Archaeologist Dr. Bruce Love gave an Archaeology and History,about the Native American village that

Dr. Love Presenter at LLAPA Meeting

Lake Los Angeles – Sorensen Park - Archaeologist Dr. Bruce Love gave an Archaeology and History at Lovejoy Springs slide presentation at the January 8 meeting of the Lake Los Angeles Park Association (LLAPA).

Dr. Love has been a presenter at the LLAPA meetings in the past. He has prepared a comprehensive, thought-provoking and stimulating message about the Native American village that occupied the area 2,770 years ago and perhaps even further. “This was an occupied village prior to the California period, perhaps closer to 3,000 years ago,” Dr, Love remarked. “Native American Indians held ceremonies together and held other social gatherings here.”

Dr. Love walked the Board and the audience through the archaeology survey done in the Spring of 2015 with Antelope Valley College (AVC) students and AVC Professor Dr. Darcy Wiewall under the auspices of Department of Parks and Recreation Associate Curator Ansley Davies. Dr. Love stated, “The 1911 geology report describes Lovejoy (Croswell) Springs and the theory of why there is a spring. Underground water coming off the San Gabriel Mountains flows north underground under the desert until it hits Lovejoy Buttes.

“Lovejoy Buttes acts like a dam that forces the water up to the surface and that is why there is a Lovejoy Spring. That is why we had an Indian village here. This has been documented for 2,700 years. “There is C14 dating going on today with some of the items excavated during the archaeology survey back In the Spring of 2015.

“We know that there is 3,000 years of uninterrupted occupation of Lovejoy Buttes. It was all Native American until up to about 250 years ago. Coming of the Spaniards in 1776 changed everything.” A sketch map of the area of the pond from 1929 shows the dam. The dam was built in 1922 thereabouts. From 1922 we had a standing body of water, or a large pond, up until the dam was destroyed in 1968. “We have maps from the 20’s to the 50’s showing the body of water,” explained Love.

Dr. Love explained there was no agriculture here in California like other parts of the country. This was an area primarily of hunting and fishing. Dr. Love also showed articles that were written by Chuck Bostwick when he was with the Antelope Valley Press probably dated in the year 2008.

Dr. Love said of the remains from the area which are still stored at UCLA, “Someday those remains will be returned to the place back in the ground where they belong. This would be part of the story for the proposed Cultural Center.” In September of 2016 at a LLAPA meeting, Dr. Love said, “I want to make everyone aware of the nature of the cultural resources … that you are all custodians of these resources at the Park. “We are not here to stop development, but that development has to take in to account the cultural resources. You cannot just start grading without proper archaeological studies.”

Photo Credit: Shirley Harriman