Rocky link to a long-ago civilization
A mystery rock was discovered in the Bay Area last week, with evidence that it is linked to the activities of ancient indigenous tribes of the region.
In bright sun and when viewed from the right angle, a rock outcrop looks like the head of a giant bird, with a beak, crown and eye. Richard DeGraffenreid
and Bob Bardell discovered the site while hiking at Las Trampas Regional Wilderness near San Ramon in the East Bay hills. It is one of many rock formations in the Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern California that have likely connections to the ancient past. They allow visitors today to find the power of place in beautiful settings.
The story started when DeGraffenreid and Bardell sighted a fractured rock crag from a distance along the trail near Las Trampas Ridge. At first sight, the rock doesn’t look like much, a vertical outcrop with some broken-off pieces sitting aside its base. DeGraffenreid, Bardell and
James Benny have each made it a personal mission to sight and explore sandstone rock formations in the Bay Area.
They have learned that crags and outcrops, often sandstone in the hills of the Bay Area, can hide secrets that connect the sites to ancient tribes that once lived in the area. It is part of a bigger goal they have to create a network of parks that hold tribal village sites, grinding mortars and other artifacts to create a Volvon National Park, and in turn protect the sites while providing access to them. Because of the loose geographical association of the historic sites, the group may have better luck advancing the proposal as a national monument.
DeGraffenreid said they started their latest trek from the staging area for Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, located up Bollinger Canyon Road west of Interstate 680 near San Ramon. They hiked about 4 miles in Las Trampas beyond Rocky Ridge near Devil’s Hole. The park boundary adjoins land managed by the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which requires a permit for access.
Above Devil’s Hole, the pair sighted the monolith from a distance. As they arrived, they looked up at the rock and saw that it resembled the head of a bird. Feeling they were on to something, they immediately inspected the base of the formation.
“Right in front of Bird Head Rock — what looks like an open beak — we found seven mortars,” DeGraffenreid said.
The ancient tribes used mortars, or hollowed-out bowls in rock, to grind the seeds of shelled acorns to create powder-like flour for cooking, and with water, leach out the bitter taste. That is why the discovery of mortars is a direct link to ancient times.
“I think this is a spiritual place that has some pretty strong vibes,” DeGraffenreid said. “There might be a story here about what the natives may have thought about this spot. There are other bedrock slabs in the immediate area, but so far we have only found mortars right in front of the bird’s open beak, as if it is ready for food.”
DeGraffenreid said his motto is: “Explore, discover, educate, protect.”