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Sandstone Canyon question Messages in this topic - RSS

Brian
Brian
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1/16/2024
Brian
Brian
Posts: 224
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
Britain
Posts: 600


1/16/2024
Britain
Britain
Posts: 600
That’s cool. Wonder what the animals are? Been all over sandstone never seen those.

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Britain
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dsefcik
dsefcik
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1/17/2024
dsefcik
dsefcik
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Those look legit. I don't remember anything like that out there but then again that is a popular area.

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Rocko1
Rocko1
Posts: 596


1/18/2024
Rocko1
Rocko1
Posts: 596
Someone has to know about these no? I found nothing online.
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Rocko1
Rocko1
Posts: 596


2/12/2024
Rocko1
Rocko1
Posts: 596
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
Brian
Posts: 224


2/12/2024
Brian
Brian
Posts: 224
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
Rocko1
Posts: 596


2/12/2024
Rocko1
Rocko1
Posts: 596
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..wink
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tommy750
tommy750
Posts: 1048


2/16/2024
tommy750
tommy750
Posts: 1048
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
Brian
Posts: 224


2/18/2024
Brian
Brian
Posts: 224
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
Brian
Posts: 224


2/25/2024
Brian
Brian
Posts: 224
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
tommy750
Posts: 1048


2/26/2024
tommy750
tommy750
Posts: 1048
That's pretty clean! Wonder if a park volunteer helped it along.
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dsefcik
dsefcik
Administrator
Posts: 2622


3/10/2024
dsefcik
dsefcik
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Posts: 2622
I have heard reports from other people that no longer see features in the sandstone walls out there and they were definitely old.

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Buford
Buford
Posts: 456


3/11/2024
Buford
Buford
Posts: 456
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.

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dsefcik
dsefcik
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3/14/2024
dsefcik
dsefcik
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Posts: 2622
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.

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