The Grandmother Rock, Coloma, October 2019

One cool thing about living near the course of the American River is that it doesn’t take too much searching to find bedrock mortar sites. I’ve come across Indian grinding holes along both sides of Lake Natoma, on the shores of Folsom Lake, and on the banks of the South Fork of the American River. It never fails to thrill me when I stumble across a location that’s new to me. Here is solid proof that indigenous people once lived and thrived in this area rich in both natural resources and beauty.

I discovered another spot back in November 2019 while exploring the Dave Moore Nature Area. It was early afternoon, and the bright sunlight made it difficult for me to get a shot I was happy with.

I kept meaning to go back for another try; but it was only last week that I finally returned in the morning and hiked to the same spot, with much more satisfactory results.

View from the top

I then wandered a short ways upstream and found even more big rocks formed into some incredible shapes, including some holes that appeared to be bedrock mortars. This whole area is only about a mile downstream from the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park and the site of the Grandmother Rock in El Dorado County.

Atop the rock, looking upstream