Malakoff Man
Trinidad, Henderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A sandstone image of a human head-- carved by prehistoric men-- was found near here in 1929 by workmen of Texas Clay Products Company. It was dug from gravel pit now under Cedar Creek Lake. The carving weighed 98 pounds, was 16 by 14 inches, with eyes 2.5 inches wide. First stone was found at depth of 16.5 feet. Two similar images were unearthed in same area in 1935 and 1939. Archaeologists date Malakoff "Men" as many thousands of years old. Found near the images were fossil remains of extinct horse, elephant, camel species. Images now in Texas Memorial Museum.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1929 workmen at a Texas Clay Products gravel pit unearthed a carved sandstone head weighing nearly 100 pounds, and two more turned up in the same area over the following decade. Found deep in gravel alongside the fossil bones of extinct horses, elephants, and camels, the so-called Malakoff "Men" have been dated by archaeologists to many thousands of years ago. The original site now lies beneath Cedar Creek Lake, and the carvings reside in a Texas museum.
Why it matters
The Malakoff heads are among the most debated ancient artifacts found in Texas, touching on the deep and still-unfolding story of the first peoples of North America.
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Themes & tags
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