Chapters 1 - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Chapter 4
mobile early occupants. More recent evidence suggests that these people had a more diverse
subsistence focus than previously thought. A possible pre-Millingstone component has been
identified at a site near the head of Newport Bay (Drover et al. 1983), where significant evidence
for shellfish collecting and some evidence for fishing and bird procurement have been documented.
4.4.2.2 Millingstone Period (7,500 – 3,000 B.P.)
Archaeological sites dating to the period following about 8,000 B.P. appear in a variety of settings
and are much more common in Orange County than are the earlier sites. They are characterized
by abundant groundstone assemblages, including manos and metates. These milling tools
permitted the processing of hard seeds and a wide range of plants. Along the coast, shellfish
collecting was an important aspect of the diet, and hunting continued to be a source of food.
The relatively extensive deposits and diverse artifact assemblages often seen at Millingstone sites
have led some researchers to argue that many of these sites were residential base camps (e.g.,
Glassow et al. 1988, Drover et al. 1983). More recently, Mason and Peterson (1994) have proposed
that Millingstone settlement on the Newport Coast consisted of movement among a sequence of
reused temporary camps located along resource paths year after year.
4.4.2.3 Intermediate Period (3,000 – 1,000 B.P.)
The period beginning about 3,000 B.P. is characterized by important settlement, subsistence, and
technological changes. The introduction of the mortar and pestle suggests the advent of the acorn
as a food staple. Fishing technology advanced with shell fishhooks (Raab et al. 1995). Projectile
points become smaller, implying the use of the bow and arrow (U.S. Navy 1988). The use of
steatite also begins during this time, indicating trade across the ocean to Catalina Island, the local
source for steatite (Wlodarski et al. 1985). Many of these innovations seem to signal intensification
of subsistence strategies to accommodate a growing population (Erlandson 1994). Large camps
and habitation sites are first evident during this period, implying a more sedentary and territorial
settlement system (Mason and Peterson 1994).
4.4.2.4 Late Prehistoric Period (1,000 B.P. – 1800 A.D.)
Between 1,500 and 1,300 B.P. population densities increased significantly, leading to complex
social, political, and technological systems (Wallace 1955). Economic systems continued to
diversify and intensify. Trade networks were well established and the use of shell-bead money
began. Inshore and offshore fishing became central to the economic system (Erlandson 1994)
and reflect an effective fishing technology (Glassow 1980). Much of the maritime adaptation
was probably influenced by the Chumash. The lifestyle patterns that emerged during this
period appear to resemble those of the ethnohistoric Luiseño (including the Juaneño),
Gabrieliño, and other Shoshonean speakers.
Several settlement changes in coastal Orange and southern Los Angeles counties occurred at
this time: the San Joaquin Hills, abandoned during the Intermediate Period, were reoccupied,
while Huntington Beach Mesa and Bolsa Chica Mesa seem to have been abandoned. Some of
these settlement shifts may have resulted from the siltation of coastal lagoon habitats and
from climate-related disruptions. Most people settled into a relatively limited number of
permanent settlements that were located close to a variety of resources. Associated with these
primary settlements was an array of hunting and gathering areas that could be utilized
seasonally (Mason and Peterson 1994).
4-78 Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge