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This view is looking east from the alcove in Panted Rock toward Soda Lake and the Temblor Range. The Carrizo Plain is reminiscent of the western high Great Plains near the Rocky Mountains, being a vast region of grass-covered flats, rolling hills, and occasional badlands. The Chumash Indians called the region "K'o'owshup" which interprets as "earth-water" or "earth-pet." It was later named and mapped as "Llano Estero" -- combining the Spanish words for "plain" and "salt marsh." The name "Carrizo" came later, derived from the Spanish word for "reeds" or "cane." The area was extensively farmed and grazed from the 1870s through the early 20th century. The oil boom of the San Joaquin valley brought an additional flood of people interested in agriculture, mining, recreation, and hunting to the area, and was perhaps the period of greatest environmental degradation. By the close of the 20th century, about ninety percent of the land was purchased or designated as within the Carrizo Plain Natural Area (now Carrizo Plain National Monument; established in 2001). |
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