ABSTRACT
Four major features were investigated: a tanning vat and accompanying pipeline and spring complex, the blacksmith shop, a segment of the Indian barracks and an extensive dumping area. Special appreciation is due to Mr. Arthur, Head Ranger at La Purísima State Historical monument, and to Wayne Caldwell, also a ranger, for their very considerate assistance in every phase of the project. During stabilization and repair operations in fall of 1962, following the cessation of the archaeological program at the mission, park personnel uncovered a drain leading from Vat Two and an interconnecting line between Vats One and Two. Water was piped into the vats through two separate pipelines, with origins in two separate springs. Overflow from Purísima Creek had deposited as much as two feet of sterile sand over the area in the period following the abandonment of the mission when the creek became quite active.
