Abstract
SIMILAR TO MANY OTHER identified archaeological locations within the Mokelumne River watershed, Pedro and Lily O'Connors' place was formally documented during an archaeological survey for a proposed hydroelectric project.' At the time of its discovery archaeologists recorded cabin remains, earthen pads, tin can scatters and other historical artifacts. Typically, this combination of features and artifacts suggests historical use, perhaps as a gold rush period miner's camp. Only after preliminary oral history and archival studies were undertaken did a different picture of the site emerge. For example, historic and ethnographic research made it possible to positively identify Pedro and Lily as the residents of the cabin site. A Miwok consultant pointed out Pedro's ceremonial roundhouse, now characterized by a dry-laid rock foundation and slight depression. Historically, Miwok roundhouses were semi-circular, constructed with milled lumber and had a conical roof. In what remained of Pedro O'Connors' roundhouse, everything paralleled the general historic description. From our interviews and research we learned that many Miwok families and individuals residing in the Sierra Nevada foothills, particularly within the Mother Lode, remembered Pedro and Lily. Their memories suggest that the O'Connors' attended and sponsored Miwok dances from the 1920s to the 1940s. Local newspaper accounts also mention this Miwok couple. The Amador Dispatch, for example, noted on January 9, 1942:
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