The Aboriginal Population of the San Joaquin Valley, California

This study offers a careful look at the native peoples who once inhabited California’s expansive central valley, focusing on the region south of the Sacramento and American Rivers. Drawing on ecological divisions, the author maps tribal territories across rivers, lakes, foothills, and mountain slopes, highlighting the diversity of groups such as the Yokuts, Miwok, Western Mono, Tubatulabal, and Kawaiisu. Six detailed maps accompany the analysis, each numbered for easy reference to specific river basins and habitats. The introduction explains why the valley is treated as a single ecological unit despite its sheer size.

The work then examines population estimates around 1850, comparing contemporary counts with fragmented surveys from individual river valleys. By juxtaposing early Spanish missionary contact in the 1770s with later waves of settlement, the author shows how gradual encroachment altered demographic patterns across both northern and southern sub‑regions. The concluding sections synthesize these findings into a clear picture of the valley’s original aboriginal landscape.