Throughout the last 10,000 years, humans have used the asphalt of Rancho La Brea for a variety of purposes. The Chumash, a Native American tribe from the coastal southern California area, used asphalt for waterproofing their canoes and baskets.

In recent history, the Spanish occupation of California about 300 years ago also played a role in the history of Rancho La Brea. It is because of the Spanish that we use the name of Rancho La Brea, or "the tar ranch." Originally, it was a 4,440 acre Mexican land grant used as a cattle ranch. These ranchers first discovered the fossilized remains and dismissed them as the bones of unfortunate cattle that had become stuck in the asphalt.

		Foot Note! The word "brea" means tar in spanish. If one translates "The La Brea tar Pits" into one language the translation would be: "The The Tar Tar Pits".

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