 Museum Home
Search
Site Map
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Copyright
|
| When were the asphalt deposits first discovered? |
| The earliest written mention of these deposits is found in the diary of Juan Crespi, a Franciscan friar with the expedition of Gaspar de Portola (the first Spanish governor of the Californias). In 1769-1770, he wrote "The 3rd, we proceeded for three hours on a good road; to the right were extensive swamps of bitumen which is called chapapote. We debated whether this substance, which flows melted from underneath the earth, could occasion so many earthquakes.', The first scientific publication of the fossils found here was in 1875 by Professor William Denton. Evidence indicates that there was extensive prehistoric use and trade of asphalt by Native Americans. |
| How did Rancho La Brea get its name? |
| It is named after the Mexican land grant of over 4,400 acres given to Antonio Jose Rocha in 1828. Rancho La Brea literally means "the tar ranch" in spanish. |
|
|
