Evening star., 1936-04-26


been identified as an ancient lake bed to which
mammoths, prehistoric camels, giant bison
and other animals now extinct went for water.
Their fossilized bones begged in the clay,
serve to date the deposits. Not long ago GER
tain remains were found with these fossils -
faked stone implements and other human
relics, suggesting that this buried lake bed
was hunting ground of prehistoric man.
Next month the archaeological diggers will
resume their excavations here in the search
for additional relics of early Americans.
Five hundred miles farther north in Colo
RADIO, near Fort Collins is a deep ravine
cutting through green pasture. 1t is lucky
scar in the earth! For recently, in an exposed
clay sixteen feet below the surface Smith
sonian explorer spied stone implements, flint
chips, charcoal and ashes and charred animal
bones, and other evidences of human habita-
ton. 1t looks as though this was camp site
of the early Americans. This summer the
Investigators plan to dig deeper into this
debris to seek evidence of tent or other
dwelling.
Clovis and Fort Collins are only two of
many outposts of 1896 exploration. Other
sites in Texas, Oklahoma Nevada, California,
and Wyoming also will be visited by ex-
plorers seeking the trail of early man.
There is one object of unique workmanship
which the diggers everywhere are seeking. 1t
is faxed stone point. presumably spear
head though it may possibly have served as
a missile for use with a throwing stick. Be-
cause its significance was first recognized in
finds made near Folsom. N. NJ, the type is
known as Folsom point
Many authorities believe that in this
Folsom point they have an authentic clue to
the earliest appearance of man in America.
Human bones would be more direct.
But the oldest human bones gen.
orally recognized in America are
those of the Basket Makers, race
that lived in the high plains of the
West and Southwest about l5OOB.C.
But $500 BIC. is not a very remote
date in human development In
southern France skeletons of the
cave man of 10000 BIC. have been
found. And Germany, England,
China and Java have yielded skulls
of even greater antiquity, carrying
evidence of mans evolution back
through possibly million years. Is
America so recently inhabited that
its human occupation goes back only
$500 years?
Many scientists have doubted it, and to-
day, because of recent discoveries, they are
increasingly sure of their doubts.
One of these discoveries was made in deep
ravine near the town of Folsom in north
eastern New Mexico. In the SCARED earth of
the ravine two hunters came upon an exposed
deposit of bones, apparently of great age.
The hunters shipped the specimens to the
Colorado Museum of Natural History in
Denver. The experts there ought to know.
Among the samples the experts recognized
the bones of two animals of antiquity, a
giant bison and a large deer-like creature,
now extinct. Both species are supposed to
have been unable to survive the last Ice Age
which ruled this region down to some l2,OOO
years ago. and on this basis it might be
assumed that the fossils were at least 1900
years old. The Denver authorities were so
interested that they sent an expedition to
Folsom under the leadership of ]. d. Higgins.
Many bones of extinct animals we're un-
covered and among them two finely Clipped
spear points.
These points are different from the familiar
Indian handicraft. They are smaller, more