New Insights on the Stinnett Bison Kill Site in the Texas Panhandle

Remains of a nearly complete, articulated extinct bison were found in the summer of 2002 during the installation of a new municipal swimming pool in the city of Stinnett in the north-central Texas Panhandle. To avoid delays in pool construction, the bison remains were removed in blocks by a team of archeologists and volunteers under a Texas Antiquities permit and later excavated at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Among the cultural materials recovered was a complete Calf Creek projectile point. Radiocarbon dates obtained from the skeletal material corroborate their association to the Middle Archaic Period (ca. 6000 to 4500 B.P.). This presentation discusses the results of new faunal, lithic sourcing, and paleoenvironmental analyses conducted on materials from this site. As the only Middle Archaic site excavated in the Texas Panhandle to date, it provides valuable insights into the occupation of the region during this poorly understood period and advances our understanding of the Calf Creek Horizon.

Learn more about the topic at:

Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum (panhandleplains.org)

Panhandle Archaeological Society (dirtbrothers.org/pas)

This video is part of the Texas Historical Commission's Texas Archeology Month 2020 Virtual Symposium. View other presentations in the series on playlists organized by region on our YouTube channel.