AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1 9 6 6 double issue - Desert Magazine of ...

Collecting
Mammoth
Arrowheads
by Roger Mitchell
EVERY SUMMER thousands of
Southern California vacationers head
up the Owens Valley to their favoritevacation
spots in the High Sierra. As they
speed along highways 6 and 395, few
motorists realize what interesting little
treasures lie but a few feet off the road,
scarcely noticed at 65 mph. Among other
things, there is Fossil Falls, the charcoal
kilns, the earthquake fault, and an old
Indian campsite which has yielded hundreds
of arrowheads.
Archeologists and amateurs interested
ir our early Indian heritage are no strangers
to the Inyo-Mono County region of
east-central California. Here are a number
of important sites which give us a
glimpse into the forgotten days of early
man. A few modern day explorers may
have visited the extensive petroglyphs
in Fish Slough just north of Bishop (see
DESERT Aug. '63) or perhaps the outstanding
petroglyph sites at \i ild Horse-
Mesa now within the borders of China
Your home away from home
-or FREE Brochure and
Address of Nearest Dealer write to:
ESQUIER OAKS, INC. Box 1616D Hemet, California
Ryan Airfield, Hangar #2, Area Code 714-658-4451
54 / Desert Magazine / August-September, 1966
Lake Naval Ordnance Test Station. Still
a few others might remember the important
Stahl Site near Little Lake where the
Southwest Museum uncovered the 5,000
year old artifacts of the Pinto culture.
Although ancient arrowhead workshops
have been found in the Saline Valley
as well as around Mono Lake, the Hot
Creek site is by far the most accessible
and has yielded some of the finest arrowhead
specimens found.
The arrowhead collecting site is on
the south side of highway 395 at a point
0.9 miles east of the Mammoth Lakes
turnoff and 0.1 mile west of the Mono
County Sheriff Station. Park on the wide
shoulder of the road and walk a few
yards south of the road. Notice the deep
flour-like soil is littered with millions
of obsidian chips. This obsidian did not
form here naturally. It was probably
found on the hill just to the north across
Hot Creek, and brought here to be
worked and chipped into arrowheads.
DEALERSHIPS OPEN
BEST BUY IN AMERICA!
Space-engineered to be completely
self-contained. Sleeps 4 comfortably.
Ruggedly built onto 3 A ton 137'
wheelbase. Powered for carefree cruising
with dual rear wheels.
AIR CONDITIONING OPTIONAL
From the millions of obsidian chips lying
everywhere, it seems likely that this sitewas
in use for perhaps centuries.
Nearby is an outcrop of black basaltic
lava which contains a dozen or so bedrock
morters. At the base of the lava flow previous
arrowhead collectors have dug a
number of holes. Do not let this deter
you in your search. Both the lava flow
and the surrounding sage-land are full
of these obsidian chips. It requires a
keen eye to discern a genuine arrowhead
among the millions of chips, and because
of this many arrowheads have been overlooked.
It is difficult to date the earliest occupancy
of this site with any accuracy. One
might reasonably speculate that the area
was in use 1000 years ago, and it seems
likely that Piute squaws ground meal in
the bedrock mortars as recently as 150
years ago. The arrowhead factory was
probably used only seasonally, as winter
snows may get quite deep here. Whatever
the period of use, it must have made
an ideal camp. The surrounding sageland
was abundant with small game as
well as deer and antelope. Nearby also
were the warm waters of Hot Creek and
the sacred ground around the Casa Diablo
geysers. Another consideration for choosing
the site was the close proximity to an
inexhaustible suppy of obsidian, probably
the finest and most easily worked arrowhead
material known.
The collecting site is within Inyo National
Forest, so under Public Law 209
(Federal Antiquities Act of 1906) collecting
artifacts from the surface is permissible
without a permit. Digging for
arrowheads however, is unlawful. •