Nearest city Hereford, Arizona Designated NHL May 28, 1967 Phone +1 520-258-7200 | NRHP Reference # 67000002 Area 196 ha Added to NRHP 28 May 1967 | |
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Website Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site Address E Lehner Rd, Hereford, AZ 85615, USA Hours Open today · Open 24 hoursTuesdayOpen 24 hoursWednesdayOpen 24 hoursThursdayOpen 24 hoursFridayOpen 24 hoursSaturdayOpen 24 hoursSundayOpen 24 hoursMondayOpen 24 hours Similar Coronado National Memorial, Uptown 3 Theatre, Windemere Hotel & Conferen, Friends of the San Pedro Riv, Lazy Dog Ranch Bed and Brea | ||
The Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site is a location in southern Arizona that is significant for its association with evidence that mammoths were killed here by Paleo-Indians 9000 years BCE.
In 1952, Ed Lehner discovered extinct mammoth bone fragments on his ranch, at the locality now known as the Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site. He notified the Arizona State Museum, and a summer of heavy rains in 1955 exposed more bones. Excavations took place in 1955-56, and again in 1974-75. In the first season, two Clovis projectile points were found among the ribs of a young mammoth.
Artifacts found during these excavations included thirteen fluted Clovis culture projectile points, butchering tools, chipped stone debris and fire hearth features.
Bones of a variety of game—twelve immature mammoths, one horse, one tapir, several bison, one camel, one bear, several rabbits, and a garter snake—were excavated at the Lehner site.
The Lehner Mammoth kill and camp site exhibited a number of firsts: It was the first site associated with the Clovis culture to have definable fire hearths. These hearths provided the first radiocarbon dates for the culture (9,000 BCE).
This site was also the first to have butchering tools in direct association with animal remains, and the first Clovis association with small animals, camel, and tapir.
In addition to the obvious artifact remains, an inter-disciplinary group of scientists including archaeologists, botanists, geochronologists, geologists, paleontologists, palynologists, and zoologists have studied and interpreted a wide range of data from the site.
The Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1967.
In 1988, Mr. and Mrs. Lehner donated the site to the Bureau of Land Management for the benefit and education of the public.