With neither grizzly bears nor Indians to eat them, the acorn crop in many
parts of California simply rots on the ground.
near Manzana Creek, San
Rafael Wilderness, Los Padres NF, CA (1993).
Bedrock mortars, for grinding acorns, frequently mark Indian habitation
sites.
Indian Grinding Rocks SHP, near Jackson, CA (1992).
The magnificent black oaks of Yosemite Valley were a mainstay of the
pre-contact indian economy.
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite NP, CA (1977)
Photograph by Hugh P. Bain..
During the Spanish and Mexican periods of California history Indians were
forcibly relocated to the Franciscan missions.
Mission San Antonio, CA
(1992).
Being made of perishable materials, few California Indian dwellings have
survived, but replicas have been constructed.
Indian Grinding Rocks SHP,
near Jackson, CA (1992).
Indian middens along the coast are marked by charcoal-darkened soil and shell
fragments.
Point Lobos SR, near Carmel, CA (1984).
When the Franciscan missions were abandoned local Indian populations often
just faded away.
Mission Soledad, CA (1969).