Part 2

_LAn-4._--This site is located in the saddle of the ridge which separates the Topanga Canyon drainage from that of the Santa Ynez Canyon, about one-half mile east-southeast of the Tank Site. The saddle is well covered with live oaks and manzanita. The habitation deposit is marked by a slight discoloration of the soil and yielded a few manos like those of the Tank Site. At best, the site was probably just a temporary camping spot.

_LAn-5._--As at LAn-4, the evidence of occupation, consisting of typical manos, was found in a small saddle of a ridge directly across the ravine from, and about one-half mile south of the Tank Site. Large live oaks are the predominant vegetation. No extensive habitation area was noted, though the evidence might well have been hidden under leaf mould.

_LAn-6._--This site is of interest since it may indicate an occurrence of the Topanga Culture in the San Fernando Valley. The deposit is located on the periphery of a citrus grove in the eastern foothills of the valley, near Girard. Cultural associations consisted of Topanga-like scrapers and choppers composed of a tough, light-colored rhyolite. There were no signs of occupation. It is not improbable that this was a quarry site; an outcrop of rhyolite is close at hand. However, no quantities of reject refuse were noted; nor did any core or flake tools composed of rhyolite occur in the Tank Site series to suggest trade or contact between the two sites.

The two San Fernando Valley sites, the Big Tahunga and Porter Ranch sites, reported on by Mr. Edwin Walker (Walker, 1936, 1945) of the Southwest Museum, appear to have no relation to LAn-6 or bearing on the problem of the Topanga Culture.

_LAn-8._--Topanga Post Office and a number of smaller buildings now stand directly on this site, though parts of it are still evident where it extends south to the highway. Except in the dry summer, water is available in the creek just across the road and there are two springs less than half a mile to the west.

The low mound has been badly cut through by latterday road and building operations, thus an area of only about 200 square feet remains uncovered. Even here the surface has been considerably disturbed, but, at the same time, a large number of artifacts have been exposed and are to be found scattered over the dark, friable midden soil, interspersed with rejects and shell fragments. The artifacts noted consist of general core tools and a possible mano fragment. One shell disk bead (diameter, 3 mm.; thickness, 1 mm.; diameter of perforation, 1 mm.; unidentifiable shell) was collected.

_LAn-9._--Located on a small rocky knoll, formed by a spur descending from the range on the west side of the canyon, the site is .5 (unless specified, all mileages noted are in air miles) of a mile northwest of LAn-8 and .3 of a mile due south of the ranch house of R. Kiewit. Water is available at a spring, .25 of a mile northwest, rising from the bed of an intermittent creek that drains into Topanga Creek.

In appearance the site is very different from LAn-8. The mound soil has been consolidated to a near-clay, so that it varies only from the surrounding clayey soil in being somewhat darker. It extends over an area of 100 square feet, but few artifacts are evident on the surface. Those collected consist of 8 single-edged scraper planes and 1 bifacial chopper. Of the planes, 2 were additionally utilized as choppers on the edge opposite that which had been worked. All artifacts were basalt with the exception of 2 quartzite planes. Patination was evident on all the basalt specimens, though not as heavy as on similar implements from a number of the other sites.

_LAn-10._--This site is situated on the adjoining ridge, only .13 of a mile northwest of LAn-9 and is correspondingly closer to the spring, which from here is due north. Both in physiographic location and appearance the two sites are very similar.

The area covered by mound soil stretches along the ridge some 250 feet and is 70 feet wide. But the soil is compact and consolidated and only slightly dark. A portion of the site area has been somewhat disturbed by the construction of a milk house, stockyard, and fences. Artifacts picked up from the surface consist of manos, choppers, scraper planes, and hammerstones. Of the manos, 5 are bifacial--3 with parallel wear surfaces, 2 wedge-shaped in cross section--and of these, 2 are trifacial, with the two sides that form the keeled back meeting at right angles. In cross section, all the used areas are only slightly convex. Most show considerable wear and good shoulder development, display pecking on their grinding surfaces, and all but 2 granitic specimens are of sandstone. A single monofacial chopper of basalt is well battered along its edge. Out of 7 single-edged planes, 2 have been secondarily worked and used as choppers on an edge other than that developed on the periphery of the plane, and 6 are basalt and 1 is quartzite. One small, flat scraper has two localized adjacent concavities struck from its margin and is also of basalt. Of the 3 core hammerstones, 2 are basalt and 1 is quartzite. Considerable chemical alteration is obvious on even the flaked surfaces.

_LAn-11._--Located in the vineyard of the Kiewit Ranch, this site is less than .2 of a mile west of north from LAn-10. The spring already mentioned is immediately to the east, and another, on the property of S. Barton, is .3 of a mile north-northeast.

This site has much in common with LAn-9 and LAn-10. The sloping knoll on which the site is situated is part of the ridge that forms the north bank of the intermittent creek. The leeched, indurated soil is hardly recognizable as occupational deposit, but the fact that it forms a site is obvious from its slightly darker coloring and the scattered surface artifacts and reject material. These are thinly strewn over an area of 200 feet by 100 feet, and are found to a depth of 2 feet in the bank resulting from a road cut at the base of the site.

The 10 single-edged planes that come from the surface range from large to small, 9 of which are basalt and 1 a pink mudstone. A single massive double-ended plane of basalt is much battered on its worked edges, which are flaked back on their upper side. Battering is also in evidence along the flaked edge of 4 bifacial choppers, 3 of which are basalt and 1 quartzite. Out of 4 basalt flake scrapers, one has been much used; and of 4 core hammerstones, 2 are basalt, 1 is quartzite, and 1 is mudstone. Manos were represented by 3 bifacial types, the grinding surfaces of 2 being parallel, and 1 meeting at an angle to effect a wedge-shaped cross section. All are well-shouldered, 1 displaying a pecked depression on a single wear surface; 2 are of sandstone, 1 of which is carbonized; and the third is of an igneous rock. Again, on all the basalt specimens the patination is very marked.

_LAn-12._--The largest site yet found in the canyon is on the property of Mr. Miller on the road to the Trippet Ranch, .25 of a mile southeast of the Tank Site across an intermittent creek. It was noted that in the creek bed, just downstream from the Miller residence, pools of water, which, according to Mr. Trujillo were spring fed, an exceptionally dry summer season.

The site extends from the ridge where the house is located into the knoll west of the orchard, covering an area of 400 by 300 feet to a depth of at least 30 inches. Artifacts are plentiful on the ploughed and cultivated surface, and the highly indurated mound soil is dark and clayey. Where the deposit has been cut by recent developments, little worked stone is found in the banks; and a 5-foot square pit netted only one fragment of a ground slate pendant, though the deposit extended below the 30 inches to which the excavation proceeded. From the walls of the pit it could be noted that some soil profile had already developed.

Tools from the surface included general core tools, manos, and metates. A basin metate had been reported; and a fragment of one, of sandstone and shaped on its outer surface, was found. Of 9 manos and mano fragments, 5 are bifacial and relatively thin and 4, monofacial. All but 2 of the monofacial artifacts are sandstone, these being of a granitic rock. In cross section the majority of grinding surfaces are unusually convex, especially as they reach the edge and roll partly up the side. A single basalt pestle fragment was obtained. Scraper planes are well represented by 10 with a U-shaped edge development, some well-battered along the worked margin; and 25 single-edged planes, some of which are very large and most displaying flaking back on their edges, generally on the upper surface of the used edge. Four of quartzite and 1 of felsite porphyry are single-edged, the remainder are basalt. The 4 side scrapers are thin flakes, 2 of basalt, 2 of chert. The 3 choppers are of basalt, 1 having served additional use as a hammerstone, and the 4 hammerstones are basalt cores. Patination is noticeable on all, and smoothed flake scars are not uncommon.

_LAn-13._--Six bedrock mortars were found here in a sandstone outcrop of the south bank of the creek, 200 feet upstream from the Kiewit Ranch. As the area is covered by a relatively dense oak grove, the fact that no artifacts were found on the surface in the vicinity may be due in part to the thick fall of dead leaves. However, the soil here beneath the leaf mold is no different from that of the region as a whole, being of a light-colored clayey consistency.

_LAn-14._--Three-tenths of a mile northeast of Mineral Springs is a basalt quarry and possible habitation site. The spring water is potable and affords the nearest available water source. Over an area of 100 by 75 feet, surrounding the basalt outcrop, the sandy soil is somewhat darker. Whether this is owing to the decomposition of organic refuse strewn about a habitation site or merely to rock weathering, or in part to both, was indeterminable. The only evidence of former activity are several percussion bulbs and a number of specimens displaying a small amount of regular chipping, which suggest crude scrapers. All of these pieces, moreover, have undergone considerable patination so that they are now quite yellowed even on their flaked surfaces. In general appearance and degree of patination the artifacts from this site show marked resemblance to those from San Fernando, LAn-6, just over the divide.

Four-tenths of a mile to the south, .2 of a mile southwest of the home of M. Biencourt, an isolated chopper was picked from the surface of a spur ridge leading to Garrapata Creek. It is a large bifacial tool, battered on the slightly fashioned working edge, of basalt and patinated. No further indication of aboriginal habitation could be discovered in the near vicinity. Lithic tools and rejects, however, were found on the slope just southeast of the Biencourt residence, apparently weathering from a higher source. Investigation at the time was not feasible, however, and further investigation has not as yet been possible.

_LAn-16._--Now almost completely destroyed or disturbed by bulldozing and animals, this site is centered in the chicken run of the W. R. Hamilton Ranch, some 3 miles up the Fernwood-Pacific Road, 1.7 air miles southwest of Topanga Post Office. It sits on a somewhat more level shelf of an otherwise steep slope, the east bank of a ravine from which a permanent spring emanates 12 miles from the site. Over an area 60 feet in diameter, dark friable mound soil is still in evidence, though artifacts are now scarce. Three deep bedrock mortars, and some seven smaller, have been worn into a sandstone outcrop toward the upper end of the site, and a single pestle, and scraper plane of quartzite, came from the surface.

_LAn-17._--LAn-17 surrounds the spring on the Barton School property to an indeterminable extent. Recent building and cultivation have obliterated or disturbed considerable portions of the old habitation site; however, from what remains, it appears very similar to LAn-8, .3 of a mile southeast. Artifacts lie on the surface of the dark, friable midden deposit, which contrasts with the surrounding light clayey soil, though the discoloration may have been intensified to some extent by seepage and decay of organic matter derived from the heavy oak grove. The artifacts noted consist of a shallow basin metate, manos, only a few general core tools, and a bedrock mortar in a boulder, some 300 feet from the spring.

_LA-21 and LAn-21._--Located on a level shelf adjacent to the west bank of Garapata Creek, the site is .72 of a mile east-northeast of Mineral Springs. The upper half is separated from the lower by a 4-foot sandstone face that divides the site midway between the bank and its upper extremity. In all, an area of 50 feet by 75 feet is covered with dark, friable, sandy midden deposit to an undetermined depth, which contrasts with the surrounding light, brown-colored sand. Surface finds included only some scrapers, and a quartz core hammerstone, along with a few cores and more concentrated chert flakes; by far in the majority were head-fractured, carbonized rock fragments. A shallow 10-foot test trench again yielded only fired, fractured rock.

A number of springs are located in this vicinity, all, at present, permanent and potable. Two are within a quarter of a mile, one upstream and one downstream. Two others are within a three-quarter mile radius, one upstream on the old Santa Maria Ranch, and the other at Mineral Springs, to the west across a low range.

_LAn-23._--This site is on the east side of Garrapata Creek located in a small cave near the top of a large sandstone outcrop. The habitation deposit consists of loose, ashy dark soil charged with clam and abalone shells, and mammal and bird bones. Artifacts recovered were typical of the late protohistoric period. This site was partly examined by R. F. Heizer in 1946 and called by him "Cave 1" (Heizer and Lemert, 1947, p. 238).

_LAn-24._--This site is in the open adjacent to LAn-23. It consists of a refuse deposit some 75 square yards in area. Surface and subsurface artifacts resemble those of Topanga Phase II. This was Heizer's "Upper Site" (Heizer and Lemert, 1947, p. 238).

_LAn-25._--A cave site, LAn-25 is .4 of a mile east of LAn-23 in the same sandstone ridge. It has a northwest exposure and is very near the top of the outcrop. A small opening leads into a circular room 15 feet in diameter; the walls and ceiling are somewhat smoke-blackened. However, the cave probably bore little habitation, for the floor deposit is hardly discolored and includes very little charcoal, only two flakes and no artifacts. Water is available at the Santa Maria spring a half a mile north, but the ascent to the cave is difficult because of the thick brush and sheer rock faces.

_LAn-27._--This is one of a series of caves reported by W. King and D. Lathrop. They stretch along the north bank of Garrapata Creek for .25 of a mile on the property of M. Biencourt, just south of the owner's house, all with a more or less southerly exposure. Water is available from the spring in the creek bed a few hundred feet upstream and from Mineral Springs, less than a half a mile to the west. As none contain deposit of any depth, and the majority are relatively low overhangs, these caves probably served only as temporary shelters.

_LAn-27._--This is a high-roofed cave, 25 feet wide and 12 feet deep, with a maximum floor deposit of 12 inches. The slope in the front of the cave also bears dark, loose deposit, which appears to have a greater depth than that in the cave itself. Surface finds include a few scrapers, as well as some flakes and marine shell fragments.

_LAn-28._--100 feet west of LAn-27, and slightly higher, is another cave, only 8 by 5 feet. The rock floor bears no artifacts, the only evidence of possible habitation being the intensely fire-blackened roof. As extensive brush fires are not uncommon in this region the blackening may well be the result of unintentional firing.

_LAn-29._--This is the largest of the caves, 60 by 16 feet, and is 400 feet southwest of LAn-27 and somewhat lower. A thin erosional or aelian layer covers the surface of the deposit, which bears scrapers, marine shell fragments, and burnt bone; the interior of the cave is completely carbonized.

_LAn-30._--Only 30 feet southwest of LAn-29 is another small cave, 20 by 10 feet, with fire-blackened walls and shallow deposit containing scrapers, marine shell, and flakes.

_LAn-31._--This is a low circular cave with two entrances, some 80 feet southwest of LAn-30. The dark ashy deposit covers a floor 10 by 15 feet where pockets attain a maximum depth of 24 inches, and extends some 20 feet beyond the cave mouth. Aside from marine shell and flakes, it contained a few cores and scrapers.

_LAn-32._--The last of the caves is 200 feet west of LAn-31 and slightly lower. Here a long shallow overhang leads to a dry circular room with blackened walls. The deposit covers an area 15 feet in diameter, is dark, ashy, and dry, and yielded a few scrapers, some cores, and a quantity of marine shell fragments.

_LAn-33._--In a sandstone cliff overlooking the valley, 3 potholes have been used as bedrock mortars. They are .25 of a mile west-southwest of the spring on the Barton School property, and the same distance west-northwest of the spring on the Kiewit Ranch, surrounded on the west by oaks. Again, neither surface artifacts nor other habitation deposits are evident in the immediate vicinity.

SUMMARY OF SITES

On the basis of physiographic location, nature of deposit, artifact types, and the degree of implement patination, sites LAn-2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 24 resemble the Tank Site and, therefore, could probably be classed as representative of one of the phase developments of the Topanga Culture. Sites LAn-8, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32, because of the friable, dark soil, presence of steatite, quantities of mammal bone and mollusk shell, or associated bedrock mortars, have been classed as late protohistoric sites and are not considered within the scope of this paper. Several sites, e.g., LAn-17, were of dubious mixed origin and would require more extensive examination to determine their cultural affinities. Where omissions in the numbering occur, e.g., 7, it is because sites were reported for an area and later failed to materialize as much.

FIELD TECHNIQUES

Our major purpose in continuing field work at the Tank Site was to establish with greater certainty the relationships between the diverse artifact types and classes, and other manifestations, already recognized. In the hope that the general region in which burials had been located in 1947 would continue to be productive in this respect, we expanded from there in all directions, especially toward the center of the mound. Digging in the deeper northwestern part of the site was furthered with the intent of verifying the suggested stratigraphy and acquiring, possibly, a deep undisturbed burial in better condition than those from the upper soil horizons.

The procedure of excavation and notation was essentially unaltered from that previously employed. A grid of coördinates had already been established with reference to permanent data. Burials and features were again entered on standard University of California archaeological forms. A slight change, however, was made in the method of recording and cataloguing field data.

Originally a data sheet had been completed for each 6-inch interval of a 5-foot grid section, on which artifacts were plotted in exact horizontal location. In working up the material it became clear that the specific spatial distribution of isolated implements lacked patterning. It was therefore considered adequate, when returning to the field, to designate provenience by excavation unit and level only. In addition, the method of cataloguing was simplified and so organized that 90 per cent of the tabulation of data could be completed in the field. This was possible because the specimens derived from the 1947 field work had already been classified and constituted a sample on which expectations could reasonably be based.

The procedure followed was to strip each 5-foot section in 6-inch levels, and to sack together all the artifacts from one such test unit. At the end of the day the level bags were taken to camp where the artifacts were washed, labeled, and tabulated. All items were marked in India ink according to section number and level interval, e.g., 15R10-1, a specimen from the 0- to 6-inch level of the pit; 15R10-2 would indicate the 6- to 12-inch level, etc. A tabulation sheet was kept for each excavation unit. This sheet listed the most frequently occuring types or categories, allowing for the notation of rare forms, and was ruled vertically to indicate depth intervals. Artifacts were entered according to type, or category, and level, and then packed for transport. Atypical specimens or those to be used for illustration were set aside for separate shipment and more intensive examination.

This system had many advantages. Records were readily kept up to date, problems that suggested themselves as excavation progressed could be more closely defined and investigated, and artifacts could be expeditiously and finally cleared from the work area. The data sheets served as a field catalogue and covered the groundwork of the final statistical compilation. The number assigned each specimen referred not only to its catalogue entry but also its provenience.

In 1947 we could not anticipate what might be found, nor could we establish immediately the significance of what we did encounter. Thus it has been our policy to save all worked stone and ship it back to the Museum of Anthropology at Berkeley for study. During the second season, however, we felt a little more discrimination was warranted in order to save the museum valuable storage space. Therefore, the bulk of the hammerstones and a number of complete, and all fragmentary, manos, metates, and scrapers were tabulated and piled into pit 21R4 before backfilling.

FEATURES

Since the Tank Site showed promise of being an unusual and important deposit, considerable care was observed during both seasons of excavation to isolate and expose any concentration of lithic remains which appeared to be in any way atypical of the average mound matrix. As a result, numerous associations of stones, such as mano caches, highly weathered inverted metates, and massive piles of rejected cores, broken manos and metates, and plain cobbles, were set apart from the rest of the site and given the term "feature." In some instances these features possess obvious meaning, as was true of the mano caches and the inverted metates, but in other instances the purpose remains unknown. If nothing else, this technique of isolating features as excavation progressed provided an adequate view of the internal structure of a village, a type of information largely lacking in southern California archaeology.

The features described below represent a continuation of the series reported for 1947.

_Feature 14 (pl. 19, b)._--Cache of 4 manos. The placement of these specimens precludes a chance affinity; they were closely grouped and each was standing more or less on end. No other artifacts were found in association.

_Feature 15 (pl. 19, d)._--Owing to its areal extent, feature 15 is somewhat difficult to define. The complex of stone by which it is characterized has been arbitrarily broken down for descriptive convenience. There is no way of knowing whether the entire complex exemplifies a single unit or if in the course of time it merely developed from a single point of departure.