Lake Theo Folsom Bison Kill Site
Quitaque, Briscoe County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Stone tool fragments were discovered in 1965 and 1972 on the shores of Lake Theo, named for former landowner Theodore Geisler. Archeological testing in 1974 revealed a campsite and bison butchering and processing area dating back to the age of Folsom man, between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago. Projectile points and scraping tools were found at a depth of four feet, along with over 500 bones from an extinct type of bison. Ponds in Holmes Canyon, now covered by Lake Theo, probably attracted prehistoric men to this area. (1978)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Stone tools found on the shores of Lake Theo in 1965 and 1972 led to 1974 excavations that uncovered a campsite and bison-butchering ground used by Folsom people between roughly 10,000 and 12,000 years ago. Buried four feet deep were projectile points, scrapers, and more than 500 bones from an extinct form of bison. Spring-fed ponds in the now-submerged Holmes Canyon likely drew both the great herds and the hunters who followed them.
Why it matters
Sites like this anchor the deep human story of North America, documenting Ice Age hunters on the High Plains millennia before written history.
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Themes & tags
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