Annadel State Park Santa Rosa
A beautiful park with great hiking and a mind-blowing resource location for obsidian. For thousands of years, the Southern Pomo lived near what is now the park.
No permanent village sites have been found here, but these lands were important as trading grounds and as a source of obsidian, a volcanic rock that was traded with other tribes all over central California who would work it into scrapers, knives, arrow points, and spearheads.
Drive all the way in, park and get out of your car, and walk into the creek. There is obsidian everywhere.
We get excited when we find a single flake of obsidian at village sites in the East Bay hills. We have never seen a chunk like this.
According to Breck Parkman, former Senior State Archaeologist, this was a 15 acre obsidian processing site for at least 5000 years. The resident Pomo would collect baskets of starter pieces to trade all over central California with different tribes who didn’t have access to this important material.
This 2 bedrock mortar rock we found at the upper intersection of the Richardson Trail and Steves “S” Trail right by the picnic table. A wonderful 2 mile jaunt.
All natural and cultural features are protected by law and may not be disturbed nor removed.
