A Chronicle of Murphys Rancherica (Mol-Pee-So): An Historic Central Sierra Miwok Village
General Material Designation
[Article]
First Statement of Responsibility
Maniery, James Gary
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
Murphys Rancheria was located about one mile from the town of Murphys, California, within the territory of the Central Sierra Miwok (Fig. 1). Situated on an exposed ridgetop that received gusty, southwest winds, the site was not an ideal Miwok village setting as described in the ethnographic literature. There was no economically viable water source until 1853 when the North Ditch mining canal was constructed to provide water for the Ora Plata and other mines in the region. It is probable that this Miwok rancheria would never have existed at its recorded location had not whites and other Euroamericans established themselves in the territory in 1848. As it is, occupation at the settlement was brief, probably lasting only fifty years (ca. 1870-1920). By the time the residents began budding their houses at this location they apparently had been on the move for several decades and were then well adapted to Euroamerican technology and lifeways.
SET
Date of Publication
1983
Title
Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology