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Palaverites and Rock Art
By Carl Bjork, Editor Southern Sierra Archaeological Society Central California Archaeology Archaeological News Volume 10, Issue 5 November 2003 |
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Palaverites and Rock Art
By Carl Bjork, Editor Southern Sierra Archaeological Society Central California Archaeology Archaeological News Volume 10, Issue 5 November 2003 |
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One never stops learning and that is what I discovered at a semi-annual meeting of a group of Palaverites southeast of Barstow, early in October. Now you ask, what is a "palaverite?" According to my New World Dictionary, palaver: a conference or discussion, or to talk, esp. idly or flatteringly, and we did a lot of talking at their meeting location; 30 miles of rough, dirt-desert trail. Their campsite being located west of the Rodman Petroglyph Site, on an ancient lava flow.
The Palaver group created by Edmund Jaeger (1887-1983), the John Muir of the Southern California deserts, back in the late 1920’s, explored with his students from Riverside Junior College the back roads of our southern deserts. As time passed, Mr. Jaeger continued the trips and many of his former students asked to be included, so the beginning of the first Palavers. This tradition continues, with the children, and grandchildren of the first Palavers, I attended the Ninety-eighth Palaver, with 60+ fellow Palaverites. Before heading down to the conference site, I began my research using Bill Mann’s Volume 1 – Guide to 50 Interesting and Mysterious Sites in the Mojave, noting the rock art sites on the road into the Rodman Mountains. The first site listed is a petroglyph site at Willis Well, but when I located the track into the site it was gated with "no trespassing" signs. However, when I arrived at camp and talking with the folks, I discovered that one of the Palaverites knew the owner of the Willis Well property and was visiting the site, call it "luck." |
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Willis Well 
The well is in the fenced area to the left. Photograph by Carl Bjork In 1915, George and Mildred Willis moved to a small spring, located at the base of the east side of the Ord Mountains, hoping to create a cattle ranch. When they first arrived they dug out the spring creating a 20-foot well, and built a windmill that pumped the scarce water into a storage tank. Later, in 1925, George became ill and died, leaving Mildred to run the ranch. Because the cattle kept getting into her vegetable garden, Mildred built hundreds of feet of rock walls, moving hundreds of tons of rock…that was quiet a feat for a woman that was only five foot-three, and weighing a 100 pounds. She later gave up on the ranch and moved into Barstow. |
Petroglyphs at Willis Well. Photograph by Carl Bjork Within a few hundred feet of the well are located many petroglyph panels. Most of the symbols are in the Great Basin Abstract Curvilinear and Linear styles. Archaeological evidence at the spring indicates use, for many centuries, by the local Native American people. |
Rodman Petroglyph Site
Photograph by Richard Jones The Rodman Petroglyph Site is located in a short, narrow canyon that is hidden in the face of an ancient lava flow. Standing back from the edge of the canyon not more than 100 feet, the canyon is hidden from view, requiring that one knows its location. A few years back, the area of the canyon was included in the Wilderness Act and all signs directing the public to the site have been removed as required by the Act. Geologists at the Palaver suggested that "earthquakes" created the canyon during the flow of lava from a small cinder cone volcano, approximately three miles to the north. Geological evidence indicates that the canyon is on a minor fault line that was active during the eruption of the cinder cone.  Within the canyon are many petroglyph panels, including a Shaman's Cave. On the flat, lava flow surface near the canyon are intaglios, and cleared circles thought to be sleeping areas.
Photograph by Richard Jones |
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