New investigations at Bonfire shelter, Texas examine controversial bison jumps and bone beds

Abstract

Bonfire Shelter (41VV218) is a nationally significant site in the Lower Pecos region of the West Texas borderlands that contains a record of episodic use by hunter-gatherers spanning at least twelve millennia. At least two major bison hunting episodes are evident at Bonfire Shelter, one associated with Paleoindian Plainview and Folsom projectile points (Bone Bed 2), and another associated with Late Archaic Castroville and Montell points (Bone Bed 3). The approximately 12,000-year-old layers comprising Bone Bed 2 may represent the oldest and southernmost bison jump in North America, but this interpretation is the subject of recent debate. In addition, older deposits containing Rancholabrean fauna but lacking stone tools (Bone Bed 1) date to approximately 14,000 years ago and are proposed by previous researchers to be at least partially the result of human activity. This article reviews the issues surrounding Bone Bed 2 and Bone Bed 1 and presents new radiocarbon dates, artifacts, features, along with some initial observations and ongoing plans for renewed field investigations at Bonfire Shelter carried out by the Ancient Southwest Texas Project at Texas State University.