Site · United States
Folsom Site
Folsom, 10800–10200 BCE
The Folsom site is the bison kill in Wild Horse Arroyo near Folsom, New Mexico, discovered by George McJunkin and excavated by the Colorado Museum of Natural History. It is the type site of the Folsom culture and the birthplace of Paleoindian archaeology.
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State / province | New Mexico |
| Dates | 10800–10200 BCE |
| Status | National Historic Landmark on private and state land |
| Managed by | Private landowner with New Mexico Historic Preservation Division oversight |
| Access | Not open to the public; a museum in the village of Folsom interprets the site |
| Coordinates | 36.874, -103.918 (public site) |
What was found
The 1926 to 1928 excavations found fluted points in direct association with thirty-two extinct bison, including one point between the ribs, which proved that people were in America during the Ice Age. The points and bison bones are in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Rules
Nothing may be collected, dug, moved or removed at Folsom Site; it is a protected archaeological site managed by Private landowner with New Mexico Historic Preservation Division oversight, 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. The site is on private land and trespass is prohibited. This article is for study and context only and is not a collecting locality.
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Folsom Site" (Site). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/sites/folsom-site. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-folsom-site,
title = {Folsom Site},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/sites/folsom-site}},
year = {2026},
note = {Site article, Stratum Study 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.