WHILE I WORKED FOR THE STATE PARKS IN THE EARLY 80'S I SUPERVISED THE EXCAVATION OF A TEST OF SEVERAL CUBIC YARDS AT A PREHISTORIC SITE DATING TO THE PLEISTOCENE. WE HAD A VOLUNTEER CREW OF ABOUT 20 FOLKS WHO SWEATED DURING THE COURSE OF A WEEKEND.
THE ARTIFACTS TOOK MONTHS TO CATALOGUE AND ANALYZE. I BROUGHT THEM INTO OUR LAB WHILE SOME OF THE STAFF TOOK OVER COUNTING VARIOUS FLAKES. I WENT TO SSU TO LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY AND DIFFERENTIATE THE TYPES OF OBSIDIANS WE HAD UNEARTHED. WE BROUGHT SOME SAMPLES OF OBSIDIAN TO SSU FOR OBSIDIAN HYDRATION IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE AGE OF VARIOUS DEPOSITS.
MY REPORT TOOK OVER A MONTH TO ORGANIZE AND COMPLETE. I PRESENTED A PAPER ON THIS EXCAVATION TO OUR CALIFORNIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A SITE USED FOR OVER 10,000 YEARS BY THE SOUTHEASTERN POMO PEOPLE. WE COLLECTED MANY FISH BONES, A WIDE VARIETY OF DEBITAGE, ONLY A FEW PROJECTILE POINTS, SEVERAL MANOS AND OTHER UNIDENTIFIABLE BASALT ROCKS. THE PARK WAS PLACING A VIEWING PLATFORM HERE FOR THE MARSH. THIS SITE HAD BEEN EXCAVATED MORE THOROUGHLY IN THE EARLY 70'S, SO I HAD A LOT OF COMPARATIVE DATA TO USE. THE SOUTHEASTERN POMO STILL USED THIS PARK FOR DANCING AND FOR EXHIBITS FOR THE PUBLIC. THE SITE IS LOCATED BY ONE OF THE LARGEST NATURAL LAKES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
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