Blackwater Locality #1 Site Tour

This is a PRIMITIVE SITE without modern conveniences. Please dress appropriately for an outdoor hike of 1/4 mile over a dirt trail.

Signpost #1, at the trail entrance.

The view is northwest, toward the center hills. This is the former location of the spring fed Blackwater Draw lake. Clovis hunters (13,300 B.P.) stalked Mammoth columbi and Bison antiquus around the perimeters of the lake in search of food and other necessary items. Today the lake area is filled with backdirt from gravel quarry activities.

Walk down the trail to the bottom of the hill.

Look east at the trail you have just descended. The layers of sediment visible on the left side (north) of the trail entrance displays the gravel on the surface. The Ogalla gravel has been re-deposited in these valleys during the Pleistocene era and is found at the bottom of this stratigraphy. The layers are from the the Quarternary period and were deposited during the ice ages.

The white and gray layers directly beneath the top gravel are lake sediments dating from the end of the Pleistocene time period. This surface dates prior to 13,000 years ago. Clovis people stood here looking for animals coming to the famous spring-fed water hole 13,300 - 13,000 years ago.

The red sand and white caliche levels directly beneath were deposited during the Pleistocene time period (2 million to 12,000 years ago).

Continue to marker #2

On your left is a small grove of trees at the turn of the trail. These are cottonwood trees that began growing around 1970. Water was left in these pits as the dirt was removed during the 1950s-1970s. As the water table began to drop, trees sprouted from seed and began to grow at the water's edge. The general outline of the receding water is shown in the location of the trees.

These trees are called Rio Grande Cottonwoods. This same species grows along the Pecos and Rio Grande rivers in New Mexico. A woodpecker family uses the dead tree trunk for a home.

Directly in front of you is the same Pleistocene strata as the one seen at the trail entrance. The red clay layer under the white caliche shelf is Pliocene age sediments of five million years. To the north, a section of the original strata is visible. At the top of this area a mammoth bone bed was found and excavated. Contrary to some reports, a Clovis projectile point was not found in the mammoth's eye socket when the archaeologists excavated the scene in 1961.

Continue down to trail marker #3

You are at the crossroads of the access road and the trail. To your left is the south entrance for workers, equipment, or mobility impaired visitors. The South Gate bank has been stabilized with side oats grama and 4-wing salt bushes.

Continue down to trail marker #4

To your right is the location of the first gravel pit dug in 1932. Notice the lowest part of this pit has many trees growing there. The water table is very shallow at this spot. Two cement supports were left on the East bank where screening took place.

Look through the chain-link fence to the sediments above the gravel. Backdirt from 1964 - 1974 excavations is visible on the top surface. Mammoth and Bison bones were discovered in the gray sand. Two bison bone beds were found above the gray sand layer (in Diatomite and the Carbonaceous sand) and are associated with artifacts.

A bison processing area was discovered in the excavations during 1971-1974. These excavations revealed bison bone in association with scrapers, knives, and spear points dating to the Folsom and Portales times.

Directly in front of you is an area that has been stabilized using terracing, manure, sideoats gamma seed and rotted hay for a mulch. Several 4-wing salt bushes are growing among the tall weeds and grass. You may proceed up the road for a closer inspection if you wish.

Continue around the access road to trail marker #5

This is the approximate location of the first excavations by Howard and Cotter from 1933 to 1937. Three Mammoth columbi were uncovered in the gray sand associated with Clovis fluted points, bone implements, and scrapers.
Above and within the blue clay, five skulls of Bison taylori were found and associated with Folsom points. Later, between 1950 and 1955, excavations by E.H. Sellards also supported the initial discovery. Later in the 1960s radiometric dating was used to date the layers of sediment containing the cultural materials, again supporting earlier conclusions.

Go up the slope to the two buildings and trail marker #6

The Clovis hand-dug well inside the building is the only 13,000 year old hand-dug well in North America. The 5.5 feet deep hole was dug using either turtle shell, or stone, bone and wood tools during a drought in Clovis times. Found in 1964 excavations this hole was uncovered and backfilled and re-excavated in 1993. The hole is dug down to the water bearing gravels. The hole was dug from the "B" level called the speckled sands (Dr. Vance Haynes, 1995). Stabilization with sand filled bags protect the edge from freeze/thaw and the heat. Chemical analysis of the sediment removed from the small squares is currently underway.

Walk south and up the hill to the interpretive area of the South Bank. Go inside the building to trail marker #7.

The interpretive area is covered with a metal building. The lake sediment at the South Bank is 300 feet wide and ten feet deep. The lake outlet channel is located here. The lake sediment strata shows three layers of bison bone. These bone layers extend the full width of this bank. Mammoth bone have been found at three locations beneath the three bison bone beds in the gray speckled sands near the springs. Other bones found in the gray sand include horse bones and teeth, camel bone, and turtles.

Exit the building.

In the 1950s, a hand dug well was found near here in the South Bank. Then, in 1962, two hand dugs wells were discovered among the trees while stripping the lake sediments from above the gravel. These two wells were the only ones found that were lined with red clay. Eight other wells were found scattered around the lake.

Continue around the road to marker #8

To your left a small tree has grown at the approximate location of a cache containing 17 punched blades. These Clovis age blades were discovered by Earl Green while doing geologic research at the site in 1962. Another cache of five blades was found north of this spot in 1990. The largest blade measures 21.5 cm (8.5 in). They appear to be of the same lithic material, a gray chert of the finest quality.

Directly in front of you is the sandy red clay and gravel visible beneath the western white caliche bank. The base of the lake had cut through the entire depth of the Pleistocene age sediments. To your left among the trees in the location of two hand dug wells discovered while stripping the lake sediments from above the gravel in 1962. The wells were the only ones found that were lined with red clay. The other nine wells in the center of the lake were not. Eight other wells were found scattered around the lake.

Continue around the access road and go north up the road to marker #9

In the 1950s the Sellards excavations discovered several parallel-flaked unfluted points in association with bison bones and skulls from the carbonaceous silt. Directly below in the diatomite another bison kill site was uncovered. The upper bone bed was used to define the Portales Complex. Another 2 hand dug wells of Archaic age were discovered at this location in the same excavations.

This is the end of the south trail. A guide to the north trail will be available in the future. Thank you for coming!

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