You can walk on authentic Ice Age hunting grounds at this ancient California lake

Paleo-Indians’ 12,000-Year-Old Mammoth Hunting Settlement at Borax Lake

Mammoths once roamed Borax Lake when the first Californians showed up 12,000 years ago. These Paleo-Indians built one of North America’s first lakeshore communities during the Ice Age.

Unlike other lakes, Borax Lake never dried up, so people lived there for thousands of years. They used obsidian from nearby Mount Konocti to make sharp spear points for hunting giant beasts.

Scientists found their tools buried ten feet deep, proof that generations called this place home. The site now stands as a National Historic Landmark where you can glimpse California’s earliest human story.

Mammoth Hunters Made Borax Lake Home 12,000 Years Ago

Ice Age hunters came to Borax Lake over 12,000 years ago when the weather was cooler and mammoths walked the land.

These early people belonged to the Clovis culture that spread across North America from 13,050 to 12,750 years ago. They found a perfect spot with plenty of obsidian from nearby Mount Konocti and steady water.

Unlike other western lakes that dried up, Borax Lake stuck around, letting people live there for thousands of years.

Volcano Glass Became Their Deadly Weapons

Mount Konocti gave hunters high-quality obsidian they turned into razor-sharp spear points. This natural glass came in colors from see-through gray-black to light gray, perfect for making tools.

The hunters made Clovis-style points with special fluting, where they chipped long grooves from each side of the point. Native American villages throughout California traded for this obsidian because it was so valuable.

They Hunted Giant Beasts That No Longer Exist

The hunters went after Columbian mammoths that lived in the area during the late Ice Age. They used their obsidian spear points to kill these huge animals for food, bones, and skins.

Smart hunters used natural traps like marshes and soft ground where the big mammals got stuck. Taking down a mammoth took teamwork – a group of hunters worked together to kill these giant creatures.

People Lived By The Lake For Thousands Of Years

The site holds proof of one of North America’s first major lakeshore communities.

Diggers found layers of human stuff more than 10 feet deep, showing people lived there again and again for thousands of years.

The deep layers along the old lakeshore show people lived there non-stop from about 12,000 years ago until modern times. Experts found so many tools that they believe this was a real home where people stayed long-term.

Local Culture Had Its Own Special Style

Borax Lake folks belonged to the Post Pattern, a local version of the Western Pluvial Lakes Tradition. Their culture stood out for its fluted points and stone crescents, showing they knew how to work stone really well.

Experts think these Post Pattern people came before the Hokan group and spoke languages linked to the Yuki-Wappo family.

Tests on the obsidian found three separate times when people lived there, with the oldest going back 12,000 years.

Stone Tools Showed Their Skill And Knowledge

Diggers found fluted points, stone crescents, wide-stem points, millingstones, manos, pestles, and mortars at the site.

The hunters knew fancy stone-working methods, making both hunting weapons and tools for getting food ready. They tied Clovis points to wooden or bone spears and used them to stab or throw at animals.

The site worked as both a hunting camp and a tool factory, with lots of proof they made many stone tools there.

The Lake Offered More Than Just Water

The natural borax in the lake gave the early people extra stuff they learned to use. Early tribes found that washing clothes in borax-rich water cleaned them better than plain water.

They also used borax to keep deer skins fresh and to treat bird wings, tails, and claws they used for tools and fancy items.

Having obsidian, water, animals, and useful minerals all in one place made Borax Lake very valuable for early Californians.

A Collector Stumbled Upon Ancient History

Chester Post, a hobby collector, found the site in the 1930s and knew it was important. Mark Harrington from the Southwest Museum ran the first proper dig there between 1936 and 1946.

Many experts didn’t believe the findings at first because nobody had found such old sites in California before. The “Post Pattern” culture got its name from Chester Post after he showed the site to the experts.

Modern Science Proved The Site’s True Age

In the 1960s, Dr. Vance Haynes and Dr. Clement Meighan tested the obsidian tools using hydration analysis.

Their tests backed up the 12,000-year dates, proving that earlier claims about the site’s age were right. Their work found three separate times when people lived there, from 12,000 years ago to 3,000-5,000 years ago.

These science tests showed this was indeed the oldest known human settlement in California.

Humans Arrived Just As Mammoths Disappeared

The site shows humans and mammoths lived in the same area during the key time when these giant animals were dying out.

Columbian mammoths went extinct around 12,000 years ago, right when human activity at Borax Lake was at its peak.

Scientists still argue whether human hunting caused mammoth extinction or if other factors played bigger roles.

Borax Lake gives researchers a rare look at the final few hundred years when mammoths still walked North America.

America Recognized This Ancient Treasure

The Archaeological Conservancy bought the site in 1989, making it their first preserve in California. Officials added it to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 because of its remarkable archaeological value.

Borax Lake earned National Historic Landmark status in 2006, marking its importance to American prehistory.

Today, the protected site continues to provide valuable information about America’s earliest inhabitants and how they lived their daily lives.

Visiting Borax Lake Site, California

While you can’t visit the actual Borax Lake archaeological site since it’s private property owned by the Archaeological Conservancy, you can see related Paleo-Indian obsidian artifacts at Big Valley Rancheria cultural center near Lakeport.

Anderson Marsh State Historic Park nearby has 47 prehistoric sites with Clear Lake Basin artifacts.

The Archaeological Conservancy sometimes offers virtual lectures about Borax Lake’s prehistoric life online, or contact their Albuquerque headquarters for special tour arrangements.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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