The California Department of Parks and Recreation (formerly the California Division of Beaches and Parks) has endeavored to publish the results of its investigations and management of a wide range of California's most important cultural heritage sites for over 50 years. 

PDF copies of the archived reports are available for download below. Hard copies are available for purchase, though supplies are limited. For more information, please email SACRF@parks.ca.gov or call 916-263-1632.


Archeological Investigations at Sutter's Fort State Historical Monument, Sacramento, California.
1961 Archeological Report (#1)

Report describes results of excavations carried out at Sutter’s Fort State Historical Monument from July 3, 1959 to August 5, 1959, under the provisions of a contract between the Central California Archeological Foundation and the California Division of Beaches and Parks.


Archaeological Investigations at Whale Rock Reservoir, Cayucos, California.
1961 Archeological Report (#2)

With the excavation of several archaeological sites at the Whale Rock Reservoir, San Luis Obispo County in California, the State Department of Water Resources began a program of preservation of archeological and historical values within those areas administered by the Department. This report documents that work done through a contract to the University of California, Los Angeles, from the State Division of Beaches and Parks, who administered all of the Department of Water Resources’ archeological needs by means of an inter-agency agreement.


Excavations at Sutter's Fort, Sacramento, California.
1961 Archeological Report (#3)

The growing interest in restoring historic buildings and sites has brought the historian and archeologist together in gathering information needed for restoration. Portions of Sutter’s Fort had completely vanished from the landscape, where only one of the original buildings was standing at the time of  reconstruction in 1890. To corroborate findings, archeological research was undertaken in 1955 by Sacramento State College in hopes of solving some of the questions as to the location and size of the original Fort. More excavations occurred in 1957 and again in 1958. This report deals with those research findings and Sutter’s Fort excavations carried on during July and August of 1960 by the Central California Archeological Foundation with the State Division of Beaches and Parks.


Archeological Excavations at Chilcoot Rockshelter, Plumas County, California.
1961 Archeological Report (#4)

An archeological excavation of the Chilcoot Rockshelter in Plumas County, California is documented in this report. With a vast program of water use and development in progress in California at the time of this excavation, it was realized that destruction of certain historical and archeological resources would occur. To keep such a loss to a minimum, the Department of Water Resources, in conjunction with the State Division of Beaches and Parks, initiated an archeological survey and salvage program at this important site.


Archaeological Explorations in the Southern Section of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.
1962 Archeological Report (#5) - Part One,    Part Two

An Anza-Borrego Desert State Park archeological review was conducted by the California State Division of Beaches and Park and UCLA and USC in 1957. The purpose of the research was to determine the number, extent and importance of prehistoric remains within the park unit boundaries. A total of 173 sites were discovered to appear to belong to the last Aboriginal period, dated since about 1,000 A.D. Excavations were conducted at two rock shelters in Culp Valley and at a village site in Grapevine Canyon. Forty-eight sites were recorded, all appearing to belong to the last prehistoric phase. The results of these investigations are presented in this report.


Salvage of the Rio Oso Site, Yuba County, California.
1962 Archeological Report (#6)


The Rio Ose Site (YUB-14) was brought to the attention of the State Division of Beaches and Parks in 1957 by the Army Corp of Engineers, who reported levee work had uncovered an Indian mound. As the general region is a flood plain, the archaeological site deposit was obscured by a mantle of water-deposited silt several inches thick. At this time, an estimated 25 to 30 burials were unearthed. It was possible to salvage only eight burials. While the Rio Oso Site has an unenviable position of being a wantonly vandalized site, it is not unique. It is morally incumbent upon those who are developing the land in California to take adequate steps for the study, salvage and protection of our archeological values. Volunteer archeological crews made several field trips to the site, the results of which form the basis of his report.


The Archeology of the Western Pacific Railroad Relocation, Oroville Project, Butte County, California.
1963 Archeological Report (#7)


With the beginning of the construction of the Oroville Dam it was necessary to relate the Western Pacific Railroad, which otherwise would be inundated by the impounded waters of the Feather River. In the process of making an archeological site survey of the relocation right-of-way, a series of archeological sites were recorded. Of the 12 sites recorded, four were deemed of sufficient significance to bear test excavation. Archeological investigations were carried out at sites BUT-78, BUT-103, BUT-105 and BUT-131 through a contract with the Central California Archeological Foundation by the State Division of Beaches and Parks. These investigations are documented in this report.

"Tco'se,"  An Archaeological Study of the Bedrock Mortar-Petroglyph at AMA-14, Near Volcano, California.
1963 Archeological Report (#8)

This report is based on Archeological Field Investigations executed at the “Indian Grinding Rock” between March 21 and 31, 1961. This project was carried out under the provisions of a contract between the Central California Archeological Foundation and the California State Division of Beaches and Parks. State Archeologist Francis A. Riddell initiated the project to provide information for a proposed state park. This field work is the first comprehensive study of its kind at the site, AMA-14. Indian Grinding Rock is an outstanding bedrock mortar site, undoubtedly the most outstanding example of its kind in the western United States and is certainly a monument to the hunting and gathering cultures of aboriginal Californians.


Arroyo Sequit-LAN-52 Archeological Investigations in Leo Carrillo State Park, Los Angeles County, California.
1963 Archeological Report (#9) - Part One,   Part Two

This report describes the results of archeological investigations at Arroy Sequit shell mound, LAN-52; situated on a portion of Leo Carrillo State Park, Los Angeles County, conducted from June 22 to July 9 in 1962. The Central California Archeological Foundation conducted the research. Specimens collected from the excavation are stored at the State Indian Museum. A total of 732 man hours was spend in the field in surveying, clearing the land of brush and laying out the trenches, excavating, screening sorting midden materials and backfilling. All artifacts were sorted, catalogued, numbered and analyzed.


Archeology of the Oroville Dam Spillway and A House Floor in Napa County, California.

This report is a two part document. Part I deals with archeological work done at the site of the Oroville Dam Spillway. Field work was done under a contract from the Division of Beaches and Parks to the Central California Archeological Foundation from June 11 to July 22, 1961. Investigations were done at three aboriginal villages sites located along the spillway. Sites BUT-99 and BUT-100 were not completely destroyed by the spillway construction. The BUT-101 site was the largest of the excavated villages and was unfortunately ruined because it was located on the center-line of the spillway. Part II records work on a house pit at a village site in Napa County, California; NAT-234.  The Napa site work was done in 1958; where a large floor was excavated. It was a loose, ashy-textured occupation midden similar to the Late Horizon deposits in the Napa region.


Archeology of the Little Panoche Reservoir Fresno County, California.
1968 Archeological Report (#11)

Little Panoche Valley is one of a series of small valleys drained by the intermittent streams situated along the extreme western edge of the San Joaquin Valley and bordered to the wet by the Diablo Range. The Little Panoche Detention Reservoir was initially surveyed for archeological sites in 1961. The sites recorded within the maximum project boundary were designated as 4-FRE-128 and 4-FRE-129. Salvage of the archeological remains within the reservoir begun in the spring of 1966. Project funds were provided under terms between the National Park Service and the State Division of Beaches and Parks. This report documents these archeological investigations.


Archeology of the Grayson Site Merced County, California.
1969 Archeological Report (#12)

The Grayson Site (4-MER-S94) is located just east of Pacheco Pass in the scattered oak parkland, so typical of the south coast range. It consists of midden deposit which reaches a depth of 2 meters, overlying an older terrace deposit which also contains artifactual materials. This site has been named after Charles Grayson M.D. of Sacramento, a long time friend of archeology. An avid bow-hunter, it was on one of his hunting trips that Dr. Grayson discovered this site. The recovery of some 40 burials and a variety of midden artifacts, as well as three fragmentary house floors, indicates a long period of occupation. Archeological investigations led by the State Department of Parks and Recreation at this central California Early period site are documented in this report.