Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

The desert beckoned us to come for another hike.  Our campsite was south of Quartzsite at the edge of the BLM lands.  We complied with the desert and went looking for petroglyphs and grinding stones

We headed south west and across several washes until we reached a very wide wash.  Google map labeled it as French Creek, but we’ve seen some references to Tyson Wash.  We followed the wash/creek south until we reached a right angle turn in dry river bed.

We were looking for the grinding holes and petroglyphs that we heard about. After wandering around a bit, Tony spotted the petroglyphs on the rocky outcrop on the east side of the wash.

At close inspection, the petroglyphs started popping out and became more visible.

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

I had to darken the photos a bit so that you can see them as clearly as possible.

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

They weren’t many of them,

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

and just like most petroglyphs, we weren’t able to decipher the story behind them.

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

but there is definitely a story here.

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

Some of the images long faded, while others are very clear and bold.  Are these snakes?

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

It took us a while to find the grinding holes.  The petroglyphs are on the right of the photo.

The grinding holes ended up on the other side of the wash, on a small hill.

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

We passed by caves and rock hangings to reach the top of the hill.

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

From the top, we had a clear view of the outcrop on the other side of the creek. You can see how this area is unique in the flat landscape.

We finally found the grinding holes tucked away on the south side of the hill.

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

These ancient grinding holes are where the native peoples would ground mesquite pods and other beans into meal.

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

These mortars, also known as morteros can be found in Arizona and Mexico and are believed to be around a thousand years old.

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

Other depressions in the bedrock might have been used for corn grinding or sharpening tools, although they seen a tad too deep for that.

Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

It was cool to explore around these rocks, but it was time to go back.  We followed the wide dry creek back to our campsite.

There is a story that a safe full of gold was carried away and buried in the sand during a major flood.  Did it make it here? We should have brought a metal detector along with us!

Until next time.  Stay safe and warm wherever you are.

56 thoughts on “Petroglyphs and Grinding Stones

  1. peggy says:

    I can see you are enjoying the desert very much. Your captures some wonderful photos. My husband and I walked around the desert for years discovering many wonderful finds of past civilizations that inhabited areas of Arizona and New Mexico.

  2. Ab says:

    Greetings from Toronto. It is -24 today. Your post feels nice and warm! 😆😊

    I do love how you and Tony discover and experience and see the nature around you. Most people would just hike by these grinding holes and not think anything of them – but how cool it is to learn about the historical uses and meaning of them.

    It’ll be interesting to see how our artifacts today, physical and digital, are interpreted by people hundreds of years from now too as these petroglyphs are.

  3. johnrieber says:

    I wonder if the people doing that were thinking: “well, this warning will certainly help the next passerby…” or if it’s the result of a parent saying “hey, go outside and amuse yourself, kids!” Terrific photos and journey, thanks for sharing!

  4. TRAILERS and CIGARETTES - ‘TRAVELLING with PASSION’ says:

    makes you wonder why we’re putting our culture into the cloud?! printed/painted/fossil matter will always outlive any of us, and future culture seekers wanting to understand the past won’t have a clue as to who? and what we are all about?
    that’s why we were given fingerprints, to leave our mark. the more things we touch (paintings, sculptures, books, etc) will leave a imprint to our current culture.
    from my standpoint, there’s no tangibility to social media, digital archives (SSD or otherwise), even cloud storage. todays culture can easily disappear at the flip of a switch.
    keep discovering, keep on trucking, love from the southern shores of newfoundland

  5. travellingtherese says:

    I’m trying to stay cool here in the Aussie summer lol.. i wonder if some of the graffiti around the world hangs about for a thousand years, what the future people will think about it.. let’s hope its a few Banksy’s!

    • backroadsandotherstories says:

      Haha, I always forget that it’s summer in Australia when we are freezing here. Graffiti will probably tell future archaeologist a lot about our culture once they did it out from under the plastic and disposable coffee cups.

  6. Rebecca says:

    Despite not seeing too many petroglyphs, the ones you did see are remarkable! I’ve been wanting to check out petroglyphs and I had the opportunities to see them in places like Joshua Tree or Arches National Park…but they always eluded me! One of these days, I’ll have to really dedicate the time and effort to find them!

  7. rkrontheroad says:

    Petroglyphs are fascinating… They tell of a people telling their stories, mysteriously difficult for us to decode, but so compelling. The grinding holes are a new one to me, glad to learn about them.

  8. leightontravels says:

    A few WordPress bloggers have been posting about petroglyphs recently. I have enjoyed your own addition to the subject with fascinating photos. As you say, imagine the stories that must be behind these carvings. I can definitely see what you mean by a snake. Would be interested to read a follow-up piece from your perspective as detectorists.

  9. kagould17 says:

    Fascinating site. It is always good to see petroglyphs and hear about the history of the original peoples. Hope all is well with you both. Allan

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