Santa Susana Mountain Park Association
Protecting and Preserving the Historic Chatsworth Hills Area
ROCK ART
by: Albert Knight, Archaeologist, SSMPA Board Member
SSMPA occasionally receives questions about local Native American cave paintings or "rock art." This is because people have heard about the beautiful paintings in the Burro Flats area, and/or about paintings at other Chumash archaeology sites. What most people do not realize is that California is endowed with 100’s of rock art sites. Many of these sites are on private property, in isolated areas, or are in poor condition. Many sites are not easily accessible or not of interest to the general public. But there are well-preserved rock art sites on public lands and some are available for viewing. Note that there are two main types of rock art: paintings are called pictographs and carvings and/or pecking on solid rock is/are called petroglyphs. I have chosen five of my favorite California WOW! rock art sites to visit; all are fairly easy to get to, both by car and- after you get there - by foot. The rock art at all of these sites is spectacular and well worth the time and trouble to visit. All of these sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1- Santa Barbara County - Painted Cave: The well-known Chumash Painted Cave in San Marcos Pass, north of Santa Barbara, constitutes California's smallest State Historic Park. A little mountain driving is required but the beautiful drive and paintings are worth the effort. The walk to the site is literally only a few feet and the paintings are one of the largest, most complex, and most colorful pictograph panels in California. Painted Cave is one of the easiest sites to get to. This is a great day trip … only 80 miles from the West SFV.
One can get to the Park via Painted Cave Road directly from San Marcos Road. The road is very narrow and steep and the view of the area (quite beautiful) is restricted by the terrain and the vegetation. I suggest instead taking the following route: From California Highway 101 in Santa Barbara take San Marcos Pass Road (Santa Barbara 154) north to the top of the Santa Inez Mountains and turn right (east) onto East Camino Cielo Road. Take this very curvy paved road a few miles and you will see a street sign for Painted Cave Road on your right. Take this REALLY curvy paved road a bit over a mile and after a couple of gut-wrenching hairpin turns in the beautiful oak forest the road will straighten out and be adjacent to the drainage.... you are now about to arrive at the park.... on the hillside above you and on your right. The park is small and easy to miss; watch out for the park signage next to the road. There is room for only 2-3 cars at any one time. Be ready to say "Wow!"
You will be going DOWN Painted Cave Road when you leave with a great view of the Santa Barbara coast as you descend the mountain (a good reason to drive this way.... you don't see the coastal view going up). Painted Cave Road returns you to the 154. Go left to return to Santa Barbara; go right to go to the Santa Inez Valley and points north.
2- San Luis Obispo - Carrizo Plains National Monument Painted Rock: If you want to locate "the middle of nowhere," start the search in the Carrizo Plains at Painted Rock. The Plains are located in the southeastern-most part of San Luis Obispo County. The Plains Road also is a nice alternate inland route when coming or going to the central California coast. Carrizo Plains is especially known for its spectacular spring wildflower displays, for the wildlife (One time I drove by a Golden Eagle sitting by the side of the road just 20 feet away!), and the home of Painted Rock, which is considered the greatest concentration of pictographs in the United States. Even though the numerous multi-colored paintings have been severely vandalized; the site continues to be a remarkable example of California's rock art.
To visit the Carrizo Plains and Painted Rock take the California Interstate (5) Freeway north. Continue beyond the Grapevine and a couple of miles past where California Highway 99 splits off from the I-5; you will come to the Maricopa (California 166) Highway. Go west (left) and cross the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley (a real straight shot for about 20 miles). When you reach the "town" (maybe once) of Maricopa, stay on the 166 as it enters the east side of the Coast Ranges. You will gain altitude as the road rises and curves around a bit. In another 10 miles (or so) you will see the ruins of an old gas station and store on your right. This marks the location of Soda Road which is signed; there is a kiosk just after the turn which describes the Monument, access, etc. Soda Road varies in condition quite a bit, but any vehicle with decent clearance will do fine. Drive northwest on Soda Road and pass Soda Lake (dry or wet). A few miles beyond Soda Lake you will see signage for the Goodwin Center and Museum, turn left (west) and go to the Center and sign in. The Center has displays and information on the Plains and on Painted Rock. Some times during the year they provide interpretive tours that you can join. After signing in drive about 1-mile to the parking area. A 2-mile round trip will take you to Painted Rock and back. Be prepared to be amazed!
3. Inyo County - Little Petroglyph Canyon: The largest concentration of petroglyphic rock art in North American is located only a few hours' drive from the San Fernando Valley. A series of petroglyph panels occupies a long narrow wash in the central park of the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. The petroglyphs are found on both sides of the wash for about one mile! These petroglyphs are large and interesting (many show shamen and Big Horn Sheep) and there are literally several 1000s. If you only see one rock art display in Southern California, this is the one you should see. You will never forget the experience. Seeing ALL of the petroglyphs in this canyon will require about a three mile hike, most of which is fairly easy, but a small amount of "boulder hopping" is required to do the entire hike. Access is by docent-led guided tours ONLY; tours are led by staff from the Maturango Museum in Ridgecrest. You must make a reservation through the museum and meet at the museum the morning of your tour. After a short orientation your group will check in at the base and then drive as a group to the tour parking area. Plan on spending an entire day; you can easily make it back to the SFV that evening. I spend the night before the tour in Ridgecrest at the Heritage Inn so I have time for breakfast and a short drive to the museum.
Directions to Ridgecrest and the Maturango Museum: Take the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway north and on through the Mojave Desert. Continue north to California Highway 178. Take this road east to Ridgecrest. The Maturango Museum is located at 100 E. Las Flores Avenue. The drive from the museum to the 5tour parking area takes about one hour. You CANNOT take pictures of the base but you can take all the photos that you like of the rock art itself.
4. Inyo County - Fish Slough: There are three large concentrations of petroglyphs in the Fish Slough area (north of Bishop in Inyo County); these sites are accessible to the general public. These sites were the first petroglyph sites I ever saw and piqued my interest in the subject. All three sites are next to or close-by a well maintained dirt road that any vehicle with good ground clearance can successfully navigate. Anyone that has gone to Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, or June Lake has driven right by the turn-off. Short distances of easy walking are required to see these three sites. However, it is necessary to get up and into some of the larger boulders to see many of the petroglyphs: PLEASE DO NOT WALK ON ANY OF THE ROCK ART. There are lots of petroglyphs and many different designs. Plan to spend at least half a day examining these three rock art sites.
To get to the Fish Slough petroglyphs sites take the Antelope Valley (14) freeway north to where it joins California Highway 395 and proceed north to Bishop; continue through town and go to the last traffic light in Bishop. DON'T go left towards Mammoth Mountain (etc.); continue straight on Highway 6. In just over one mile Highway 6 curves to the east (right). DON'T go that way. There will be a signed dirt road on your left, as Highway 6 begins to curve (to the right). Make the left onto Five Bridges Road which will soon cross the Owen's River. This is a great place to take a stretch and a couple of pictures. Just north of the river make a left onto Jean Blanc Road (dirt); follow this 6/10 of a mile to Fish Slough Road (also dirt). Proceed north on Fish Slough Road and you will see signage, parking areas, and interpretive kiosks when you arrive at each site. The drive in is less than 6 miles. When you are done viewing return to Bishop and Highway 395 the way you came.
5. Tulare County - Hospital Rock: For anyone visiting the southwest side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains the best place to see rock art is Hospital Rock . A large panel of well preserved red pictographs can be easily accessed from the General's Highway, after entering Sequoia National Park from the Lake Kaweah/Three Rivers park entrance. There is a parking lot at the site, which is located adjacent to the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River and the walk is short and easy. Interpretive kiosks explain the history of the site and the pictographs and there is a picnic area for those who want to linger at this beautiful spot .
To get to Hospital Rock take the Golden State (5) Freeway north to where California Highway 99 splits off. Follow the 99 north to the General's Highway (California Highway 198) and go east (right) to the Community of Three Rivers (my wife and I always stay at the Buckeye Hotel when we are in this part of the woods). Follow the 198 through Three Rivers and enter Sequoia National Park. After paying the park fee, you get a map with directions to Hospital Rock and other park sites; drive into the park and follow the river for a few miles to the Hospital Rock parking and picnic area. Enjoy.
There are numerous other rock art sites in California and Nevada that are accessible if one is willing to drive a bit. There is plenty of information on rock art available on the www and there are quite a few well-illustrated books available on the subject, too, so there is plenty of opportunity for you to do your own research and pick other places to visit. Let us know what you find!
For you own Chumash Rock Art design organic cotton T-Shirt, visit our website: www.ssmpa.com Sign up for a life membership and/or a donation of $50.00 and receive a free T-Shirt: Let us know your size when you mail in your check. Questions? E-mail: mail@ssmpa.com
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History, Fauna and Flora
of Santa Susana State Historical Park
Warren Stone
Natural history
The Santa Susana pass is the division between the Simi Hills to the south and Santa Susana Mountains to the north, and forms the most critical wildlife corridor and habitat linkage between them. The scenery is made up of sandstone formations in massive outcroppings and numerous boulders, with California chaparral and woodlands Ecoregion, with oak savannahs, chaparral shrub forest , and native bunchgrass plant communities in between. The perennial water sources provide habitat for birds, mammals, and reptiles.
Histroy Native American
The Santa Susana Pass was at the juncture of the Native American Tongva-Fernandeño, Chumash-Venturaño, and Tataviam-Fernandeño tribal lands and was first crossed by their trail route, and used for an estimated 8,000 years.
Early 19th century
The Spanish, and later Mexican, Mission San Fernando Rey de España and San Fernando Valley rancho people used the trail beginning in the latter 18th century. A rough wagon road evolved. In 1859, the California Legislature appropriated $15,000 (with additional funding provided by Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties) towards improving the old wagon road into a new stagecoach road, now known as the Old Santa Susana Stage Road. The precipitous portion of the route down from the summit on the San Fernando Valley side was called the Devil's Slide; horses were usually blindfolded and chains were used to augment brakes on the steep descent. Passengers debarked and walked. Mid-19th century The outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 disrupted mail service along the Butterfield Overland Mail's southern stagecoach route from St. Louis, Missouri via El Paso, Fort Yuma and Los Angeles and on to San Francisco via the Tejon Pass, which had begun its run in 1858. To compensate, the government contracted the Butterfield Company to carry mail between Los Angeles and San Francisco via the new wagon road over the Santa Susana Pass. The first overland mail stage run through the pass took place on April 6, 1861. The main route climbs through what is now Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, with a branch in L.A. City Park 'Chatsworth Park South.' It was an important artery linking the Los Angeles Basin and inland Ventura County, and was part of the main route for travel by stagecoach between Los Angeles and San Francisco from 1861 until the opening of rail traffic between the cities in 1876. The Old Santa Susana Stage Road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Part of the stage road is also a Historic-Cultural Monument of Ventura County and of the City of Los Angeles under the name 'Old Stagecoach Trail.'
Late 19th century
A new wagon route bypassing the deteriorating Devil's Slide was opened in 1895 to the north . Initially called El Camino Nuevo (the New Road), it was later named the Chatsworth Grade Road, which continued in use until Santa Susana Pass Road (now Old Santa Susana Pass Road) was built in 1917. This was the first automobile route between the San Fernando and Simi Valleys. It also was the main northbound 'coast road' to Santa Barbara and San Francisco, until the Conejo Grade in Ventura County between Conejo Valley and the Oxnard Plain on "Camino Real Viejo" (the Old Royal Road, now U.S. Route 101), was improved. In 1979 State Route 118, the "Simi Valley-San Fernando Valley Freeway" opened, north of the old auto road as the latest route across the Pass. In 1994 it was renamed the "Ronald Reagan Freeway".
20th century
The pass area became famous from being seen in many movies, primarily 'Westerns,' filmed from the 1920s to 1950s here at the Spahn, Iverson, Bell Moving Picture, and Corriganville Movie Ranches. The area became infamous in the late 1960s with the Manson Family headquartered at the Spahn Ranch, near the top of the stage road's Devil's Slide. To the south of the old stage road is Sage Ranch Park and the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. Immediately to the north of Route 118 at the pass top is Rocky Peak Park, a part of the Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor. The old wagon road and rocky hill environs are part of the Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, for public exploration. SSMPA is trying to get the park included in the Rim of the Valley trail corridor study as an alternate feeder trail.
Flora
The south-facing slopes are mostly covered in Chaparral shrubland, grasslands, and oak savanna. The north-facing slopes are home to magnificent oak woodlands, some of which have been protected in the Santa Clarita Woodlands Park and other large open space preserves. The mountains are part of the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion. The Oaks, (Quercus spp.), include the evergreen Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), the deciduous Valley Oak (Quercus lobata), and the Scrub Oak (Quercus dumosa) all can be found in the area. Spring wildflowers include the Redbush Monkey Flower, Mariposa Lily, and Canyon Sunflower. Poison Oak is also an important member of the native plant habitat community.
Fauna
Many bird species thrive in the Santa Susana Mountains. Perhaps the most common raptors observed soaring over the brushy, boulder-strewn landscape are Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, and American Kestrels. In oak woodlands it is not uncommon to see Red-shouldered Hawks flying from limb to limb. Through the cover of dense, trailside chaparral you might glimpse the California Towhee or the colorful Rufous-sided Towhee, birds who often make their presence known by rustling up leaf litter on the ground. California Quail, Greater Roadrunner, and Common Raven are also residents of the range. The eerie and enchanting call of the Common Poorwill can often be heard after dark while quick eyes might observe the silent flight of Great Horned Owls and phantom-like Barn Owls. A handful of fascinating amphibians live in the area. Streams and creeks support populations of Pacific Tree Frog, the small amphibian whose signature chorus adds an aura of mystery and inexplicable beauty to the surrounding land. Western Toads often make their appearance at nightfall, emerging from burrows in search of water and insects, while California Slender Salamanders are often found under the cool leaf litter and canopy of oak woodlands. Many reptiles thrive in the Santa Susana range. Lizards that are likely to be observed on any given day include the common Western Fence Lizard and the equally abundant Side-blotched Lizard. Somewhat less frequently observed but still present are the Southern Alligator Lizard, Western Skink, Whiptail, and the seemingly rare Coast Horned Lizard. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes and Gopher Snakes are perhaps the most commonly observed snakes, but a lucky hiker might also encounter other species including the Striped Racer, California Kingsnake, and Ring-Necked Snake.
Mammals that may be regularly observed in the mountains include smaller animals such as the California Ground Squirrel, and Brush Rabbit. Small mammals that are less often seen include the Dusky-Footed Woodrat and the Agile Kangaroo Rat. As for larger mammals, the well-trained eye might spot California Mule Deer or a Coyote. Larger mammals that are considerably more secretive and therefore less often encountered include the Gray Fox, Bobcat, Ring-tailed Cat, American Badger, and the Mountain lion. A population of American Black Bears occupy various niches in the backcountry; showing up in communities below the mountains every few years
Santa Susana State Historical Park Wikipedia www.SSMPA.com