Another one of those places on my "must see" list, this park was conveniently located on our path back to Tahoe.

Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park is nestled in a little valley with open meadows and large oaks that once provided the Native Americans of this area with an ample supply of acorns. The park was created in 1968 and preserves a great outcropping of marbleized limestone with some 1,185 mortar holes -- the largest collection of bedrock mortars in North America.
Chaw'se is the Miwok word for the mortar cups that formed as the Miwok people pounded acorns and other seed into meal.
There are over 360 petroglyphs with some of these carvings thought to be as old as two or three thousand years.

A Miwok village, complete with a ceremonial roundhouse, has been reconstructed in the middle of the park.


I loved this feather headdress and the image of the men in their regalia.
This was a special site, a place where the Native people's stories are being preserved and shared. It is still a place where celebrations are held and where traditions can be learned. I'm happy we visited and we plan to return for one of the many ceremonies that occur here.