Burnet Cave (also known as Rocky Arroyo Cave of Wetmore) is an important
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
and
paleontological
Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...
site located in
Eddy County, New Mexico
Eddy County is a List of counties in New Mexico, county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 62,314. Its county seat and largest city is Carlsbad, New Mexico, Carlsbad. T ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
within the
Guadalupe Mountains
The Guadalupe Mountains () are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, , and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, both of which are located wi ...
about 26 miles west of
Carlsbad
Carlsbad may refer to:
Geographical locations
* Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States
** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016
* Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States
** Carlsbad Caverns National Park
** Carlsbad Irriga ...
.
Physical details
The cave has a southern exposure and is reported as being 21 m (70 feet) from the
canyon
A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...
floor. It has an
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...
of 1402 m (4600 feet) according to Shultz and Howard (1935).
Archaeological finds
The cave originally had two walls. They were removed by locals several years before professional excavation began. The locals also dug several 3 foot deep holes and removed several baskets (one containing charred bones), fragments of netting, hide, sandals, and beads.
Excavation began in Burnet Cave under returning student E. B. Howard who was working under Alden Mason's Southwestern Expeditions sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology. The first southwestern trip was in 1929 and Bill Burnet showed them this cave on one of the first trips west. The early field seasons at Burnet Cave were 1930, 1931, and 1932, and they went back again in 1936 and 1937 (Howard 1936:22, 1943b). Additional survey work in the Guadalupe Mountains was done in 1934 as well but no new early sites were found (Howard 1935). Three cremated burials were found, with material, including a sper point, dating it to the Basket Maker (
Ancestral Puebloans
The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as Ancestral Pueblo peoples or the Basketmaker-Pueblo culture, were an ancient Native American culture of Pueblo peoples spanning the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southe ...
) culture.
The first
Clovis point
Clovis points are the characteristically fluted projectile points associated with the New World Clovis culture, a prehistoric Paleo-American culture. They are present in dense concentrations across much of North America and they are largely restr ...
(termed Folsom-like by the excavator) found in the modern era was excavated in situ at Burnet Cave five feet, seven inches below ground surface (well below the burial level) on the edge of a hearth with burnt bison and musk-ox bones in August 1931(UPenn Museum catalog # 31-47-36) (Boldurian and Cotter 1999:73). This find may predate the
Dent Site
The Dent site is a Clovis culture (about 11,000 years before present) site located in Weld County, Colorado, near Milliken, Colorado. It provided evidence that humans and mammoths co-existed in the Americas. The site is located on an alluvial ...
, Clovis, and all others proposed as being the first in situ Clovis find in the Americas. Howard brought this projectile point to the 1931 Pecos Conference and showed it to several people, including Frank H H Roberts (discussed in Woodbury's Pecos history- 1983).
Until about 1950 Burnet Cave was considered to be among the handful of truly reliable intact Clovis sites but around that time it seems to have fallen out of favor because it was a cave, with an unusual Clovis faunule, that lacked the dramatic visions of the Mammoth-killing big game hunters myth then coming into vogue.
Burnet Cave was the first multi-component Paleoindian site excavated, though no additional. The Clovis layer was four feet below the lowest layer containing
Basketmaker material. The fine dirt was run through a ¼" screen at the front of the cave, something quite unusual for archaeological fieldwork at this time (Boldurian and Cotter 1999:7). The poet
Loren Eiseley
Loren Eiseley (September 3, 1907 – July 9, 1977) was an American anthropologist, educator, philosopher, and natural science writer, who taught and published books from the 1950s through the 1970s. He received many honorary degrees and was a fel ...
was a member of Howard's crew and wrote scathingly about his experiences in the Guadalupe Mountains.
Paleontology finds
*Aves: ''
Aechmophorus occidentalis,'' ''
Cathartes
The genus ''Cathartes'' includes medium-sized to large carrion-feeding birds in the New World vulture (Cathartidae) family. The three extant species currently classified in this genus occur widely in the Americas. There is one extinct species kn ...
'' (''C. aura'' Brodkorb), ''
Coragyps (C. atratus, C. occidentalis)'', ''
Gymnogyps
''Gymnogyps'' is a genus of New World vultures in the family Cathartidae. There are five known species in the genus, with only one being extant, the California condor. Fossil species
*'' Gymnogyps amplus'' was first described by L. H. Miller ...
(G. californianus amplus),'' ''
Accipiter
''Accipiter'' () is a genus of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. Some species are called sparrowhawks, but there are many sparrowhawks in other genera such as '' Tachyspiza''.
These birds are slender with short, broad, rounded wings and ...
(A. cooperi)'', ''
Buteo swainsoni'', ''
Falco mexicanus'' ''
Falco sparverius'', ''
Tympanuchus pallidicinctus
The lesser prairie-chicken (''Tympanuchus pallidicinctus'') is a species in the grouse family.
Description
Adult individuals are medium to large birds, striped white and brown like its near relative, the Greater prairie-chicken (''T. cupido''), ...
'', ''
Oreortyx pictus'', ''
Meleagris gallopavo
The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey (''M. g. domesticus''), w ...
'', ''
Grus canadensis,
Bubo virginianus
The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extreme ...
'', ''
Asio flammeus
The short-eared owl (''Asio flammeus'') is a widespread grassland species in the family Strigidae. Owls belonging to genus ''Asio'' are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or ...
'', ''
Colaptes auratus'', ''
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus,'' ''
Loxia curvirostra
The red crossbill or common crossbill (''Loxia curvirostra'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Crossbills have distinctive mandibles, crossed at the tips, which enable them to extract seeds from conifer cones and other ...
.''
*Aves (Extinct): ''
Meleagris (M. crassipes)''
*Mammals: ''
Antilocapra americana'', ''
Bassariscus astutus'', ''
Canis latrans
The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely relat ...
,'' ''
Canis lupus
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...
,'' ''
Conepatus mesoleucus,'' ''
Cynomys ludovicianus,'' ''
Dipodomys
Kangaroo rats, small mostly nocturnal rodents of genus ''Dipodomys'', are native to arid areas of western North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form. They hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, but developed thi ...
(D. ordi)'', ''
Felis concolor
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, '' KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North, Central and South America, making it the most widely distributed wild ...
'', ''
Lemmiscus curtatus'', ''
Lepus
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The genu ...
(L. townsendii and L. alleni),'' ''
Lynx rufus
The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus ''Lynx''. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the con ...
'', ''
Marmota flaviventris,'' ''
Microtus
''Microtus'' is a genus of voles found in North America, Europe and northern Asia. The genus name refers to the small ears of these animals. They are stout rodents with short ears, legs and tails. They eat green vegetation such as grasses and se ...
(M. lonqicaudus, M. mexicanus, M. pennsylvanicus),'' ''
Mustela nigripes
The black-footed ferret (''Mustela nigripes''), also known as the American polecatHeptner, V. G. (Vladimir Georgievich); Nasimovich, A. A; Bannikov, Andrei Grigorovich; Hoffmann, Robert S. (2001)''Mammals of the Soviet Union''Volume: v. 2, pt. 1 ...
,'' ''
Navajoceros fricki'', ''
Neotoma cinerea
The bushy-tailed woodrat, or packrat (''Neotoma cinerea'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae found in Canada and the United States.
Its natural habitats are boreal forests, temperate forests, dry savanna, temperate shrubland, and te ...
(N. lepida or N. stephensi, N. mexicana)'', ''
Odocoileus hemionus (O. virginianus),'' ''
Ovis canadensis
The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns may weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspecie ...
'', ''
Cratogeomys
''Cratogeomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Geomyidae. It was previously considered a subgenus of ''Pappogeomys''. All species are distributed in Mexico and the Southwest United States, with some species being found in both countries.
It ...
'' (
''C. castanops''), ''
Peromyscus maniculatus
''Peromyscus maniculatus'', the eastern deermouse, is a rodent native to eastern North America. It is a species of the genus ''Peromyscus'', a closely related group of New World rats and mice, New World mice often called "deermice". When former ...
,'' ''
Sorex
The genus ''Sorex'' includes many of the common shrews of Eurasia and North America, and contains at least 142 known species and subspecies. Members of this genus, known as long-tailed shrews, are the only members of the tribe Soricini of the s ...
,'' ''
Spermophilus variegatus'', ''
Sylvilagus audubonii
The desert cottontail (''Sylvilagus audubonii''), also known as Audubon's cottontail, is a New World cottontail rabbit, and a member of the family Leporidae. Unlike the European rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus''), they do not form social burrow s ...
'', (
''S. nuttallii''), ''
Taxidea taxus,'' ''
Thomomys bottae
Botta's pocket gopher (''Thomomys bottae'') is a pocket gopher native to western North America. It is also known in some areas as valley pocket gopher, particularly in California. Both the specific and common names of this species honor Paul-Ém ...
(T. umbrinus)'', ''
Vulpes velox
The swift fox (''Vulpes velox'') is a small light orange-tan fox around the size of a domestic cat found in the western grasslands of North America, such as Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. It also lives in southern Ma ...
(V. vulpes).''
*Mammals (Extinct): ''
Arctodus
''Arctodus'' is an extinct genus of short-faced bear that inhabited North America during the Pleistocene (~2.6 Year#mya, Mya until 12,800 years ago). There are two recognized species: the lesser short-faced bear (''Arctodus pristinus'') and the gia ...
'' sp., ''
Bison antiquus
''Bison antiquus'' is an extinct species of bison that lived in North America during the Late Pleistocene from over 60,000 years ago until around 10,000 years ago. ''Bison antiquus'' was one of the most common large herbivores in North America d ...
'', ''
Camelops
''Camelops'' is an extinct genus of camel that lived in North and Central America from the middle Pliocene (from around 4-3.2 million years ago) to the end of the Pleistocene (around 13-12,000 years ago). It is more closely related to living cam ...
'', ''
Equus tau'', ''
E. francisci'', ''
Mexican Horse (E. conversidens)'', ''E. alaskae'', ''
Euceratherium collinum'', ''
Stockoceros onusrosagris''
*Reptilia: ''
Phrynosoma douglasii
The pygmy short-horned lizard (''Phrynosoma douglasii'') is a species of small horned lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the northwestern United States and adjacent southwestern Canada. Like other horned lizards, it is ...
'' (Rickart), ''
Phrynosoma cornutum
The Texas horned lizard (''Phrynosoma cornutum'') is one of about 21 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards, all belonging the genus ''Phrynosoma''. It occurs in south-central regions of the US and northeastern Me ...
'' (Rickart), ''
Crotaphytus collaris'' (Rickart), ''
Sceloporus'' (Rickart).
See also
*
Cooper's Ferry site
References
*Emslie, S. D. 1987. Age and diet of fossil California condors in Grand Canyon, Arizona. Science 237:768-770.
*Harris, A. H. 1985. Late Pleistocene vertebrate paleoecology of the West. University of Texas Press, Austin, 293 pp.
*Hester, J. J. 1960. Late Pleistocene extinction and radiocarbon dating. American Antiquity 26:58-77.
*Howard, E. B. 1932. Caves along the slopes of the Guadalupe Mountains. Texas Archeological and Paleontological Society 4:7-20.
*Howard, H. 1962. Bird remains from a prehistoric cave deposit in Grant County, New Mexico. Condor 64:241-242.
*Howard, H. 1968. Limb measurements of the extinct vulture, Coragyps occidentalis. Pp. 115–128, ''in'' Collected papers in honor of Lyndon Lane Hargrave (A. H. Schroeder, ed.). Papers of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico 1.
*Howard, H. 1974. Postcranial elements of the extinct condor Breagyps clarki (Miller). Contributions in Science, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 256:1-24.
*Howard, H., and A. H. Miller. 1933. Bird remains from cave deposits in New Mexico. Condor 35:15-18.
*Murray, Keith F., "Pleistocene Climate and the Fauna of Burnet Cave, New Mexico", Ecology, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 129–32, 1957
*Rea, A. M. 1980. Late Pleistocene and Holocene turkeys in the Southwest. Contributions in Science, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 330:209-224.
*Rickart, E. A. 1977. Pleistocene lizards from Burnet and Dark Canyon caves, Guadalupe Mountain, New Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 21:519-522.
*Schultz, C. B., and E. B. Howard. 1935. The fauna of Burnet Cave, Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 87:273-298.
*Schultz, C. B., L. D. Martin, and L. G. Tanner. 1970. Mammalian distribution in the Great Plains and adjacent areas from 14,000 to 9,000 years ago. AMQUA Abstract, 1st Meeting, 1970:119-120.
University of Texas - El Paso, Pleistocene Vertebrates of New Mexico and Trans-Pecos Texas*Wetmore, A. 1931. The California condor in New Mexico. Condor 33:76-77.
*Wetmore, A. 1932. Additional records of birds from cavern deposits in New Mexico. Condor 34:141-142.
External links
Burnet Cave: Evidence of Early Man in North America - Edgar B. Howard - The Museum Journal - vol. XXIV, no. 2-3, 1935Burnet Cave (Pleistocene of the United States), Paleontology Database
{{Navbox prehistoric caves
Clovis sites
Native American history of New Mexico
Archaeological sites in New Mexico
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Caves of New Mexico
Landforms of Eddy County, New Mexico
Paleontology in New Mexico