National Register of Historic Places

Witt Site

Kettleman City, Kings County, California
Listed
May 5, 1971
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
71000141

About this property

The Witt Site is an archaeological site near Tulare Lake in Kings County, California. It was found by Donald Witt, who collected artifacts of concave points, crescents, and fossilized elephant, bison, and horse bones. The site was apparently a good location for ambushing large mammals coming to the lake. Included in artifacts obtained from the Witt Site in private collections were fluted "Clovis culture-like" points, stemmed points, and crescents believed to reflect Paleoindian occupations. Subsequently, the Witt Site was seen as being one of three major Clovis localities known in California. Since the late 1980s, other private collections from the site have been described and some limited excavations have been conducted. According to a 2019 article published in the journal PaleoAmerica, analysis of the fluted points now suggest that any Clovis presence was probably less than believed and that most of the early material from the Witt Site indicates an occupation by Western Stemmed Tradition groups. The location address of the Witt Site is restricted. A 10-acre (4.0 ha) area at the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Location

Kettleman City, Kings County, California

Categories

PREHISTORIC
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Witt Site

This page lists Witt Site. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Questions about this property

When was Witt Site listed on the National Register?

Witt Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1971.

What type of historic resource is Witt Site?

Witt Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Witt Site?

The period of significance for Witt Site is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Witt Site?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Witt Site will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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