Try-Pot

Originally manufactured for use on whaling ships, this large cast-iron try-pot became an important part of Camilo Ynitia's rancho operations in the early 1800's. Ynitia, the last Coast Miwok hoipu, or leader, at Olompali, raised cattle on his 8,800 acre land grant not for meat but for their hides and the tallow he rendered in this large kettle. The hides and tallow formed a major export enterprise for Ynitia, shipped to Mexico and then to the East Coast for further processing into consumer products such as candles and leather goods. After Camilo Ynitia, the Burdell family, later ranch owners, used the try-pot as a watering basin for horses.

California · United States