"Turtle IMG_8943" by U.S. National Park Service , public domain
Alibates Flint QuarriesNational Monument - Texas |
Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument is in Potter County, Texas. For thousands of years, people came to the red bluffs above the Canadian River for flint, vital to their existence. Demand for the high quality, rainbow-hued flint is reflected in the distribution of Alibates Flint through the Great Plains and beyond. Indians of the Ice Age Clovis Culture used Alibates flint for spear points to hunt the Imperial Mammoth before the Great Lakes were formed. The flint usually lies just below the surface at ridge level in a layer up to six feet thick. The quarry pits were not very large, between 5 and 25 feet wide and 4 to 7 feet deep. Many of these quarries were exploited by the Antelope Creek people, of the Panhandle culture, between 1200 and 1450. The stone-slabbed, multi-room houses built by the Antelope Creek people have long been of interest to the public and studied by archaeologists.
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maps
Official Visitor Map of Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (NRA) in Texas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System with DOI's Unified Regions. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
brochures
Official Brochure of Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument (NM) in Texas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/alfl/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alibates_Flint_Quarries_National_Monument
Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument is in Potter County, Texas. For thousands of years, people came to the red bluffs above the Canadian River for flint, vital to their existence. Demand for the high quality, rainbow-hued flint is reflected in the distribution of Alibates Flint through the Great Plains and beyond. Indians of the Ice Age Clovis Culture used Alibates flint for spear points to hunt the Imperial Mammoth before the Great Lakes were formed. The flint usually lies just below the surface at ridge level in a layer up to six feet thick. The quarry pits were not very large, between 5 and 25 feet wide and 4 to 7 feet deep. Many of these quarries were exploited by the Antelope Creek people, of the Panhandle culture, between 1200 and 1450. The stone-slabbed, multi-room houses built by the Antelope Creek people have long been of interest to the public and studied by archaeologists.
13,000 years ago, Alibates was used by mammoth hunters as a source of flint for tools. The colorful flint has never lost its value or usefulness in the Texas Panhandle. Learn how important this site was to the survival, commerce, and culture of the people of the High Plains.
Alibates Flint Quarries is located approximately 35 miles north of Amarillo, Texas. From I-40 in Amarillo, take Lakeside exit north towards Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. Exit on TX 136 north towards Borger. After about 30 miles, turn west from TX 136 onto Cas Johnson Road. Park Service signs will be visible. Proceed approximately 3 miles to "Y" intersection and bear to right. Go northwest approximately 2 miles to the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument Visitor Center.
Alibates Visitor Center
The Alibates Visitor Center is home to exhibits, a theater and outdoor gardens, showcasing the history of Alibates Flint. It is also the meeting place for ranger-led hikes and tours of the monument, demonstrations, and numerous special events throughout the year.
Alibates Flint Quarries is located approximately 35 miles north of Amarillo, Texas. From I-40 in Amarillo, take Lakeside exit north towards Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. Exit on TX 136 north towards Borger. After about 30 miles, turn west from TX 136 onto Cas Johnson Road. Park Service signs will be visible. Proceed approximately 3 miles to "Y" intersection and bear to right. Go northwest approximately 2 miles to the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument Visitor Center.
No Campgrounds
Please visit Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, which is directly adjacent to the national monument, for places to camp.
Turtle Petroglyph
Turtle Petroglyph at Antelope Creek Village Site
Turtle Petroglyph at Antelope Creek Village Site
Alibates Visitor Center
A view of the gardens and Alibates Visitor Center.
The gardens and Alibates Visitor Center host activities and ranger-led programs throughout the year.
Alibates Flint
Colorful chunks of Alibates Flint.
Used for at least 13,000 years, Alibates Flint was the choice of many tribes for their stone tools, spearpoints and arrowheads.
Alibates Flint Quarries Trail
Stair steps up the Alibates Flint Quarries Trail.
Take a hike up the Quarries Trail to learn about this important stone.
Snowy Alibates
A snowy mesa, as seen from the Alibates Visitor Center.
Every season hold special beauty at Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument.
NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Texas
Alibates flint deposits were used by indigenous peoples of the Texas Panhandle for thousands of years. The flint deposits are within the Alibates Dolomite, a marine unit within the Permian red beds of the Texas panhandle. Links to products from Baseline Geologic and Soil Resources Inventories provide access to maps and reports.
park trail along riverside wetlands
Climate Change in the Southern Plains Network
Climate change may have direct and/or indirect effects on many elements of Southern Plains network ecosystems, from streams and grasslands to fires and birds.
Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) is an invasive plant that has invaded the Southern Plains
Climate Monitoring in the Southern Plains, Sonoran Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert
Climate is one of many ecological indicators monitored by the National Park Service (NPS) Division of Inventory & Monitoring (I&M). Climate data help scientists to understand ecosystem processes and help to explain many of the patterns and trends observed in other natural-resource monitoring. In NPS units of the American Southwest, three I&M networks monitor climate using the scientific protocol described here.
Kayaking across a fl ooded parking lot, Chickasaw NRA, July 2007.
Southwestern Plains
The Plains of the Southwest include the southern Great Plains, the High Plains, Llano Estacado (Staked Plains), and Edwards Plateau.
Sunset lights up the grass at Capulin Volcano National Monument
Series: Geologic Time Periods in the Paleozoic Era
During the Paleozoic Era (541 to 252 million years ago), fish diversified and marine organisms were very abundant. In North America, the Paleozoic is characterized by multiple advances and retreats of shallow seas and repeated continental collisions that formed the Appalachian Mountains. Common Paleozoic fossils include trilobites and cephalopods such as squid, as well as insects and ferns. The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history ended this era.
fossil corals in a rock matrix
Series: Defining the Southwest
The Southwest has a special place in the American imagination – one filled with canyon lands, cacti, roadrunners, perpetual desert heat, a glaring sun, and the unfolding of history in places like Tombstone and Santa Fe. In the American mind, the Southwest is a place without boundaries – a land with its own style and its own pace – a land that ultimately defies a single definition.
Maize agriculture is one component of a general cultural definition of the Southwest.
Permian Period—298.9 to 251.9 MYA
The massive cliffs of El Capitan in Guadalupe Mountains National Park represent a Permian-age reef along the supercontinent Pangaea. The uppermost rocks of Grand Canyon National Park are also Permian.
flat-top mountain
Paleozoic Era
During the Paleozoic Era (541 to 252 million years ago), fish diversified and marine organisms were very abundant. In North America, the Paleozoic is characterized by multiple advances and retreats of shallow seas and repeated continental collisions that formed the Appalachian Mountains. Common Paleozoic fossils include trilobites and cephalopods such as squid, as well as insects and ferns. The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history ended this era.
fossil corals in a rock matrix
Find Your Park on Route 66
Route 66 and the National Park Service have always had an important historical connection. Route 66 was known as the great road west and after World War II families on vacation took to the road in great numbers to visit the many National Park Service sites in the Southwest and beyond. That connection remains very alive and present today. Take a trip down Route 66 and Find Your Park today!
A paved road with fields in the distance. On the road is a white Oklahoma Route 66 emblem.
Changing Patterns of Water Availability May Change Vegetation Composition in US National Parks
Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios.
Green, orange, and dead grey junipers in red soil, mountains in background
Series: Geologic Time—Major Divisions and NPS Fossils
The National Park System contains a magnificent record of geologic time because rocks from each period of the geologic time scale are preserved in park landscapes. The geologic time scale is divided into four large periods of time—the Cenozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Paleozoic Era, and The Precambrian.
photo of desert landscape with a petrified wood log on the surface
Guide to the Thomas J. Allen Photograph Collection
Finding aid for the Thomas J. Allen Photographs in the NPS History Collection.
Making an Impact: Long-Term Monitoring of Natural Resources at Intermountain Region National Parks, 2021
Across the Intermountain Region, Inventory & Monitoring Division ecologists are helping to track the effects of climate change, provide baseline information for resource management, evaluate new technologies, and inspire the next generation of park stewards. This article highlights accomplishments achieved during fiscal year 2021.
A man looks through binoculars at sunrise.
Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park Service
To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation.
A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera.
Lake Meredith
Alibates Flint Quarries
Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
Texas
Rainbow-hued kayaks on the lakeshore
Lake Meredith
Hikers ascend a steep hillside at
Alibates
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Alibates Visitor Center
The Allure of Alibates Flint
tration (WPA) uncovered the ruins of t w o structures
Many shallow pits, probably dug with sticks or tools
the south, or may have crossed the Bering Land Bridge
now inside the monument (diagram at right). Square
made from bison or other bone, mark the Alibates
from Asia. The wide distribution of Alibates flint
and rectangular rooms are probably living spaces;
landscape. Waste piles scattered across the dry
hunt the big game—bison, mammoths, and sloths—
points suggests that Clovis people placed a high value
round rooms are possibly for storage or burial. Other
earth near the pits contain broken and discarded
that roamed the Great Plains in those cooler, wetter
on this stone.
remains of the now-vanished Antelope Creek culture
tools and flint flakes—the result of knapping, or
at Alibates include petroglyphs of turtles, bison, and
striking a flint core with a heavier, harder "hammer-
human feet; cord-marked pottery; and thousands of
stone," often a river cobble.
At the end of the last Ice Age, some 13,000 years ago,
Clovis culture. Its nomadic hunters possibly came from
Paleo-lndians quarried flint at Alibates. From it they
fashioned small, beautifully crafted spear points to
times. Durable, colorful, and smooth, Alibates flint
breaks in a predictable pattern when struck, and can
Much later, between 1200 and 1450, a Plains Village
be honed to a fine, deadly point.
subgroup, known as the Antelope Creek people, must
small, narrow flint arrowheads. Turquoise and shell
also have recognized the beauty and utility of Alibates
jewelry, pipes, and obsidian also found at Alibates
In 1965 Congress proclaimed Alibates a national
Points made from Alibates flint were found embedded
flint. They built masonry structures close to the flint
suggest that Antelope Creek people traded their
monument, the only one in Texas, to preserve the
in skeletons of mammoths unearthed in eastern New
outcroppings along the Canadian River. In the 1930s,
flint with peoples to the west and north.
Mexico, near Blackwater Draw, a center of the early
excavations organized by the Works Progress Adminis-
Diagram of the Antelope
Creek structure known to
archeologists as Alibates 28
native peoples' quarries and other records. You may
visit the flint quarries only by ranger-led tour; reserve in advance.
COURTESY DR. CHRISTOPER LINT2
Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
Seeking to determine the first transcontinental rail-
Today's hunters can still harvest turkey and other
road route to the Pacific, Lt. Amiel Weeks Whipple
game here. The Bureau of Reclamation impounded the
headed a survey of the 35th parallel in 1853. He
Canadian River in 1965, creating Lake Meredith. The
described the Canadian River valley in his diary: "Tur-
lake's depth has fallen greatly since 1973, when it was
keys congregate under the dark green foliage of scat-
recorded at 101 feet, but the park remains an oasis. It
tered copses . . . an agreeable contrast to the pale red
is a haven for anglers, campers, hikers, and mountain
that is spread over the landscape of river and plain."
bike and horseback riders, as well as hunters.
Texas Wildflowers
Swales of brilliant, hot color
briefly explode during wildflower season, from late April,
then give way to muted earth
tones.
.
A Canadian River break south '.
of Lake Meredith. Willow, mes-^
^ij.'i quite, and Cottonwood trees \
grow along the riverbanks. |
Lake Meredith
Alibates Flint Quarries
LAKE MEREDITH NATIONAL RECREATION AREA is
open Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm;
closed most federal holidays. No entrance fee.
CAMPING is free with a 14-day limit; no showers
or hookups. For campground locations see map.
HIKING, MOUNTAIN BIKING, AND HORSEBACK
RIDING TRAILS are available. Check with a ranger
for current trail status.
BOATING fees are charged. All state and federal
regulations apply,
HUNTING is allowed in season with Texas state
license. The park offers the largest public hunting lands in the Texas Panhandle.
FISHING is allowed with Texas state license.
Visit the park headquarters and website for
more information.
MORE INFORMATION
Lake Meredith National
Recreation Area and
Alibates Flint Quarries
National Monument
PO Box 1460
419 East Broadway
Fritch, TX 79036
806-857-3151
,
806-857-6680
•*"»%,
www.nps.gov/lamr
www.nps.gov/alfl
ALIBATES FLINT QUARRIES NATIONAL MONUMENT REGULATIONS Federal laws protect all natural
is open daily 9 am to 4 pm. Closed Thanksgiving,
and cultural features in the parks. • For firearms
December 25, and January 1. You may visit the
regulations see our website.
quarries only by ranger-led tour. Reservations are
requi