34 EXPLORATIONS OF INDIAN GRAVES. 



selves, as a proper preliminary to a report of our own operations, we now proceed to 

 give the latter in detail; first, boweYer, briefly mentioning the circumstances which 

 led to the exploration in question. 



It is reported that some years ago the captain of one of the small schooners com- 

 mon to the Pacific coast returned from a visit to the island of San Nicolas, and stated 

 that he had seen quantities of pots, stone implements, skulls, and divers sorts of orna- 

 ments on the surface of shellheaps, which had been uncovered by storms, and exhibited 

 in proof of his assertion a number of these articles which he had brought with him, 

 and which he distributed among his friends. It is also reported that this captain 

 again visited San Nicolas and its neighbor, Santa Catalma, and returned with a full 

 schooner load of relics, but this part of the tradition lacks confirmation. 



Little attention was paid to this most valuable archaeological discovery until 1S72 

 and 1873, w 7 hen Mr. W. G. W. Harford, of the United States Coast Survey, happened to 

 visit the islands of San Miguel and Santa Rosa, lying to the northward and westward 

 of the islands before mentioned. From these islands this gentleman procured a 

 small but exceedingly valuable collection of interesting objects, which came into the 

 hands of Mr. William H. Dall, a most intelligent and enthusiastic collector, from which 

 he deemed the locality of sufficient importance to visit it in person. This he did in the 

 winter of 1873 and 1874. Mr. Dall visited San Miguel and Santa Catalina, but as his 

 time was limited, no thorough examination was made of this mine of archaeological 

 wealth lying then temptingly open to view. He, however, procured many interesting 

 specimens. During the same season Mr. Paul Schumacher, well known for his investi- 

 gations farther up the coast, discovered in the vicinity of San Luis Obispo and the 

 Santa Maria River deposits similar to those found on the islands. The results of these 

 discoveries being communicated to the Smithsonian Institution, this establishment de- 

 termined to make a thorough and exhaustive exploration of not only the mainland, but 

 of the islands also ; and in the spring of 1875 Mr. Schumacher was named to conduct 

 the work in behalf of the National Museum. By a fortunate coincidence, one of the 

 parties of the Expedition for Explorations West of the One Hundredth Meridian, under 

 the War Department, of which the writer and Dr. Rothrock were placed in charge, 

 was about to visit the Pacific coast, and an arrangement was entered into whereby 

 hearty co-operation and unity of effort were effected. Mr. Schumacher was to explore 

 the islands, and the Exploring Expedition party the mainland along the coast from 

 Santa Barbara north for a distance of 20 or 30 miles. 



Leaving San Francisco June 4, after a pleasant sail of forty-eight hours we arrived 

 at Santa Barbara, and there found the other members of the party, consisting of Dr. J. T. 

 Rothrock, botanist, Dr. O. Loew, mineralogist, and Mr. H. W. Henshaw, ornithologist, 

 whom you had directed to assist in the enterprise. Arrangements were at once made 

 to explore the neighborhood, and on the day following that of our arrival we started 

 under the guidance of the Rev. Stephen Bowers, who we were informed had already 

 made some excavations in the sections about to be visited, for the ranch of T. Wallace 

 More, near the little village called La Patera, some eight miles from Santa Barbara. Ar- 

 rived at a spot where our guide informed us he had found a few bones and arrowheads, 

 the work, digging a trench in a north and south direction on a cliff overlooking the sea 

 and probably 80 feet above it, was at once commenced. There were no indications that 

 this locality had been used as a burial-place, but after digging a few feet, and beyond 



