Tule Springs Archaeological Site
Encyclopedia
Tule Springs Archaeological Site is an archeological site listed on the National Register of Historic Places that is located in the Las Vegas Valley of Nevada
. It is one of a few sites in the United States where humans were once thought to have lived alongside, and potentially hunted, extinct Ice Age megafauna
, although this view is not supported by the available scientific data and is no longer generally accepted.
The archeological site is marked as Nevada Historical Marker 86 and is located within the Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs which is operated by the City of Las Vegas.
.
The Nevada State Museum
explored the springs area in 1962 and 1963 confirming that the area was home to Ice Age
species as well as early North America
n Paleo-Indian peoples. Richard Shutler directed the project, and Vance Haynes
studied the sedimentary layers, using radiocarbon dating
to determine their ages. Animals discovered ground sloth
s, mammoth
s, prehistoric horses and American camel
s and the first giant condors in Nevada.
The springs site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 20, 1979.
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. It is one of a few sites in the United States where humans were once thought to have lived alongside, and potentially hunted, extinct Ice Age megafauna
Megafauna
In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are "giant", "very large" or "large" animals. The most common thresholds used are or...
, although this view is not supported by the available scientific data and is no longer generally accepted.
The archeological site is marked as Nevada Historical Marker 86 and is located within the Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs which is operated by the City of Las Vegas.
History
In 1933, the Tule Springs Expedition, led by Fenley Hunter, was the first major effort to explore the archaeological importance of the area surrounding Tule SpringsTule Springs
Tule Springs in Las Vegas, Nevada, is one of the larger urban retreats in the Las Vegas Valley. It is a significant desert ecosystem consisting of a series of small lakes that formed an oasis in this part of the Mojave Desert...
.
The Nevada State Museum
Nevada State Museum
Nevada State Museum may refer to:*Nevada State Museum, Carson City*Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas*Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas old facility...
explored the springs area in 1962 and 1963 confirming that the area was home to Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
species as well as early North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n Paleo-Indian peoples. Richard Shutler directed the project, and Vance Haynes
Vance Haynes
Caleb Vance Haynes Jr. , known as Vance Haynes or C. Vance Haynes Jr., is an archaeologist, geologist and author who specializes in the archaeology of the American Southwest...
studied the sedimentary layers, using radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
to determine their ages. Animals discovered ground sloth
Ground sloth
Ground sloths are a diverse group of extinct sloths, in the mammalian superorder Xenarthra. Their most recent survivors lived in the Antilles, where it has been proposed they may have survived until 1550 CE; however, the youngest AMS radiocarbon date reported is 4190 BP, calibrated to c. 4700 BP...
s, 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...
s, prehistoric horses and American 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,...
s and the first giant condors in Nevada.
The springs site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 20, 1979.