Although Rainbow Rock was a significant source of flaked lithic material for prehistoric Native Americans, it has received little attention in regional archaeological studies. The distinctiveness of some of the material from this quarry at the hand specimen level and the potential for trace element characterization make this a regionally significant material source. This paper includes a description of the site, the lithic material, and a general examination of the regional distribution of this material in the western Colorado Desert and southern California. This source is then placed in the context of other southern California source-distinctive and widely distributed materials. The importance of direct procurement and exchange of such distinctive materials is then examined in contrast to local embedded procurement systems.