Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Petroglyph theft

I just heard a radio news report about thieves using generators and saws to remove ancient petroglyphs. It sounded like it was maybe around the Coso Mtns. Does anyone have more information about this?

LA TIMes

Words cannot capture the disgust

That's F'd up.

Up in the Tablelands, north of Bishop.

So many words come to mind, yet none seem adequate.



And now we know why I was so amused at people's complaints about rock walls this morning...

This September I took the Petroglyph Canyon tour operated by the Maturango Museum in Ridgecrest. What I learned then about the petrolglyphs and the people who made them added to my feeling of nausea when I heard about this desecration. There are some really sick people in this world! (I highly recommend the museum tour.)

This is terrible crime. Hope police will find and punish them.

Desecration of sacred grounds. Karma. Think Karma.

A couple of people that you might want to get to know (probably many more) if you have an interest in this are Bill White (sp?) and Steve Ritchie. Founts of knowledge on this topic.

I asked Ritchie about the thefts and he told me about some dude from So. Cal. who was cutting petroglyphs from the El Pasos. AH had quite the collection at his home when he got busted.

Richard, the most important thing about your post is that you are still among us and able to offer information about a range of things. I am so glad that I didn't have to read about an unhappy end to your 52nd ascent.

The BLM is reporting they have recovered the missing pieces. Not much else information.

Unbelievable jerks that destroyed an irreplaceable treasure. Very sad indeed.
Video of the damage:
http://framework.latimes.com/2012/11/20/ancient-petroglyph-stolen-near-bishop/

HEADLINES and HIGHLIGHTS

Acting on tip, federal officials recover stolen petroglyph panels" (Los Angeles Times, 1/31/13)
"Federal investigators acting on a tip have recovered five petroglyph panels that thieves cut from an eastern Sierra site sacred to Native Americans ... The location of the petroglyphs, stolen last fall, was disclosed in an anonymous letter to authorities. By failing to sign the letter, its author walked away from a $9,000 reward — a sign that the tip may have come from the thieves themselves. Experts had said the petroglyphs would fetch little money from collectors and would be difficult to fence because of widespread publicity about the theft."
www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0201-petroglyphs-20130201,0,1406110.story