The Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site is a location in southern Arizona that is significant for its association with evidence that

mammoths A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...

were killed here by Paleo-Indians 9000 years BCE. 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. 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

mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...

s, one horse, one

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inhabit ...

, 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 date Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The method was dev ...

s 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,

geochronologist Geochronology is the science of determining the age of rocks, fossils, and sediments using signatures inherent in the rocks themselves. Absolute geochronology can be accomplished through radioactive isotopes, whereas relative geochronology is pr ...

s, geologists,

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

palynologist Palynology is the "study of dust" (from grc-gre, παλύνω, palynō, "strew, sprinkle" and ''-logy'') or of "particles that are strewn". A classic palynologist analyses particulate samples collected from the air, from water, or from deposits ...

s, and zoologists have studied and interpreted a wide range of data from the site.Bureau of Land Management-Lehner Mammoth Kill Site
This article incorporates

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

text from this

US government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

website. The Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1967. In 1988, Mr. and Mrs. Lehner donated the site to the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

for the benefit and education of the public.

References

External links

Bureau of Land Management-Lehner Mammoth Kill Site

in ''The Paleo-Indians''
Obituary
Edward Lehner (1914–2003)
{{authority control Clovis sites Pleistocene Native American history of Arizona Cenozoic paleontological sites of North America Pre-Columbian archaeological sites Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona National Historic Landmarks in Arizona History of Cochise County, Arizona Protected areas of Cochise County, Arizona Bureau of Land Management areas in Arizona Paleontology in Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Cochise County, Arizona Fossil parks in the United States

See also

References

External links