Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-12-09
EXPLORE LITTLE
KNOWN ISLANDS
Expedition to Visit Channel Group
in Pacific Off Coast of
California.
RICH In HISTORIC Lore
Islands Are Within 80 Miles OF Cali.
fornia's Shore, Yet Less Than so
Persons Annually Visit Them
discovered by CabriIIo.

a Francisco.-An expedition Of
scientific students has been made I'D
IN California and Oregon to explore
thoroughly the channel islands off that
part OF the coast in California known
as Santa Barbara and Ventura coun-
ties during the next six months, The
party, says the Dearborn Independent.
is to be sustained by Stanford uniyer-
sity largely and to a less extent by
several UNCONVENTIONAL colleges in
southern California. Anthropological
IL archaeological students, who have
spent several weeks each on these is
lands, say they are one of the very
richest fields for work in that depart-
ment of knowledge on the Pacific
coast.
The channel islands constitute Cali
fornia's only archipelago, with the
possible exceptions Of the rocky and
scanty Farallone islands. They have
beer objects of romance, legends.
curiosity and mystery for a genera
ton.
The islands are within 80 miles of
C%alifornia's shore, yet are un%freuuent-
ed and years roll by with visits to
them Of less than SO persons annual
ly. Each island has it's own particu-
lar strange, uncanny traditions of the
tribes of red men, and each has the
countless traces of an occupation by
thousands and thousands Of Indians.
Discovery of Channel Islands.
Whnn TJ1nn poIo,;,o, O.l-.1yz
the Portuguese navigator, sailed up
the coast of California in 1912, he
stopped for a day or two at each of
the channel islands, and his records
bear testimony that III the islands of
Santa Barbara, Catalina, Clemente
and st. Nicholas there were a "vigor-
u and lusty race of natives. who
thronged the shores of the little bays
and ~headlands,' and gazed in mute
wonder at the white-sailed ship of the
n%avigators.
Today the islands stand as they did
more than $50 years ago, but the ma
tives are only a memory, represented
by immense quantities of stone i'm
plements. barrels of fine wampum and
cart lOaGS Oh human bones.
Et. Nicholas island lies so miles i'm
nlediatelT opposite the little city of
Sa1l B~uenaventura (recently called by
the more modern and easy name of
FenturH) and is the most Interesting
nf all tn. elHnncl islands from many
points Oh view. As fir back as the
NE .llorE of amy person in Southern
California extends. hundreds Of white
skeletons have d0trptl tn" valleys and
kil]siG"S. ~%t'am~v utensils Of Serpcn-
t:nA S2nd%tt''." and s~tcatite are found
t~herenmon% the human bones. and the
island and IFS erstwhile inhabitants
lave Il history so curious that it is diff
HcUit Of comprehension.
IN 1888 the franciscan padres in the
santa Barbara mission, learning that
there were but 16 of the strange and
almost extinct human race then living
there, determined to rescue them from
the island. They went over in a sloop
and succeeded, as they thought, in get
"fng all on board.
At the last moment an Indian wom-
On returned for her child, and, one Of
the frequent storms Of the channel is
lands springing up. the sloop was driv-
en- away without her. The Sloop went
on the rocks off Point Conception and
all were lost.
St. Nicholas.
st. Nicholas is 10 miles long and
four miles wide at the widest point.
It's topography shows a nearly level
plateau, with an elevation of 500 to
1000 feet. Two-thirds of the surface
is covered With drifting sand. and the
remainder grows a species of nutri-
tious grass and moss, on which a
thousand sheep find pasture.
AS far as the eye can trace there are
barren levels with innuimerable circu-
lar depressions, showing where primi-
tive dwellings once stood. Not a YES
tige remains of the materials used in
the construction of these ~rancherias.
Hundreds of shell mounds are scat
tered about and are found to consist of
astonishing numbers of mollusca, the
bones of every species of fish found in
the channel, skeletons of seals, sea ell
ephants, whales, sea otter, the island
fox and various aquatic birds.
An examination of some mounds dis
closes all sorts of curious utensils
stone cooking pots, ollas, mortars, pes
ties, drills. bone needles and fish
hooks, shell beads, charm stones,
pipes, cups and a few >arrowheads,
spear points. and swords made of
bone. The absence of many weapons
proves the peaceful attributes of the
islanders. Small limitations of boats
and fish carved from crystallized tale
and serpentine also show a rudimen-
tary knowledge of the art of sculp-
ture.