REVIEW OF THE EVIDEN€E RELATTNCI TO AURIFEROUS 

 GRAVEL MAN IN CALIFORNIA." 



By William H. Holmes. 



First Paper. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



During^ recent years much has been said and written regardino- the 

 antiquity of man in America, and as opportunity has presented I have 

 engaged in the discussion of the subject, endeavoring to determine the 

 exact vahie of the evidence brought forward by the various observers. 

 By far the strongest ))ody of data tending to establish the existence of 

 a man of great antiquity is that emanating from the gold belt of Cali- 

 fornia and hrst brought together by Prof. James D. Whitney, State 

 geologist of California, and published in his notable work on the aurif- 

 erous gravels.^ There is considerable literature embodying original 

 observations outside of this volume, the most important contribution 

 being a paper by Dr. George F. Beckei-, published in the Bulletin of 

 the Geological Society of America fior 1891.^ 



For a long time I have entertained the idea of visiting the Pacific 

 slope for the purpose of becoming personally acquainted with the 

 region furnishing the evidence and with the people, so far as the 

 hand of time has spared them, familiar with the golden era of (iili- 

 fornia. I hoped at least to see enough to enable me to make up my 



^ Reprinted from American Anthropologist, January and October, 1899. The writer 

 intended again to visit California and continue the investigation begun in 1899, but 

 as the opportunity has not arisen, the preliminary paper is here republished with 

 careful revision and with such new matter as happens to be at hand. An attitude 

 apparently antagonistic to the evidence as it stood was taken, for the reason, first, 

 that the negative side had never l)een systematically j)resented, and, second, l)ecause 

 the possible nucleus of reliable data wai^ evidently obscured by a mass <»f worthless 

 testimony that required careful sifting. If renewed interest in the investigation of 

 this important subject has been awakened, the main object of the original writing is 

 accomplished. 



^ J. D. Whitney, The Auriferous Gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California, Cam- 

 bridge, 1879, Vol. VI, No. 1 (1st part). 



^ Other articles are Skertchley, S. B. J., On the Occurrence of Stone Mortars in the 

 ancient (Pliocene?) River gravels of Butte County, California. Journal .\nth. Inst., 

 May, 1888. Blake, W. P., The Pliocene Skull of California and the stone implements 

 of Table Mountain. Journal of Geology, October and November, 1899, \k 631. 



419 



