Only 8 miles east of Jackson is a historic state park called Chaw'se Indian Grinding Rock. It is what California is all about simply because of its history and beauty combined. This location just made me love Ca even more after camping in the woods a couple weeks right near where the native Americans lived for so many centuries. 

Chaw'se is located within the Sierra Nevada foothills and was named after a great outcropping of marbleized limestone slabs with almost 1200 mortar like holes. It is the largest collection of bedrock mortars in North America. The area is nestled in a valley 2,400 feet above sea level with meadows, small creeks and woods. The area has some of the largest Valley Oaks in the state of CA which supplied the Miwok Indians a large supply of acorns.

Chaw'se is a Miwok word it means grinding rock. The acorns would be ground and other seeds into meal. They would slowly form a cup shaped depression in the stone as they ground away over the years. Supposedly near these grinding rocks are petroglyphs, circles, spoked wheels, animal, wavy lines and human tracks. I only seen a few but it is true their are foot tracks centuries years old. Some of the carvings in the rocks are said to be as old as 3 thousand years of age. 

The park was created in 1968 and today its the site of many powwows and campers. I spent at least two weeks living here bathed my son in the stream, did some hiking, roasted marshmallows, got wild in the teepees, toking etc etc lol. It was a spiritual experience.

The area has alot of wildlife deer, possum, fox, jackrabbits, bobcats, bats, mountain lions, coyotes, black bear and squirrels. Although some of it I been told by the ranger is very rare. Just across the road is the masonic cave and up the road the town of Volcano which is also on our site just Click Here: Volcano.

Further below you can read about the Indian Village and park a little more in depth.  As far as paranormal goes Ill leave it at this Bigfoot and Ghost are just a part of what this park is about according to a few locals that I talked with. Also within a short walking distance from the grinding rock is Black Chasm Caverns. Its quite possible the Miwok Natives knew about it might have even stored the deceased near the entrance because it stays cool all year around but nobody knows for sure. The cave system is one of the finest of the west and more then likely its chambers can be found all under Chaw'se. 

© By

Rick-AngelOfThyNight

The Rock and The People
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=935  
Chaw’se is the Miwok word for grinding rock – a slab of stone on which the Miwok people ground acorns and other seeds into meal, slowly forming the cup shaped depressions in the stone that can still be seen today. Along with the mortar holes, the main grinding rock within the park also features a number of decorative carvings: circles, spoked wheels, animal and human tracks, wavy lines, etc. Some of these carvings are thought to as much as two or even three thousand years old and are now becoming difficult to see. This association of rock art and bedrock mortar pits is unique in California. Except for one other small site, Chaw’se has the only known occurrence of mortars intentionally decorated with petroglyphs.

The marble grinding rock is fragile and very susceptible to weathering and chipping. The natural elements are claiming many of the petroglyphs and visitors are asked to stay off the rock and to respect this irreplaceable reminder of a vanished way of life.


Village and Roundhouse
A typical Miwok village has been reconstructed that provides present-day descendents of the Miwok and opportunity to preserve their heritage and traditions and share them with present and future generations of Californians. Bark houses, a ceremonial roundhouse, acorn granaries, shade ramadas, an Indian game field, and demonstrations of old arts, crafts and games all combine to illustrate the past for present day visitors. There is an ongoing commitment by the California Department of Parks and Recreation to cooperate with the local Native Americans in the development of the park.

In the old days, the roundhouse, or hun’ge, was the setting for a variety of social gatherings and ceremonial events. Ceremonies were held, for example, to pray, to mourn the dead or to observe special occasions through music and dance. In a typical village, this semi-subterranean community center was the largest building in the village and tended to be twenty to fifty feet in diameter. The Chaw’se hun’ge is sixty feet across and is one of the largest in California. Four large beams and center poles support the roof. A large hole in the center of the roof allows smoke from the fire pit to escape and also permits observation of the stars.

Miwok homes ranged from eight to fifteen feet in diameter and were built of cedar poles interwoven with grapevines or willow and covered with cedar bark. A hole was left at the top for smoke from cooking or heating fires. Bark houses u’macha’ can be seen near the grinding rock and also at the reconstructed village west of the roundhouse.

A game field, poscoi a we’a, has also been reconstructed near the roundhouse. The game played by the Miwok was very similar to soccer. On a field about 110 yards long, players tried to kick or carry a ball to the opposing team’s goal. Both men and women played, though the rules were different for each. Men could only kick the ball, while women could handle the ball in any manner. If a woman held the ball however, a man could pick her up and run for the goal.

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