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Folsom Points
Excavations at the Folsom Archeological Site during 1926-28 found bones from at least 23 extinct bison (Bison bison antiqus) and 19 projectile points. 

This site was found after flash flood in 1908 which killed 17 people in the nearby town of Folsom, NM. Ranch foreman and former slave, George McJunkin, inspected the range after the flood.  He found the unusual bones in an eroded gully.

Some of the projectiles that came to be known as “Folsom points,” were imbedded with the bones indicating the bison had been actively hunted and killed. This discovery stunned archeologists and changed the known arrival date of humans in North America from 3,000 years ago to over 10,000 years ago.
 black and white photo of gully where Folsom points were found
Folsom site
Eroded gully where Folsom points were found
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Black and white photograph of Folsom projectile point.  

Did You Know?
Distinctive projectile points found in 1928 imbedded amongst bones from an extinct Bison stunned archeologists and changed the known date of human arrival in the new world from 3,000 years ago to more than 10,000 years ago. The points were named Folsom after the nearby town.

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Last Updated: July 25, 2006 at 00:23 EST