The area under the trees was probably once home to several families.The Lion’s Mane.Heather near grinding rocks. The open space here is a probable housepit.Jim and Heather examining bedrock mortars. This site is quite extensive. Explore.A venerable food processing station. Note that most of […]
Lynch Canyon Rancher Petroglyph Rock13 bedrock mortars and modern petroglyphs on two rocksElevation 539 ft.This camp sits near the headwaters of the North Fork of Lynch Creek.A large petroglyph panel may be found on this mortar rock.A closer look at the mortars.A nice workstation. Note the layout of the mortars and their size differences.Photograph by […]
Miller’s Creek3 bedrock mortarsThere’s a lot of up and down hiking from Lake Del Valle to Murietta Falls. Miller’s Creek is about halfway there. It flows down in the depths of Williams Gulch.Bob leans against the bedrock mortar rock beside Miller’s Creek.
North Morgan Territory Ridge Lookout KnobOne beautiful bowl-shaped mortar in a spectacular site. Possible tsekstels nearby.Elevation 2034 ft.This mortar rests on the top of a mound of rocks.The mortar bowl.Photograph by Bob Bardell.
Ring Mountain kitchen rockOne bedrock mortar, one anvil, and middenElevation 23 ft.This is another one of Joel’s discoveries. It’s a beautiful streamside site not far from the bay. The mortar is on mica schist. Look for small garnets and larger amphibolite crystals embedded in the rock. These are unusual high pressure, low temperature minerals.The kitchen […]
Silva Creek Cave1 bedrock mortar in a rock shelter; a possible basin metate.Elevation 713 ft.Bob stands at the mouth of the cave. There’s plenty of room inside and comfortable sleeping areas.This beautiful cone-shaped mortar sits right in the middle of an ergonomically contoured rock slab.We believe the trinomial for this site is CA-CCO-6.