LAn-1 (Tank Site).—Our type locality, the Tank Site, occupies a well-drained knoll high up on the eastern side of Topanga Canyon (elevation 1,214 feet) some 4 miles inland from the Pacific Coast. The tract of land upon which the site lies is known locally as the “92 acres” (See Treganza and Malamud, 1950; and maps 1 and 2).
LAn-2 (map 3).—This site lies on the “92 acres,” about 350 yards west-southwest of the Tank Site, on the same ridge but at a lower elevation. At this point the ridge narrows almost to a hogback about 75 feet wide, terminating in a small knoll. There were signs of occupation for a distance of 300 feet along the ridge. The exact limits could not be determined since the vegetation had been bulldozed off earlier and the deposit had been dragged. Excavation at this site established the basis of Topanga Culture Phase 11.
LAn-3.—This site is located on the Trippet Ranch just within the city limits of Los Angeles. It occupies the same ridge as the Tank Site but lies at a higher elevation and some 450 yards to the east. The western edge of the site and the nearby canyon are covered with live oaks, sage, and manzanita. Most of the surface has been disturbed, for the land was formerly planted to grain. The limits of habitation are marked by compact light-brown soil, which discolors slightly the yellow surrounding earth. There is no perceptible rise in contour. Artifacts typical of the Tank Site were observed weathered out of the occupation surface. The former living area was estimated about a hundred square yards. The deposit appeared only a few inches deep; however, this was probably a village site, though occupied only for a short time. An abundance of tarweed, restricted to the deposit area, might well be considered a vegetation association.
LAn-4.—This site is located in the saddle of the ridge which separates the Topanga Canyon drainage from that of the Santa Ynez Canyon, about one-half mile east-southeast of the Tank Site. The saddle is well covered with live oaks and manzanita. The habitation deposit is marked by a slight discoloration of the soil and yielded a few manos like those of the Tank Site. At best, the site was probably just a temporary camping spot.
LAn-5.—As at LAn-4, the evidence of occupation, consisting of typical manos, was found in a small saddle of a ridge directly across the ravine from, and about one-half mile south of the Tank Site. Large live oaks are the predominant vegetation. No extensive habitation area was noted, though the evidence might well have been hidden under leaf mould.
LAn-6.—This site is of interest since it may indicate an occurrence of the Topanga Culture in the San Fernando Valley. The deposit is located on the periphery of a citrus grove in the eastern foothills of the valley, near Girard. Cultural associations consisted of Topanga-like scrapers and choppers composed of a tough, light-colored rhyolite. There were no signs of occupation. It is not improbable that this was a quarry site; an outcrop of rhyolite is close at hand. However, no quantities of reject refuse were noted; nor did any core or flake tools composed of rhyolite occur in the Tank Site series to suggest trade or contact between the two sites.
The two San Fernando Valley sites, the Big Tahunga and Porter Ranch sites, reported on by Mr. Edwin Walker (Walker, 1936, 1945) of the Southwest Museum, appear to have no relation to LAn-6 or bearing on the problem of the Topanga Culture.
LAn-8.—Topanga Post Office and a number of smaller buildings now stand directly on this site, though parts of it are still evident where it extends south to the highway. Except in the dry summer, water is available in the creek just across the road and there are two springs less than half a mile to the west.