W. S. Caley, Dec. 1815 is a very interesting date for Southern California. The great migration, the Goldrush of 49', came much later.  Who was W. S. Caley and what was he doing at McCoy Springs?  Careful examination will show that the "8" is an altered "9."  Notice the difference in the coloration of the patina in the glyph numbers.  The bottom part of the "8" is lighter in color than the top of the number and the rest of the numbers.

Anyone have the answer to this mystery?

1.
"Hi.  The date is bogus.  It must have been  1915.  The earliest dates out in that area begin much later in the 1800s.  Without going through my files, I would say 1860s at the earliest.  There are many other dates of the same "early" period of the 1860s or '80s when the town of Blythe [California] was beginning. The area was surveyed by the General Land Office not until 1850s."

Contact: Daniel McCarthy, USFS archaeologist for the San Bernardino National Forest - California. E-mail address: Dfmccarthy@aol.com
 

** Note the difference of coloration in the patina within the carvings.
 

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