The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-11-01
PREHISTORIC CALIFORNIA.
Some Interesting Relies of Past Ages in
the Golden State.

DR.. Lorenzo G. Yates, an associate
of the Philosophical society of London,
recently read paper before the Cali
fornia Historical society in which he
contended that geology furnishes pages
of facts, long antedating written his
tory and tribunal traditions, and that
in California have been and are found
the relics on the continent. In the
state are found the relics of the differ
ent and widely-separated periods of
occupation before the arrival of Euro
peans.
The first authenticated record of the
original occupants was found on the
table-moumtain region in TuOlumne
county, and is of an age prior to the
great volcanic outbursts. Fossil re-
mains of the rhinoceros and of an ex-
tinct horse are found under the lava
layers forming the table mountain,
which are l, 400 feet thick. LOO feet
wide, and many hundreds of feet high,
where the river beds have been washed
out and have been covered again to
the depth of from three thousand to
four thousand feet more since the flow
of the lava.
This lava rests on bed of detritus,
nels. The human relics and stone i'm
plements found in these formations
give evidence of human habitants
different from any known since. There
have been found spearheads, pipe of
polished stone, two scoops of stealetic
rock resembling the grocer's SCOOP
an implement of aragOnite resembling
an unbent bow, but the use of which
is unknown and cannot be con njectured,
stone needle with notches ut the
larger end, and the finest charm stones
that have ever been found
These relics so accidentally found
differ so much in character and work
manship as to indicate the existence
of race entirely different and pos
sessed of more artistic skill and me
chanical ability than any known since.
The relics of the races after foreign
habitatiOn are plentifully found in
bones in the DEVILS canon, in Placer.
and in Calaveras. Mammal fossils are
| TO be unearthed in various localities,
and there have been brought to light
the fossils of nine mastodonS, twenty
| elphants, various pachyderms i'll the
table mountains; numerous evidences
| of animal life in the calcarenus forma-
| tions in the Texas flats, Obsidian spear
heads, fossils of the elephant, horse,
and camel about Horuitas, bones and
evidences of prehistoric human indus
try in Tulare, and in Trinity and Siski-
you many proofs of the contemporane-
Gus existence of man and extinct mann
mails.
The elephants were larger in size
than the largest of tropical climes; the
llama was eighteen feet high, beside
| which the animal of Central America
would be baby; the tiger was larger
than the largest royal Bengal, besides
which there were monster horses and
oxen. The remains of these are plenti-
| fully found in Alameda county, not far
from COntreville.
In the San Jose valley are deep lay
ers of coniferous trees in such carbon
| lied state that they crumble into dust
when exposed to the air. They are of
the pliocene period, and show that tn
entire topography of the region has
changed, and that where now the val
| leys and mountains are destitute of
| timber there were once coniferous and
| deciduous trees, affording food and
shelter to monster mammals, in COM
| parison to which man was but an insig-
nificant mite.
In the layers of the miocene period
| are found in California the remains OF
amphibious animals not to be found
| elsewhere; but nowhere now does
there exist on the northern continent
a species of the mammalia which, had
| life and existence there. 1t is question
| able, declared the writer of the paper,
whether any relics have been left OF
the race which existed after the vOlcan-
ic cataclysm, after which also the cOun-
try assumed its present appearance.
The aborigines in the central part OF
California had no system OF burial.
Those of the southern portion erected
slab or deposited the bones of whales
on the grave, and those of the north
deposited logs or stones to mark the
| grave. About San Jose there are evil
dences that cremation was practiced,
as in some of the other coast counties.
Plummets, or ''sinkers," or spindle
Wheels" as they have been called, are
one of the most interesting and rarest
of relics, and are more abundantly
found in the central portion of Cali
fornia than in any other section. They
were made by the mountain tribes, and
probably fort purpose of barter with
the aborigines on the coast; or, being
Of prevolcanic origin, were aScribed to
supernatural purpose. 1t may be al
so that they were used as sinkers fol-
nets with which to catch fish, as they
are grooved for tying purposes.