Shelf #2: The Farm
Shelf #2: The Farm
Embedded Files
For millennia, the land was occupied by indigenous communities up until territorial seizures by Spanish settlers in the 16th century. In the mid-19th century, some 100,000 acres were consolidated under the control of the Irvine Family and their agricultural and ranching operations. The site of the Irvine Ranch building complex, known as "Bonita Camp," was an important node in the operations of the Irvine Ranch since its earliest days, serving as a center for hog, sheep, and cattle ranching activities, as well as a base for agricultural operations on the southern, coastal section of the Ranch. It also functioned as the primary slaughtering facility for the entire ranch and included various agricultural and ranching structures. Three structures remain today but are no longer utilized as of 2007. There are early discussions as part of the upcoming LRDP to consider incorporating them and the surrounding area of the site into a student centered space for East Campus.
Item #7: The Horse Shoe
Item #7: The Horse Shoe
The presence of the horse shoe indicates a fairly decently sized ranching operation where a variety of domesticated animals were kept and slaughtered. Horse shoes are utilized to help horses perform better on man made terrains in the ranches, suggesting horses were likely used as working animals rather than for leisure purposes. One possible interpretation for finding this horse shoe, as it was buried under the ground, is that it was buried on purpose in remembrance for a horse that had passed, as it is a common practice to use a horse shoe as a representation of the horse that wore it.
Item #12, Jaw Harp or Horse/Cattle Tool?
Item #12, Jaw Harp or Horse/Cattle Tool?
This item has several interpretations and given that it was found within the context of a ranching facility, it was first categorized as a horse/cattle tool. Its purpose was unclear with this interpretation and was assumed to have been used as decor or adornments on saddles, clothing, or other horse/cattle related items. Upon further inspection by several students, another possible interpretation arose: a jaw harp. With reverse image searching, several very closely identifying artifacts that resembled ours popped up being jaw harps with the centers removed or damaged. Close inspection of our artifact, the presumed jaw harp, shows an area that is slightly misshapen and uneven in the center, possibly indicating a centerpiece once being there. Additionally, its unique shape hammers in this interpretation, leading us to believe that it was a jaw harp.
Item # 15, 4 Large Cut Bones
Item # 15, 4 Large Cut Bones
These large bones, likely those of hogs or bovines, are sawed at the ends where a smooth and even break is seen. This is an indication of the activities that were carried out on the ranch when it had been active and provides physical evidence that backs up written information from old documents that detail what went down at the farm. This was an important discovery as it gives us a more solid timeline that can help contextualize other items that may have been found in a similar layer or location close to the bones.
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