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Folsom Site

Santa Fe, New Mexico
County of Colfax.
National Register Number: 66000473
Resource type: Site.
The threat level was Watch in
2004.
Congressional District: NM-3 Certified Local Government: NO
Current use/information: Contact the New Mexico State Land Office for visitor information..

Statement of Significance (as of designation - January 20, 1961):
Few, if any, sites can compare with this bison killing and processing area in the contributions it has made to the advance of knowledge about prehistoric humans in the Western Hemisphere. Dating to about 8285 B.C., it is the type site of the Folsom Culture. In 1926, scientists made the dramatic find of flint spear points embedded in the ribs of an extinct species of bison, confirming what had previously been only suspected regarding the early advent of humans in America.

Condition:
The site is now protected from elk and livestock damage by virtue of the 8 foot high fence constructed by the state in 2002. The banks of Wild Horse Arroyo are now partially covered by vegetation (grasses and forbs), and these serve to partially stabilize the slopes. The small check dams in the main channel of Wild Horse Arroyo have trapped 4 to 6 inches of silt behind them, allowing plants to establish themselves on the floor of the arroyo; and these serve to protect the arroyo bottom during periods of runoff. The danger of catastrophic erosive loss of some portion of the remaining cultural deposits remains, as it has continuously since the major flood event that first exposed the site. The measures taken in 2002 address some of the small-scale effects of animal activities and natural erosive processes that occur on a regular basis but cannot ameliorate the broader situation.

Conditions have improved to the extent that the construction of the fence and small-scale check dams allow. Encouraging the natural vegetation to re-establish itself within the 10-acre state monument area has stabilized the slopes considerably. Trapping silt behind the small check dams provides a substrate for the growth of vegetation within the drainage channels. This is beneficial in that the vegetation will lay down during a flood event, thereby protecting the substrate and conveying runoff downstream with a minimum of erosive effect within the monument boundaries. The New Mexico State Land Office (SLO) will continue to manage the property so as to preserve and protect the locale and the remaining cultural deposits. The SLO is developing a cooperative management agreement with New Mexico State Monuments Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs that will assist in providing protection and stewardship for the property.


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