Tule Springs Archaeological Site facts for kids

The Tule Springs Archaeological Site is a special place in the Las Vegas Valley of Nevada, United States. It is an archeological site, which means it's a place where scientists study old things left behind by people or animals.

For a long time, people thought this site showed that early humans lived here at the same time as huge Ice Age animals. These giant animals are called megafauna. While it's true that both were here, scientists now believe they didn't necessarily live together or hunt each other at this exact spot.

Today, you can find this important site inside Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs. The City of Las Vegas manages the park. The site is also marked as Nevada Historical Marker 86, telling everyone about its importance.

Discovering Tule Springs

Early Explorations

The first big effort to explore Tule Springs happened in 1933. This was called the Tule Springs Expedition. A scientist named Fenley Hunter led the team.

Hunter and his group found an interesting piece of obsidian (a type of volcanic glass). It looked like it had been used by people. They found it close to the bones of extinct Ice Age animals. This suggested that humans might have been in the area a very long time ago.

Digging Deeper in the 1960s

More detailed studies of the Tule Springs area took place in 1962 and 1963. The Nevada State Museum led these digs. Their goal was to learn more about the ancient life there.

Richard Shutler was in charge of this project. Another scientist, Vance Haynes, studied the different layers of soil and rock. He used a method called radiocarbon dating to figure out how old these layers were. Radiocarbon dating helps scientists find the age of very old things by looking at a special type of carbon in them.

Amazing Animal Finds

During these digs, scientists found bones from many amazing Ice Age animals. These included:

• Giant ground sloths
• Huge mammoths
• Prehistoric horses
• Ancient American camels
• The first bones of a giant condor ever found in Nevada

These discoveries helped scientists understand what life was like in Nevada during the Ice Age. They also found signs of early North American Paleo-Indian people.

A Protected Site

Because of its important history and discoveries, the Tule Springs site was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This happened on April 20, 1979. This listing helps protect the site for future study and for everyone to learn from.