Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park |
|
|---|---|
Rock outcrop with mortar holes
|
|
 Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park
Location in California
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Amador County, California |
| Nearest city | Pine Grove, California |
| Area | 135 acres (55 ha) |
| Established | 1962 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
|
Indian Grinding Rock
|
|
| Area | 264 acres (106.8 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000133 |
| Added to NRHP | May 06, 1971 |
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park is a special place in California. It's a California State Park that protects a huge rock with over 1,185 holes carved into it. This is the biggest collection of grinding holes in all of North America!
The park is found in the Sierra Nevada mountains, about 8 miles (13 km) east of Jackson. It sits in a pretty valley about 2,400 feet (732 meters) above sea level. You'll see open meadows and big valley oak trees here. These trees once gave the Miwok people lots of acorns, which were a very important food source. The park, which is about 135 acres (55 hectares), was created in 1962. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 because of its historical importance.
The native name for this site is "Chaw’se". This is a Miwok word that means "grinding rock". Long ago, the Miwok people used this rock to grind acorns and other seeds into a fine meal, like flour. As they ground, they slowly made the cup-shaped holes you can still see today.
Besides the grinding holes, the main rock also has many petroglyphs. These are ancient carvings in the stone. You can see circles, spoked wheels, animal and human tracks, and wavy lines. Some of these carvings might be as old as two or three thousand years! They are now a bit hard to see. It's very rare to find rock art and grinding holes together like this in California. Chaw'se is one of only two known places where the grinding holes were purposely decorated with petroglyphs.
Chaw'se Regional Indian Museum
Inside the park, you'll find the Chaw'se Regional Indian Museum. This museum has many interesting exhibits and a large collection of items from the Sierra Nevada Indian tribes. You can also see a reconstructed Miwok village. In the middle of the valley, there's a ceremonial roundhouse. This roundhouse is so important that it's listed as California Historical Landmark #1001.
The museum building itself was designed to look like a traditional roundhouse. Inside, on two floors, you can learn about the tools, crafts, and ways of life of the Miwok people and other Native American groups from the Sierra Nevada region. The museum's collection includes information about many different tribes. These include the Northern, Central, and Southern Miwok, Maidu, Konkow, Monache, Nisenan, Tubatulabal, Washoe, and Foothill Yokuts.
Wildlife at the Park
The types of birds you might see here change with the seasons. However, many birds live in the park all year. You might spot turkey vultures, California scrub and Steller's jays, California quail, acorn and hairy woodpeckers, northern flickers, hermit thrushes, and California thrashers. You can also see wild turkeys, though they are not native to this area. In the summer, look for the bright colors of the western tanager, northern oriole, calliope and Anna's hummingbirds in the woods around the meadow.
Many animals also live in and around the park. You might see deer, fox, gray and California ground squirrels, black-tailed jackrabbits, bobcats, and bats. Sometimes, a mountain lion or black bear might visit the park. On quiet summer nights, you can often hear the calls of coyotes.
Images for kids
-
Visitor center overview of park
-
Chaw-Se building
-
close up of grinding holes
-
Roundhouse interior
.jpg)
