Alibates Flint Quarries

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. 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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. 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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