Blackwater Draw
Encyclopedia
Blackwater Draw is a dry stream channel about 140 km (87 mi) long, heading in Curry County, New Mexico, about 7.5 km (5 mi) southwest of Texico, New Mexico
and trending generally southeastward across the Llano Estacado to the city of Lubbock, Texas
, where it joins Yellow House Draw
to form Yellow House Canyon
at the head of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
. It stretches across eastern Curry County, New Mexico
and Bailey
, Lamb, Hale
, and Lubbock counties of West Texas
and drains an area of 4040 km² (1,559.9 sq mi).
Blackwater Draw contains an important archeological site that was first recognized in 1929 by Ridgely Whiteman of Clovis, New Mexico
. Blackwater Locality No. 1, which was formally known as "Anderson Basin", is the type-site of the Clovis culture
. Evidence of "fluted" points, spearheads also known as Clovis points (a New World invention) and other stone and bone weapons, tools, and processing implements was found at the archaeological site. The Clovis points were lanceolate (leaf-shaped) and larger than Folsom points. These artifacts are in association with the remains of extinct Late Pleistocene megafauna, including Columbian mammoth, camel, horse, bison, sabertooth cat and dire wolf that were hunted by the early peoples who visited there.
The archaeological site is known for its well-defined stratigraphic
horizons that exhibit numerous cultural sequences. The sequences begin with the earliest New World peoples and continue through the southwestern archaic, and into the historic period. Investigations at Blackwater Draw have recovered protein residue found on Clovis weapons. This leads to the evidence of human occupation in association with Late Pleistocene
fauna, including Columbian mammoth
, camel
, horse
, bison
, sabertooth cat and dire wolf
. Towards the end of the Pleistocene period, the climate began to change, which brought warmer and dryer weather causing the waterflow in the region to dramatically decrease. This decrease caused small seasonal lake basins called playas to form. These areas became popular hunting locations for early North Americans.
Since its discovery, the Blackwater Locality No. 1 site has been a focal point for scientific investigations by academic institutions and organizations from across the country. The Carnegie Institute
, Smithsonian Institution
, Academy of Natural Sciences
, National Science Foundation
, United States National Museum, National Geographic Society
, and more than a dozen major universities either have funded or participated in research at Blackwater Draw. Eastern New Mexico University
owns and manages the excavations and visitations at the site.
Since there is still a lot of opportunity for additional research, and additional public interest, Blackwater Draw was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1961 and incorporated into the National Register of Historic Places
in 1966.
, and is under the direction of Dr. John Montgomery of ENMU in Portales
. The museum is located at 42987 Highway 70, about seven miles northeast of Portales
.
Texico, New Mexico
Texico is a city in Curry County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,065 at the 2000 census.-Name:The name is a portmanteau of "Texas" and "New Mexico". Texico is located on the Texas-New Mexico border...
and trending generally southeastward across the Llano Estacado to the city of Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, where it joins Yellow House Draw
Yellow House Draw
Yellow House Draw is an ephemeral watercourse about long, heading about north of Morton, Texas, and tending generally east-southeastward across the Llano Estacado to the city of Lubbock where it joins Blackwater Draw to form Yellow House Canyon at the head of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork...
to form Yellow House Canyon
Yellow House Canyon
Yellow House Canyon is a canyon that is about long, heading in Lubbock, Texas, at the junction of Blackwater Draw and Yellow House Draw, and trending generally southeastward to the edge of the Llano Estacado about east of Slaton, Texas; it forms one of three major canyons along the east side of...
at the head of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
The Double Mountain Fork Brazos River is an ephemeral, sandy-braided stream about long, heading on the Llano Estacado of West Texas about southeast of Tahoka, Texas, flowing east-northeast across the western Rolling Plains to join the Salt Fork, forming the Brazos River about west-northwest of...
. It stretches across eastern Curry County, New Mexico
Curry County, New Mexico
Curry County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The population was approximately 45,044 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Clovis. It is named in honor of George Curry, territorial governor of New Mexico from 1907 to 1910...
and Bailey
Bailey County, Texas
Bailey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2010, the population is 7,165. Its county seat is Muleshoe. Bailey is named for Peter James Bailey, a defender of the Alamo...
, Lamb, Hale
Hale County, Texas
Hale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 36,602. It was organized in 1888, and is named for Lt. John C. Hale, a hero of the Battle of San Jacinto. The seat of the county is Plainview. It is home of the noted former Hale County Judge, Judge Bill...
, and Lubbock counties of West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
and drains an area of 4040 km² (1,559.9 sq mi).
Blackwater Draw contains an important archeological site that was first recognized in 1929 by Ridgely Whiteman of Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis is the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 32,667 at the 2000 census; according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates, the population had risen to 37,775....
. Blackwater Locality No. 1, which was formally known as "Anderson Basin", is the type-site of the Clovis culture
Clovis culture
The Clovis culture is a prehistoric Paleo-Indian culture that first appears 11,500 RCYBP , at the end of the last glacial period, characterized by the manufacture of "Clovis points" and distinctive bone and ivory tools...
. Evidence of "fluted" points, spearheads also known as Clovis points (a New World invention) and other stone and bone weapons, tools, and processing implements was found at the archaeological site. The Clovis points were lanceolate (leaf-shaped) and larger than Folsom points. These artifacts are in association with the remains of extinct Late Pleistocene megafauna, including Columbian mammoth, camel, horse, bison, sabertooth cat and dire wolf that were hunted by the early peoples who visited there.
The archaeological site is known for its well-defined stratigraphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
horizons that exhibit numerous cultural sequences. The sequences begin with the earliest New World peoples and continue through the southwestern archaic, and into the historic period. Investigations at Blackwater Draw have recovered protein residue found on Clovis weapons. This leads to the evidence of human occupation in association with Late Pleistocene
Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is a stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. The beginning of the stage is defined by the base of the Eemian interglacial phase before the final glacial episode of the Pleistocene 126,000 ± 5,000 years ago. The end of the stage is defined exactly at 10,000 Carbon-14 years BP...
fauna, including Columbian mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
, camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
, horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
, bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
, sabertooth cat and dire wolf
Dire Wolf
The Dire Wolf, Canis dirus, is an extinct carnivorous mammal of the genus Canis, and was most common in North America and South America from the Irvingtonian stage to the Rancholabrean stage of the Pleistocene epoch living 1.80 Ma – 10,000 years ago, existing for approximately .- Relationships...
. Towards the end of the Pleistocene period, the climate began to change, which brought warmer and dryer weather causing the waterflow in the region to dramatically decrease. This decrease caused small seasonal lake basins called playas to form. These areas became popular hunting locations for early North Americans.
Since its discovery, the Blackwater Locality No. 1 site has been a focal point for scientific investigations by academic institutions and organizations from across the country. The Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science is an organization in the United States established to support scientific research....
, Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Academy of Natural Sciences
Academy of Natural Sciences
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World...
, National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, United States National Museum, National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
, and more than a dozen major universities either have funded or participated in research at Blackwater Draw. Eastern New Mexico University
Eastern New Mexico University
Eastern New Mexico University , frequently called Eastern, is a state university in Portales, Roosevelt County, New Mexico, USA...
owns and manages the excavations and visitations at the site.
Since there is still a lot of opportunity for additional research, and additional public interest, Blackwater Draw was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1961 and incorporated into the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1966.
Blackwater Draw Museum
The Blackwater Draw Museum, was first opened to the public in 1969 and was recently declared a National Historic Landmark. The museum opened its doors primarily to display artifacts uncovered at the Blackwater Locality No. 1 Site. The artifacts and displays illustrate life at the site during the Clovis period (over 13,000 years ago) through the recent historic period. This museum is owned and operated by Eastern New Mexico UniversityEastern New Mexico University
Eastern New Mexico University , frequently called Eastern, is a state university in Portales, Roosevelt County, New Mexico, USA...
, and is under the direction of Dr. John Montgomery of ENMU in Portales
Portales
-Places:* Portales, New Mexico, a city from the United States* Portales Forest Reserve, in New Mexico-Organizations:* Diego Portales University, a Chilean University* Metro Portales, a Mexican station of metro...
. The museum is located at 42987 Highway 70, about seven miles northeast of Portales
Portales
-Places:* Portales, New Mexico, a city from the United States* Portales Forest Reserve, in New Mexico-Organizations:* Diego Portales University, a Chilean University* Metro Portales, a Mexican station of metro...
.
See also
- Blanco CanyonBlanco CanyonBlanco Canyon is a canyon located in the U.S. state of Texas. Eroded by the White River into the Caprock Escarpment on the east side of the Llano Estacado, the canyon runs for in a southeasterly direction, gradually widening from its beginning in southwestern Floyd County to across at its mouth...
- BlancanBlancanThe Blancan North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology , typically set from 4,750,000 to 1,808,000 years BP, a period of .. It is usually considered to start in the early-mid Pliocene epoch and end...
- Eastern New MexicoEastern New MexicoEastern New Mexico is a region of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The region is sometimes termed the "High Plains" or even "Little Texas". The region is largely coterminous with the Llano Estacado. Eastern New Mexico is generally located at an altitude of over 4,000 feet and is mostly characterized...
- Llano EstacadoLlano EstacadoLlano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...
- Lubbock Lake LandmarkLubbock Lake LandmarkLubbock Lake Landmark, also known as Lubbock Lake Site, is an important archeological site and natural history preserve in the city of Lubbock, Texas. The preserve is 336 acres and is a protected state and federal landmark. There is evidence of ancient people and extinct animals at Lubbock Lake...
- Mount BlancoMount BlancoMount Blanco is a small white hill — an erosional remnant — located on the eastern border of the Llano Estacado within Blanco Canyon in Crosby County, Texas...
- Paleo-Indians
- Yellow House DrawYellow House DrawYellow House Draw is an ephemeral watercourse about long, heading about north of Morton, Texas, and tending generally east-southeastward across the Llano Estacado to the city of Lubbock where it joins Blackwater Draw to form Yellow House Canyon at the head of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork...