Painted Rock

Sixth in a series of nine landmarks seen on June 23, 1993 in Riverside County, pictographs on the road to a county dump.

Way back in the 1930’s the party responsible for state recognition of Painted Rock was the Woman’s Improvement Club of Corona, and it’s interesting to note they’re still going strong with luncheons and teas and such out of a stunning Victorian gingerbread clubhouse on

Main Street

. Apparently, after tea one day they placed a tablet at the site and apparently some scallywags have since run off with it. These women appear to have had some influence with mapmakers as well back in the day for ‘Indian Pictographs Historical Marker,’ is one of those rare state landmarks that are plotted…as bait for scallywags.

Painted Rock was laying in the path of the coming Santa Fe railroad when discovered, so they moved the rails a tad and the rock was preserved. 

Them Rock Painters:               © Radio Flier Music

How bout them rock painters ain’t they sappy

Defacing Painted Rock seems to make them happy

Doin phony little pictographs of eagles and thrushes

Lurkin round the rock with their little paint brushes

Them hugger mugger rock tainters sneekin on they buns

Taintin the boulders of Luiseno Indi-uns

Wanna be a rock painter, I’ll explain it

Get a stone at home and buck up n’ paint it

The above lyric is actually stolen from ‘Them Joshua Tree Poems,’ part of an album on Joshua Tree National Park and can be seen as a video sample here:

From the Temescal Valley Times:
According to one reference work "Chief Lafio of Temecula said the painted rock was the work of the Temecula (Luiseño) Indians, perhaps telling of a three-day fiesta or a religious celebration. It may have been, however, a flood warning, since the San Jacinto River formerly flowed beside the rock and on it are four water signs similar to those found on other rocks listed in the report of the United States Bureau of Ethnography

Plague inscription: NO. 190 PAINTED ROCK - In tribute to the earliest record of any people in this region, the Santa Fe Railway has preserved this rock with its ancient pictograph, and the Committee of the Corona Women's Improvement Club has placed this tablet.
Location: From Temescal Canyon Rd, go 0.1 mi NE on Dawson Canyon Rd, then go 0.1 mi E on Gravel Pit Rd, then 0.2 mi S along railroad track berm, site is 50 ft W of berm, 7 mi S of Corona. Google maps: 33.783624,-117.483083