Shelf 4: Since 2007 - Abandonment and Archaeology

Surface Finds from 4 annual surveys

This shelf exhibits just a few of the items I DIG UCI students have found doing surface surveys of Bonita Camp through the tenure of the program. Since the closure of the UCI farm school in 2007, the site has become generally forgotten, and less active compared to the heyday of both the original Irvine Ranch farmstead and the Farm School.

However, these artifacts demonstrate that the site has not been entirely forgotten. Instead it has become a secluded hideaway for unhoused people taking refuge within the farmhouses, facilities management storage, and illicit activities such as drug and alcohol usage. I DIG UCI students have done intensive surface surveys of the site, and cataloged many finds indicating this recent history of the site. Season after season of the program, these surface finds keep us on our toes as we look to the potential future of the site.

Read More About Some of our Artifacts Below!

Item #32: Tree Finder Guide

This booklet, the Pacific Coast Tree Finder, is a pocket guide written by Tom Watts and published in 2004. With a 4.5/5 rating on goodreads, and a 4.7 on Amazon, this guidebook is praised as easy to use, and one of the best guides for nature lovers in the region. Found during surface surveys during the 2019 I DIG UCI Season, this guidebook only has minor weathering and water damage. The continued isolation of Bonita Camp makes this site perfect for native California plant life, and also a perfect spot for nature lovers.

Item #38: Cigarette Carton

The Marlboro carton was found during surface surveys during the 2021 field season.The cigarette carton is empty, with some minor denting to the box. This is just one of many different discarded improper or illegal substances that have been found on the site. These items show us that while the site has become less active, there are still some students who have made use of the quiet isolation to engage in behavior that would be frowned upon or reprimanded for on other parts of campus.

Item #34: Rubix Cube

This Rubix cube was found during a survey of the site in the 2024 season, outside one of the houses. We theorize that this Rubix Cube may have belonged to an unhoused person taking refuge within the house, and used as a marker to communicate to others that they were occupying the space. No matter how or why this cube appeared on the site, it has become a fascinating find for I DIG UCI agents.

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