Why is folsom new mexico important

In a partnership between the State Land Office and the Folsom Museum, David Eck , archaeologist, interpreter and master storyteller, leads our tour. From the museum, we caravan to the ranch entrance, then drive a dusty two-track through two gates to the edge of the foot-deep arroyo. Eck guides us across the grassy oak savanna to a bend in the creek with a steep bank. Little red flags identify where digs occurred. Instead of giant bison, four cows graze. We sit opposite the cut and Eck begins weaving a complex tapestry of Stone Age culture, technology, and lifestyle.

Above: Varied terrain defines the state's northeastern plains. She sent the hunters to the gully to set an ambush. No evidence of their hunting camp has been found. To orchestrate the movements of a herd of 3,pound bison took expert knowledge of their behavior. If frightened, the animals would stampede, so the women and children lightly hazed them toward an ambush at the head of the bluff. Then the hunters hit them with everything they had before the animals could panic and escape.

They killed 32 bison in a matter of minutes, enough meat to feed the entire group through the winter. Want to know what else is happening in New Mexico? Folsom built up into a thriving little town until a major flood in killed 17 people and wiped out most of the business district. Most of what was destroyed wasn't rebuilt, although the cattle ranches still seem to be in good shape around here.

The countryside is gorgeous and has lots of character meaning it's not just flat and faceless. The soil around here is pretty rich, probably owing to the amount of volcanic material that has flowed here within just the last 10, years.

Disappointingly, none were discovered that year. On August 29, the moment of truth finally arrived: They exposed a complete spear point between two bison ribs. According to plan, Schwachheim telegrammed Figgins, who then contacted prominent archaeologists to announce the discovery and ask them to come see, and hopefully confirm, for themselves.

Serendipitously, two of those archaeologists, though based on the East Coast, were already in Pecos, New Mexico—only miles away from Folsom. They had worked for months under difficult conditions and now had to wait for specialists to confirm what they already knew—they had made a major scientific discovery. Roberts, and other specialists confirmed the initial field assessment: The point was indeed directly associated with the bison, proving that Native Americans had hunted large mammals during the last Ice Age.

That Folsom point instantly became an icon, and it remains prominently on display at DMNS, still in its original sediment block. Carl Schwachheim left shows the Folsom point, in its original excavation context, to visiting paleontologist Barnum Brown on September 4, Credit: Jesse Dade Figgins. The now iconic Folsom point was in fact the third spear point found at the Folsom Site. Figgins confirmed their discovery in the lab, but he knew from personal experience that they still needed a point in the field in order to convince the experts.

He had discovered Stone Age spear points in the laboratory, in sediment blocks that had been sent to the museum, just like the second point from Folsom. Figgins must have been infuriated when their sediment block arrived in Denver in But he, like any good scientist, was patient, discerning, and critical.

By comparison, the Lone Wolf Creek Site is unknown, has no eponymous artifact type, and there is no archaeological culture bearing its name. Such is the nature of science. Now a semi- ghost town , Folsom is a pleasant ranching community, called home to about 60 people and several historic buildings. The old railroad station was moved from the right-of-way around and is now used as a storage building and next to it, on the corner is the old Texaco gas station which was built sometime before Across the street is the Doherty Mercantile building, which became the Folsom Museum in The abandoned stone two-story Folsom Hotel still stands on the south side of Main Street along with several false-front stores.

On the north side of Main Street, is an active post office. Folsom Falls, New Mexico, courtesy Wikipedia. About 3. Unfortunately, it sits on private land behind a gate and the public is no longer allowed to visit today. About eight miles north of Folsom, Highway intersects with Highway Between and , Bazil Metcalf constructed a toll road from the Dry Cimarron through Tollgate Gap, providing one of the few reliable wagon roads between Colorado and New Mexico. This road remained an important commercial route until the Colorado and Southern Railway came through in the s.

Dry Cimmaron Scenic Byway. Dry Cimarron Photo Gallery. New Mexico Ghost Towns. Primary Menu Skip to content. Black Jack Ketchum. The old Folsom Hotel by Dave Alexander.

Folsom Museum by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. Footer Menu Skip to content.