Man's History on the Kings River

There were two main Native American tribes in the Kings area - the Monache (Mono Indians), and the Choinumne (foothill Yokuts). The Monaches were the tribe that inhabited our camp area. The Choinumnes lived a bit downstream where Pineflat Reservoir is now. These Indians hunted mostly deer and tule elk, but would also hunt ground squirrels, rabbits, quail and other game. They gathered bulbs, grass seeds, acorns and mushrooms. Their homes were tipi-like structures made of cedar bark. The Choinumne people even rafted the Kings River using tules lashed together in the form of a raft. Some of their trips took them all the way to Tule Lake.

Ask your guide where to find Indian grinding rocks along the river. For more information, read the book "Indian Summer" by Thomas Jefferson Mayfield, who lived with the Choinumne Indians until he was 16.

In the late 1850's Spanish settlers saw the river and named it "Rio De Los Santos Reys" meaning, "River of the Holy Kings", after the three wise men. In 1889 the world's longest log flume was constructed to stretch for 54 miles along side of the Kings River all the way to Sanger. Huge Sequoia trees were cut from the mountains and sent to Sanger by way of the flume. Gold mining did not really take over the river so the Kings was saved from that disaster. The only mining that took place on the Kings was Tungsten mining which became a major thing during World War II. As you raft down the river you can still see signs of both mining and the log flume.