Walter Henderson's Rock Pile a hunting blind?

In November and December I went looking for the rock pile again. While I did not find it, I did come across several signs of people far off the beaten path.

I found some pottery shards and metal cans far from any roads or trails. Then there was also a couple of old rusty cans on a pass in a small wash leading into Arroyo Grande, again in an area with no signs of roads or trails for miles.

Then there was what looked like some camp circles on a bluff about a mile south of Arroyo Grande, again with no roads or trails in sight. There was two cleared areas about 10 feet across where all the rocks had been removed and it was in any covered in medium size rocks.

There was two of these circles and they were about 4 feet away from one another.

Now based on a couple other trips in the area where I have come across other signs of people it made me wonder, why was there so many signs in such a large and rather desolate area?

Of course cattle could be one reason, but I saw little sign of cattle, but saw several signs of Horses, Mountain Sheep and other animals.

Two things then occurred that made me think of a hunting blind as a possibility.

One was that I came across what seems to be a hunting blind on the base of the hill with the rock walls that Erle Stanley Gardner wrote about down near Las Animas.

The second things was while reading about arrowheads one of the sources the writer listed was a article about hunting sheep around Arroyo Grande in the 1920's.

Doing some quick research lead to several references of hunting sheep in that area in the 1920's and earlier.

So back to square one, until somebody finds it, we just will not know.

Rancho Arroyo Grande


Pottery Shards


Water in Arroyo grande


Deer shed found in a small wash on the hike back from Arroyo Grande


[Edited on 2-16-2018 by Fatboy]

Quote: Originally posted by woody with a view

Nice rack!

THANKS!

But not really

I rarely find sheds but in 2017 I came across 5 elk sheds and 6 deer sheds. Prior to this I have probably only found 3 or 4 sheds in the last 40 years.

Quote: Originally posted by Fatboy

There was two cleared areas about 10 feet across where all the rocks had been removed and it was in any covered in medium size rocks. There was two of these circles and they were about 4 feet away from one another. Now based on a couple other trips in the area where I have come across other signs of people it made me wonder, why was there so many signs in such a large and rather desolate area?

Quote: Originally posted by Fatboy

Quote: Originally posted by woody with a view   Nice rack! THANKS! But not really I rarely find sheds but in 2017 I came across 5 elk sheds and 6 deer sheds. Prior to this I have probably only found 3 or 4 sheds in the last 40 years.

you need to look at places called " buckhorn flats" on the topo maps.

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote: Originally posted by Fatboy   There was two cleared areas about 10 feet across where all the rocks had been removed and it was in any covered in medium size rocks. There was two of these circles and they were about 4 feet away from one another. Now based on a couple other trips in the area where I have come across other signs of people it made me wonder, why was there so many signs in such a large and rather desolate area? cleared circles are pretty common in the desert. if you find water in the desert, you will find signs of habitation. people have been living here for thousands of years, leaving their trash since dawn of time.

Quote: Originally posted by Fatboy

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666   Quote: Originally posted by Fatboy   There was two cleared areas about 10 feet across where all the rocks had been removed and it was in any covered in medium size rocks. There was two of these circles and they were about 4 feet away from one another. Now based on a couple other trips in the area where I have come across other signs of people it made me wonder, why was there so many signs in such a large and rather desolate area? cleared circles are pretty common in the desert. if you find water in the desert, you will find signs of habitation. people have been living here for thousands of years, leaving their trash since dawn of time. Guess we would have to agree on the definitions of your words. As to "...pretty common..." I would say no. I hiked almost 50 miles in that area and these are the only circles I came across and they were not near any water but high up on a bluff or mesa. If there was all these signs of habitation and all this "...trash left since the dawn of time..." then it seems we would know more of our prehistory. But of course you just like to be who you are.

Sleeping circles are pretty common... and often up, on mesas, not by water. The pottery may have been for water at there camps? They knew animals come to the water to drink and that is how the Indians got dinner! You don't sleep in your grocery store, do you?

Baja Angel at one of the sleeping circles at the Mystery Walls near Bahia Las Animas (see the bay in the background)...

Quote: Originally posted by msteve1014

Quote: Originally posted by Fatboy   Quote: Originally posted by woody with a view   Nice rack! THANKS! But not really I rarely find sheds but in 2017 I came across 5 elk sheds and 6 deer sheds. Prior to this I have probably only found 3 or 4 sheds in the last 40 years. you need to look at places called " buckhorn flats" on the topo maps.

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Sleeping circles are pretty common... and often up, on mesas, not by water. The pottery may have been for water at there camps? They knew animals come to the water to drink and that is how the Indians got dinner! You don't sleep in your grocery store, do you? Baja Angel at one of the sleeping circles at the Mystery Walls near Bahia Las Animas (see the bay in the background)...

Quote: Originally posted by wilderone

Where did you begin into Arroyo Grande? How far to the stream and green wooded area in the photo? Following a trail?

Because of the reported chained gate near the ranch in the upper end of Arroyo Grande, the only way in is from the road west of La Ventana and just follow the canyon on past where we have been looking for Melchior Diaz' grave (Walter Henderson's rock pile)...

Wet area is about where Arroyo Grande (on this map) reached the scale bar:



In the winter, water will be flowing out to the desert. We drove in some water on our last trip up there (My 2017 TRIP #1) in late December 2016.