ÌÇÐÄVlog

The Archaeological Conservancy is excited to announce a major milestone: the acquisition of our 600th archaeological preserve. The Se Nshong DÅ­n (Good Rock Place) site is an extensive Indigenous chert quarry located in northern California.

HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif., Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire-ÌÇÐÄVlog/ -- The Archaeological Conservancy is excited to announce a major milestone: the acquisition of our 600th archaeological preserve. The Se Nshong DÅ­n (Good Rock Place) site is an extensive Indigenous chert quarry located in northern California. Previously unrecorded by archaeologists, the quarry includes roughly three acres of toolstone shatter, along with chert outcrops, broken bifaces, large cores, hammerstones, and grinding implements reused for stoneworking. The acquisition of this preserve is an important step to ensure that irreplaceable places remain available to descendant communities and future generations of researchers.

The story of Se Nshong DÅ­n began roughly 150 million years ago at the bottom of the ocean. Microscopic organisms called radiolarians settled on the seafloor, where their silica-rich skeletons accumulated and, over time, formed layers of chert. The oceanic rocks and sediments were later carried toward the edge of the North American continent on a tectonic plate. Portions of this material were scraped off, faulted, folded, and eventually uplifted and exposed and became part of the Franciscan Complex, a varied assemblage of materials exposed throughout California's Coast Ranges.

For thousands of years, the chert within this formation provided an invaluable resource. Franciscan chert was fashioned into spear points—including late Pleistocene Clovis points—as well as arrow points, scrapers, and knives used to butcher animals and process plants. High-quality chert may also have been a valuable trade commodity. This large quarry could have been a main source of toolstone for the ancestors of the Eel River Wailaki, an Athabaskan-speaking Indigenous people who named the site, and other groups in the area. The quarry sits in the center of the ancestral lands of the Eel River Wailaki.

Linsie Lafayette, the Conservancy's Western Regional Director, stated, "Se Nshong Duñ is a wonderful example of how landowners, local archaeologists, Indigenous representatives, and The Archaeological Conservancy can work together to protect vulnerable archaeological resources. Moving forward, the quarry at Se Nshong Duñ may be visited by students, community members, archaeologists, and descendant communities to understand how a key resource was extracted from the land and to connect with the past".

To celebrate this milestone acquisition and showcase the beauty and significance of our 600th site, the Conservancy produced a virtual site visit video. Please visit our website at to learn more about this amazing preserve. directly on our YouTube page at .

The Archaeological Conservancy, established in 1980, is the only national non-profit organization dedicated to acquiring and preserving the best of our nation's remaining archaeological sites on private land. Together these preserves encompass thousands of years of human history. Each acquisition began with a landowner, archaeologist, Tribal representative, Conservancy member, or citizen recognizing that something irreplaceable can be lost and took steps to preserve it.

Media Contact

Linsie Lafayette, The Archaeological Conservancy, 1 775-842-2399, [email protected], thearchcons.org

SOURCE The Archaeological Conservancy