Brian Posts: 224
1/16/2024
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10 years ago (May 7, 2014 to be exact) I was hiking in Sandstone Canyon and saw some pictographs. I photographed them but didn't get a GPS waypoint. They were in the main canyon in an obvious location, so I figured it must be a well known site like the ones near Blair Valley. I thought I would be able to easily find them again on future visits.
I have been back several times and have never seen them again. Also, as I've become more knowledgeable about Anza Borrego, I realize that I've never seen anyone mention pictographs in this location. I wonder whether these were modern fakes and/or whether they have disappeared due to weather or a collapse.
I have photos from the canyon that I took that day both before and after the photos of the pictographs. By using the timestamps and identifiable features of these other photos, I may be able to narrow down the location on a future trip. In the mean time, I thought I would post my pics here to see if anyone knows anything about these.
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Britain Posts: 600
1/16/2024
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That’s cool. Wonder what the animals are? Been all over sandstone never seen those.
-- Cant drive 55 Britain http://icorva.com
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
1/17/2024
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Those look legit. I don't remember anything like that out there but then again that is a popular area.
-- http://www.sefcik.com http://www.darensefcik.com http://www.carrizogorge.com
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+1
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Rocko1 Posts: 596
1/18/2024
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Someone has to know about these no? I found nothing online.
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Rocko1 Posts: 596
2/12/2024
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Brian, might be worth sending these to the ranger if they have an email. Has to be some info on these.
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Brian Posts: 224
2/12/2024
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I might do that, but first I'm going to try doing a return trip to look again. I'll be better prepared next time. I think I've figured out where to look from the adjacent pics.
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Rocko1 Posts: 596
2/12/2024
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Brian wrote:
I might do that, but first I'm going to try doing a return trip to look again. I'll be better prepared next time. I think I've figured out where to look from the adjacent pics. Oh nice. Don't forget to mark the coordinates..
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tommy750 Posts: 1048
2/16/2024
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Nice find. Only issue I would have is what they're painted on. The last Kumeyaay (and Cahuilla) visited Hapaha just up the wash in the 1890's and I would wonder if it would last that long on exposed sandstone. The visitor grafitti etched into the neaby rocks seems to fade rather quickly but there's lots of paint on sanstone like stuff in Utah so who knows. Will see if anyone at BARC has seen that.
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Brian Posts: 224
2/18/2024
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tommy750 wrote:
Nice find. Only issue I would have is what they're painted on. The last Kumeyaay (and Cahuilla) visited Hapaha just up the wash in the 1890's and I would wonder if it would last that long on exposed sandstone. The visitor grafitti etched into the neaby rocks seems to fade rather quickly but there's lots of paint on sanstone like stuff in Utah so who knows. Will see if anyone at BARC has seen that.
I had the same thought. That plus the fact that no one seems to know about this makes me wonder if it was a fake that was recently done at the time I saw it, and has weathered away in the 10 years since then.
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Brian Posts: 224
2/25/2024
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update:
I returned to Sandstone Canyon this weekend and used identifiable features and timestamps from my 2014 photo series to find the spot where the pictographs had been. They are almost completely gone now. I had to get very close to see any traces which confirmed I was in the right spot.
The spot is tucked in under an overhanging ledge which would have protected it from rain. Having said that, the fact they disappeared in only 10 years suggests they couldn't have been very old.
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tommy750 Posts: 1048
2/26/2024
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That's pretty clean! Wonder if a park volunteer helped it along.
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+1
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
3/10/2024
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I have heard reports from other people that no longer see features in the sandstone walls out there and they were definitely old.
-- http://www.sefcik.com http://www.darensefcik.com http://www.carrizogorge.com
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Buford Posts: 456
3/11/2024
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Isn’t there an “official” listing of all rock art in the park kept somewhere with locations? Obviously not public information though. I’d be curious what sites have faded away.
-- Links to my photos: ABDSP photos, Bighorn sheep photos, ABDSP time lapse video, Wildlife photos (mainly birds)
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+1
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
3/14/2024
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Buford wrote:
Isn’t there an “official” listing of all rock art in the park kept somewhere with locations?
The BARC has known documented sites in the park but I personally have found several sites not documented so there are definitely more undocumented sites waiting to be found.
-- http://www.sefcik.com http://www.darensefcik.com http://www.carrizogorge.com
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