Lone Butte: A Folsom Hunting Camp and Overlook in the Central Tularosa Basin of New Mexico

Abstract

The Lone Butte site represents a substantial lithic assemblage from a Folsom hunting camp and overlook locality in the central Tularosa Basin of south-central New Mexico. It appears to be similar to the Rio Rancho site in the Central Rio Grande Valley in terms of its landscape position and assemblage signature. Lone Butte represents the largest and most comprehensive lithic assemblage from any Paleoindian site in the Tularosa Basin, strongly documented to have a substantial history of Folsom occupation. Interestingly, the Lone Butte assemblage is distinguished from the overall regional pattern in having relatively high proportions of preforms and channel flakes, which are made predominantly from Rancheria chert located at a distance of 40–100 km west of the site. This assemblage clearly reflects the anticipated mobility which seems partly characteristic of Folsom technological and settlement organization.