About The Crystal Wash Rock Art Site

The Crystal Wash Rock Art Site, which is typical of much Great Basin rock art, is actually a small network of interrelated sites. Petroglyphs, or rock art which is engraved, is the dominant rock art form at Crystal Wash. They are etched onto rockfaces by pecking, abrading, scratching, or a combination of these techniques. Pictographs, or painted rock art, is only represented in samll quantities at Crystal Wash. A third type of rock art known as cupules or pit-and-groove rock art can also be observed (Marker #6). Cupules are cuplike depressions or pits in boulders and are thought to be the oldest form of rock art, first appearing in parts of the Great Basin 7000 years ago. There is one example of this rock art at Crystal Wash.

Rock art is composed of separate motifs or designs called elements. These elements are often arranged in groups on the sides of rock faces, and are referred to as panels. Much of the imagery at Ash Springs is clearly non-representational, however, it would have been clearly understood by the cultures who created it. Other glyphs are more recognizable. Elements resembling animals are called zoomorphs and include all four-legged types or quadrupeds, as well as birds, insects, and other animals. Mountain sheep are the most common zoomorphs at Ash Springs, and occur throughout the Great Basin and western United States. Human figures, or anthropomorphs, are the other recognizable forms found at Ash Springs and exhibit striking variations in design.

The predominant style at Crystal Wash is the Great Basin Pecked Style. This includes the substyles of Great Basin Representational, Great Basin Curvilinear Abstract, and Great Basin Rectilinear Abstract. In addition, there are also some small traces of the Great Basin Painted Style.

Rock art is found wherever there has been human activity. It is found at both public and private sites, and played an essential role in the transmission, reception, and storage of information. Although we cannot be sure what most rock art means, we suspect it was deeply significant to those who created it. We know that some rock art was ceremonial and therefore contained sacred knowledge. Other speculated uses for rock art are the marking of game trails, the designation of cultural territories, and the functioning as astronomical markers pertaining to such phenomena as the solstices and equinoxes.

Even with the development of scientific dating methods, we still find it difficult to accurately calculate the age of most rock art. Sophisticated methods of C-14 dating have been designed to analyze the tiny particles of organic matter which collect in the grooves of petroglyphs after having been etched onto the rock surface. Despite the continual refining of these methods, there are still significant problems related to the contamination of the organic matter. In some instances, rock art can be related to artifactual material that is datable and thought to be contemporary with the rock art, but often it is impossible to generate anything other than an estimated timeframe.


History:

The Main Site of the Crystal Wash Rock Art Site is a large habitation area comprised of a triangular configuration of three boulder groupings inscribed with rock art. It was frequented by a culture known as the Pahranagats, one of several known Southern Paiute groups. This site is large enough to have accomodated a village and is thought to have been a winter site. Aside from much lithic material and a few ceramic sherds, four hearths and some cobblestone alignments have been found at this site, signifying the presence of wickiups, which were typical camp shelters. During the cold months, less food gathering took place although there was occasional hunting. Instead, winter was a time of visiting, and gambling and story telling were frequent activities.

The presence of much debitage, or stone flakes, indicate that many stone tools were created here. These include knives, drills, scrapers, hammerstones, and a variety of projectile points. Tools were fashioned mostly out of cherts and obsidians which were obtained locally. The Pahranagats also had a highly specialized basketry tradition. Baskets specifically fashioned to gather and process plant foods included burden baskets, winnowing and parching trays, bowls, and seed beaters. By contrast, pottery was simple and utilitarian, although some vessels had cord-impressed or fingernail-incised decorations.

The Pahranagats, like other culture groups in this area, represented a long-standing tradition (c. 12,000 years) of diverse lifeways which included hunting and gathering combined with periods of sedentism. Approximately AD 1000, a major subsistence change may have occurred when hunting was increasingly replaced by the consumption of plants and small animals (i.e., rodents, birds, insects) as major sources of nutrition. Horticulture became an important subsistance activity, a practice which may have been borrowed from the Virgin Anasazi, another Southwestern group present in this area along with the Fremonts. Other than this, no major disruption is inferred throughout this cultural sequence until the nineteenth century. At this time native inhabitants were severely affected by the presence of European settlers in the area, particularly during the great mining boom of the 1860's. Indigenous populations were displaced, eradicated or at least greatly attenuated.

The Pahranagats' primary political and economic unit was the mobile extended family. These small parties ranged throughout the region during the course of the seasonal round to take advantage of the varying availabilities of local resources. Despite the Pahranagat's excellent survival skills, starvation was often prevalent in the spring when winter stores were depleted and spring food plants had not yet begun to germinate. When food plants did become available, populations dispersed along the valley floors during the spring and summer. Seeds, roots, tubers and berries were collected and small animals were trapped and eaten. The practice of horticulture yielded crops of maize, beans, squash, pumpkins, sunflowers, lamb's quarters and winter wheat. Garden plots were situated along the margins of lower altitude lakes and marshes and were watered by irrigation ditches.

During the fall people came together in large gatherings for the purpose of harvesting pinenuts, communal rabbits drives, and mourning ceremonies. Winter was the most permanent phase of the seasonal round and was spent in villages, usually around the lower fringes of the pinyon-juniper forests (5000-8000 ft.), but at a slightly lower altitude (between 4100 and 4200 ft.). Water was ordinarily obtained from snow meltoff, and the large boulders provided suitable protection against the wind. This location was climatically more desirable than the lower valleys which were colder during the winter months.


Location:

To find the Main Site at Crystal Wash, turn onto Route 93 N at the intersection of 93 and Route 318. Look for a dirt road to the left (north) just after you pass the 54 mile marker. This dirt road makes a sharp turn to the left going in the opposite direction. Go through the wire fence at gate for about 50 yards. There is a visitor registration box and the trail enters the wash to the east. GATE SHOULD BE LEFT AS FOUND !!


Rock Art Etiquette

To explore the Crystal Wash Rock Art Site (as well as other sites in Nevada), you will need a comfortable pair of walking shoes (hiking boots or sneakers are preferable), comfortable clothes, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat. Also, keep a watch out for rattlesnakes. Never put your feet or hands where you cannot see them (ie., in deep nooks and crannies of rocks and boulders while climbing). Most importantly; always bring water. Even though you may only plan to go for a short hike, be sure to always have water with you.

When examining rock art, please be sure to observe the following; Do not ever touch rock art and do not ever walk on it. The rock art is very fragile and the application of any material, including water and especially oil from your skin, can cause irreparable damage. If you yourself see any vandalism taking place, please call the Bureau of Land Management's resource protection hotline (1-800-722-3998). Always exercise courtesy while visiting archaeological sites and do not disturb any artifacts you may find.

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Leave What You Find, Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly

Leave What You Find means retaining the special qualities of every wildland area for the long term. One of the most exiting aspects of traveling through America's deserts is coming upon relics from the past. The arid environment preserves human history and you often find rock art, potsherds, corn cobs, and ruins tucked up in canyons or spread across the mesas. Discovering such evidence of earlier cultures is exhilarating. Cultural sites add to the mystery and allure of the desert, but take care when you come upon a site. Watch where you walk and try not to touch anything. There can be no compromise if we wish to protect these irreplaceable and fragile treasures. Visit cultural sites with care, respect, and impeccable Leave No Trace techniques. Leaving such things as we find them helps us to pass the gift of discovery on to those who follow.

If you detect any vandalism, suspicious activity or desire further information please contact the Ely District office at HC33 box 33500, Ely, Nevada 8931-9408. (phone 1-800-633-6092, 775-289-1800). Also please remember that excavation, collection, damage or destruction of archeological resources (pottery, chipped stone, rock art and other resources) is prohibited under the Archeological Resources Protection Act (43 CFR Part 7). Please enjoy your visit.

Always remember to practice Leave No Trace skills and ethics and Tread Lightly minimum impact camping techniques.


Ely Field Office
HC 33 Box 33500
Ely, Nevada 89301-9408
(775) 289-1880

Caliente Field Office
PO Box 237
South US 93
Caliente, Nevada 89009
(775) 726-8100