Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-15
Copyright by James ElversonJ

tCOpyrigm by James ElversonD
(" HE Sierre Madre Mountains present
somewhat remarkable appearance
- to the traveller fresh from the vi
lN3S@NI cinity of the Aleghenies the Blue
Ridge, or the White Mountains. In
stead of the typical peaks, well
rounded and wooded, they resemble, from a
distance of few miles, an abrupt wall ser
rated at the top, their sides scared and cut,
rising directly from the plain or Valley of
san Gabriel From the sea, a single ridge
alone is noticed, and only when the summit
IS reached is the vastness of the range appre
Grated From here, ridge succeeds ridge as
iar as the eye can reach, the peaks growing
more and more precipitous, Jagged and pro-
nounced, until far away they seem to present
an almost impenetrable barrier to human
progress. For forty miles these mountains ex-
tend, TO cross which the hunter or mountain
climber would have to travel perhaps hun
dreds of miles.
This is owing to the depressions and mark
ings already referred to, which, upon near
apProach, prove to be not merely landslides,
but great canyons that lead down in great
numbers from every peak: these in turn hav-
ing branches or tributary canyons, so that
the entire range is a vast labyrinth.
These canyons are all formed by water dur
ing the rainy season; the largest, as the Ar
royo Seco, Millard, Eaton and others, being
the beds of rushing streams along whose banks
grow about the only large natural trees to
be found in this section
Along the bottom of the large ravines, trails
have been made, extending, in some cases,
TOR ten miles, and ultimately reaching the
summit that may perhaps be only seven thou
sand feet above the sea-evel.
In following up the Arroyo Seco Canyon, in
the winter OF 1885 my horse almost stumbled
over stone of such unusual shape that
dismounted and picked it up. 1t was about
eight inches in length, larger at one end than
the other and roughly worn into a regular
e un1p piIht of
facture.
What such an implement could be used for
was something OF mystery. 1t was evident
ly not hammer, as the sides still showed the
rough spots or marks that had been left when
1t was made. 1t was too small for a weapon
and as the large end of the implement was
somewhat rounded off, / concluded that it
was used for grinding purposes.
On another occasion, while riding on a
neighborlng plateau, l was fortunate in find
ing what was no doubt vessel for holding
graln'1a piece OF steatite, about eighteen inches
long by eight inches wide, having a shape
land to chop meat in. This was thicker how
ever. and must have weighed ten pounds.
thinking that there some association
between my two finds, l carried it to the
mouse OF the farmer who owned the land and
there found an extremely interesting collec-
ton OF implements of various kinds that had
been plowed up in the vicinity.
The club-shaped stone, according to him, was
" PS'.'o, anu Che uiSIl, a number OF which
were in the collection was mortar in which
the, ancient Californians ground their grain,
seeds, or whatever the material was
The owner of the ranch informed me that
he frequently plowed up these and other i'm
plements, and he considered that his house
stood on the site of very ancient camping
ground, where the early inhabitants lived in
the summer, SO as to be near the CANYONS, up
which they followed to reach the nut-bearing
trees of the upper range.
mat the camp was old one was evident
from the fact that many of the mortars were
old and worn out. Some had holes in them
SIX or eight inches across; Others were broken
IN two and cast aside, showing that they had
been In long usage on this spot
In excayating for cistern the farmer had
found large number of grinding utensils,
many in fine condition, giving the Impression
that they had either been left many years ago,
and covered by natural causes, or had been
purposely buried by the natives, who for
some reason had never returned.
The majority were found four or five feet
beneath the surface, in groups and Others
were plowed up all over the plateau.
l observed that a number of the pestIes
were entirely different from that had picked
up in the Arroyo Seco Canyon They Were were