Hand-Hewn Granite Basins at Native Saltworks in the Sierra

A place to explore the natural setting (geology, flora & fauna), people, constructed infrastructure and historical events that play and have played a part in shaping the Sierra Nevada as we know it today.
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kpeter
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Re: Hand-Hewn Granite Basins at Native American Saltworks in Sie

Post by kpeter »

I wonder about other salt extraction sites. I presume coastal Indians extracted salt from seawater. Was Mono lake also used for this? And then this site must have been one of the few alternatives in between.

There were some newspaper and other publications about this site beginning in 2009, but fortunately they all have been respectful about not making the location obvious. I like your photographs better!
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TehipiteTom
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Re: Hand-Hewn Granite Basins at Native American Saltworks in Sie

Post by TehipiteTom »

This is fascinating. Very cool photos--thanks for posting this, Russ!
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mokelumnekid
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Re: Hand-Hewn Granite Basins at Native American Saltworks in Sie

Post by mokelumnekid »

Still curious about where the salt was coming from....
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Vaca Russ
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Re: Hand-Hewn Granite Basins at Native American Saltworks in Sie

Post by Vaca Russ »

mokelumnekid wrote:Still curious about where the salt was coming from....
Really??? You haven’t heard about the secret submarine tunnels under the Sierra? Just Google “Walker, Navy submarine, Hawthorne”. :)

Seriously, though…check your PM.

-Russ
"...Or have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host and then a master?"

Kahil Gibran.
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TehipiteTom
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Re: Hand-Hewn Granite Basins at Native American Saltworks in Sie

Post by TehipiteTom »

The basins show up nicely in the satellite imagery:

Image

Hard to imagine how much work over how long a time went into all those basins.
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