The Native American tribe of Sierra Miwoks lived in the foothills of the mountains in small villages of two dozen to several hundred people. Their houses were made of layers of bark slabs leaning against each other to form a teepee shape. Along with deer and gathered plants the mainstay of their diet was acorns. The acorns were shelled, dried and pounded into meal which could be stored and used throughout the year.
The park preserves the site of a large collection of bedrock mortar holes used in making acorn flour - 1,185 of them! A short paved trail leads to a platform overlooking the grinding rock and continues to a ceremonial roundhouse. The roundhouse is in the process of being rebuilt. Examples of bark houses, acorn granaries and ramadas have been built on the grounds. Trails loop through the woods. A small museum has artifacts and historic displays.
The museum is accessible. The paved trail has a slight downhill grade. Wheelchair users may need help to get back uphill. An unpaved trail that starts at the museum and travels through the woods is marked as accessible. It has a slight uphill grade and wheelchair users will probably need to have some help. We went about 1/3 mile before turning around.
The parking lot is large enough for RVs if parked across the spaces or backed up over the grass. Park
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My Aunt (dad's brother's first wife) was 1/4 Miwok. Unfortunately she died of cancer at a young age, but I was very close to my cousins who even got some $$$$ from California government due to their Indiana ancestry. Looking forward to seeing you both on Monday! --Dave
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting - I didn't know that California Indians ever received any monetary compensation. It looks like they were treated worse than the Indians in other states, if that's possible. Looking forward to seeing you guys too!
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