UC Riverside NRS Reserves
Sweeney Granite Links
- History of the reserve
Sweeney Granite External Links
The Granite Mountains have a long history of use by the Southern Paiute (predominantly Chemehuevi, but also the Pahrump band) and are rich in archaelogical sites. Chemehuevis of the Bighorn sheep song used the range during their seasonal migrations through the East Mojave leaving ceramic pottery, projectile points, pictographs, and petroglyphs at village sites, camping areas, and caves throughout the range. By the late 1800s, disease and conflict with Europeans had exterminated the Southern Paiute from the area.
In the early 1900s, prospectors began to search the range for gold and constructed roads, shafts, and pits. Full-time ranchers started grazing cattle on the alluvial slopes. Several grazing-related developments, such as fences, corrals, and water catchments, can still be seen around the base of the range.
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