Lubbock Lake Paleoindian Point
Evidence of ancient human activity in this American Indian spear point (before 8640 BCE)
The city of Lubbock was founded in 1876, but humans have made their homes in the area for more than 12,000 years. During the drought of the 1930s, the city decided to revitalize an ancient spring and began dredging work in a valley called Yellow House Draw.
Construction was halted when the dig uncovered animal bones and spear points. A buffalo bone from this site was the first object ever to be tested using radiocarbon dating. It was discovered to be about 10,000 years old. The site was named Lubbock Lake Landmark and is still being excavated today.
The bones, pottery, and tools of the early people of Lubbock Lake Landmark provide a link to the ancient past. More modern objects testify to the arrival of new waves of settlement, and include rifle cartridges, buttons, metal hardware, square nails, and even a ginger ale bottle from George Singer's store, the first business in Lubbock. This spear point has been dated to the Pleistocene era (before 8640 BCE). The point's edges and small size are evidence that it was resharpened over years of use.
Lender
Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin
About
Tools
1 13/16" Length x 1" Width
Before 8640 BCE
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