Site · United States
Blackwater Draw
Clovis, Folsom, 11050–8000 BCE
Blackwater Draw is the type site of the Clovis culture, a former spring-fed pond between Clovis and Portales, New Mexico, where mammoth kills were found in the 1930s. It was largely destroyed by gravel mining before protection and is now curated by Eastern New Mexico University.
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State / province | New Mexico |
| Dates | 11050–8000 BCE |
| Status | National Historic Landmark and university research site |
| Managed by | Eastern New Mexico University |
| Access | Open seasonally with a museum and interpretive trail |
| Coordinates | 34.281, -103.318 (public site) |
What was found
The gravel-pit exposures yielded Clovis points among mammoth bones, Folsom points with bison, Agate Basin and Cody material in overlying layers, a hand-dug Clovis well and the stratigraphy that defined the Paleoindian sequence. Debris from the gravel operation still yields Paleoindian material to the site's curators.
Rules
Nothing may be collected, dug, moved or removed at Blackwater Draw; it is a protected archaeological site managed by Eastern New Mexico University, and taking artifacts, stones or samples is an offence. Federal, state and tribal law, including ARPA and NAGPRA where applicable, protect the site and its burials. This article is for study and context only and is not a collecting locality.
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Blackwater Draw" (Site). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/sites/blackwater-draw. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-blackwater-draw,
title = {Blackwater Draw},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/sites/blackwater-draw}},
year = {2026},
note = {Site article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.