In the 1970s, with the construction of the Stockton hydroelectric dam, the Sac River, which had for so long preserved the site, began to erode the bank (CAR 2006). This exposed the alluvial layers and began to wash out artifacts from the nearly 14,000 year occupation. Local collectors recovered some of these artifacts, which drew the attention of professional archaeologists. In 1986, the site was finally discovered by professional archaeologists surveying the Sac River valley when they spotted artifacts eroding out of the river bank (Bush 2006; Chandler 2001a; Joiner 2001).