Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site

The Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site is a location in southern Arizona that is significant for its association with evidence that mammoths were killed here by Paleo-Indians 9000 years BCE.

Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site
Clovis point in situ near a bison mandible and mammoth bone at the Lehner site, 1955. Higher-resolution photo linked at source.
Nearest cityHereford, Arizona
Coordinates31°26′N 110°6′W
WebsiteLehner Mammoth-Kill Site
NRHP reference No.67000002
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 28, 1967[1]
Designated NHLMay 28, 1967[2]

In 1952, Ed Lehner discovered extinct mammoth bone fragments on his ranch, at the locality now known as the Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site. He notified the Arizona State Museum, and a summer of heavy rains in 1955 exposed more bones. Excavations took place in 1955-56, and again in 1974-75. In the first season, two Clovis projectile points were found among the ribs of a young mammoth.[3]

Artifacts found during these excavations included thirteen fluted Clovis culture projectile points, butchering tools, chipped stone debris and fire hearth features.

Bones of a variety of game—twelve immature mammoths, one horse, one tapir, several bison, one camel, one bear, several rabbits, and a garter snake—were excavated at the Lehner site.

The Lehner Mammoth kill and camp site exhibited a number of firsts: It was the first site associated with the Clovis culture to have definable fire hearths. These hearths provided the first radiocarbon dates for the culture (9,000 BCE).

This site was also the first to have butchering tools in direct association with animal remains, and the first Clovis association with small animals, camel, and tapir.

In addition to the obvious artifact remains, an inter-disciplinary group of scientists including archaeologists, botanists, geochronologists, geologists, paleontologists, palynologists, and zoologists have studied and interpreted a wide range of data from the site.[4]

The Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1967.[2]

In 1988, Mr. and Mrs. Lehner donated the site to the Bureau of Land Management for the benefit and education of the public.[4]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  3. "Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site". Archived from the original on 2008-01-01. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  4. Bureau of Land Management-Lehner Mammoth Kill Site. This article incorporates public domain text from this US government website.


Excavations at the Lehner site, 1955, with the bone bed well exposed
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