Shasta Rain Rock - Fort Jones Museum - Fort Jones, CA
N 41° 36.423 W 122° 50.525
10T E 513158 N 4606161
The Fort Jones Museum contains a wealth of ancient Native American artifacts that have been preserved in a rock wall that covers the front and one side of the building, located in downtown fort Jones, CA.
Waymark Code: WMJ8TB
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 10/11/2013
Views: 2
Visitors to
Fort Jones Museum can't miss the evidence of Native American civilization here that have been preserved as part of a rock wall that encompasses the exterior of the museum. This evidence includes mortars and pestles and the most famous ancient New World evidence of all, the Shasta Rain Rock. This rock was apparently used by the local Shasta tribe to change the weather (make it rain) by pounding holes into the rock. To stop the rain, the rock was covered.
I wasn't able to speak with the museum staff since the museum was closed but I'm positive there's a story to tell about how the museum obtained this ancient rock. I know that the rock wall was constructed by J. Dempsey, a mason, in 1947 when the museum was erected. In addition to Native artifacts, the wall contains three mill stones and a cannonball, obsidian rock and lava rock from the local area.
Any visitors to this museum are highly encouraged to inquire about the history behind this Shasta Rain Rock and note it here.
Visit Instructions: To log your visit to this Waymark, post a picture of your GPSr next to the artifact. Post a second, wider picture to show the "Ancient Evidence" in context.