Chaw-Se

Recently, my son and I took a short trip to the California Gold Country to visit Chaw-Se, Indian Grinding Rocks State Historic Park.

My son and his dad went camping there once when he was a young teen and he really loves this spot that has been occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years.

According to the State Park brochure, this site has "...the largest collection of bedrock mortars anywhre in North America. The Miwok women used this large outcroppings of rock to grind acorns for centuries, and there are over 1100 grinding holes located through out the park. Most of them are on one very large outcropping that even has a viewing platform over the fragile rock so visitors can get a close look at both the mortar holes and petroglyphs.

A reconstructed roundhouse and individual bark houses are also in the park. The roundhouse is partially underground and was traditionally the center of the community. It was used for ceremonies for special occasions.

I could almost hear the voices and laughter of the women as they worked at grinding their acorns.

I enjoyed our little jaunt up into the foothills to this beautiful spot and the interesting history attached to it.

Are there any fun places near you that you would recommend visiting?