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25-754: The flowing waters of the North Fork carved Yellow House Canyon , one of three major canyons along the east side of the Llano Estacado . In the past, this tributary of the Brazos has been called by various names, including Yellowhouse Creek and Yellow House River. According to a 1964 decision by the United States Board on Geographical Names , this stream is properly called the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River. However, due to

50-484: A distance resembled houses with open doors." Within the city limits of Lubbock, Yellow House Canyon remains a narrow and shallow channel with a typical width of less than 0.5 km (0.31 mi) and a typical depth of not more than 20 m (66 ft). Here, the city of Lubbock has constructed a series of small dams that form a series of narrow lakes, collectively known as Canyon Lakes. The Canyon Lakes park offers conservation areas and recreational opportunities on

75-493: Is a key feature in the 2012 State Water Plan for the Llano Estacado Regional Water Planning Area, which encompasses 21 counties on the high plains of the Llano Estacado . The construction of this controversial reservoir would likely lead to the extinction of two rare species of prairie fish - the smalleye shiner and the sharpnose shiner . Yellow House Canyon Yellow House Canyon

100-428: Is a smaller dam that forms another recreational lake named Lake Ransom Canyon, where numerous single-family homes surround the lake to form the community of Ransom Canyon, Texas . Downstream of Ransom Canyon , the North Fork flows freely across sparsely populated ranch country as the canyon continues to deepen and widen. Where the North Fork crosses Farm to Market Road 400 , a large portion of Lubbock's treated sewage

125-728: Is about 32 km (20 mi) long, heading in Lubbock, Texas , at the junction of Blackwater Draw and Yellow House Draw , and trending generally southeastward to the edge of the Llano Estacado about 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Slaton, Texas ; it forms one of three major canyons along the east side of the Llano Estacado and carries the waters of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River . The name has an XIT Ranch heritage, according to Gary and Margaret Kraisinger, in that "the yellow cliffs which from

150-888: Is an intermittent stream channel about 140 km (87 mi) long, with headwaters in Roosevelt County, New Mexico , about 18 km (11 mi) southwest of Clovis, New Mexico , and flows southeastward across the Llano Estacado toward the city of Lubbock, Texas , where it joins Yellow House Draw to form Yellow House Canyon at the head of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River . It stretches across eastern Roosevelt County, New Mexico , and Bailey , Lamb , Hale , and Lubbock Counties of West Texas and drains an area of 1,560 sq mi (4,040 km ). Blackwater Draw contains an important archaeological site , called Blackwater Draw National Historic Landmark , first recognized in 1929 by Ridgley Whiteman of Clovis, New Mexico . Blackwater Locality No. 1 (29RV2; LA3324)

175-634: Is currently one of the oldest and most widespread chipped stone technologies recognized in the New World; radiocarbon dates on sediment from the Clovis layers at Blackwater Draw average around 11,290 years before the present. Two of the projectile points from Blackwater Draw were used as the type specimens to define Clovis chipped stone technology in the 1930s. The archaeological site is known for its well-defined and dated stratigraphic horizons that exhibit numerous cultural sequences. The sequences begin with some of

200-410: Is pumped into the stream via a pipeline that empties at a point called Outfall 001. The City of Lubbock is permitted to discharge as much as 9,000,000 US gal (34,000 m) of treated effluent into the North Fork each day. At the point where the North Fork crosses Lubbock County Road 3600, the canyon is nearly 2 mi (3,000 m) wide and 200 ft (60 m) deep. Further downstream,

225-463: Is the type-site of the Clovis culture . The first large-scale excavation occurred in 1932, though local residents had been collecting bone and lithic materials for decades. In the 1960s Frank J. Brolio excavated a camp site just to the northwest of the main site, known colloquially as "Franks Folsom Site". Finds included an especially large chert bi-face. In this period (1952 to 1970) Blackwater Draw

250-524: The Double Mountain Fork , passing through flat to moderately steep terrain along its course. The City of Lubbock has proposed the construction of a major reservoir that would impound waters of the North Fork northeast of Post, creating a reservoir roughly 60% of the size of Lake Alan Henry , another city reservoir that impounds waters of the Double Mountain Fork. The proposed Post Reservoir

275-739: The Blackwater Locality No. 1 site. The artifacts and displays illustrated life at the site during the Clovis period (over 13,000 years ago) through the recent historic period. In 2017, the museum moved onto the Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) campus, and expanded its focus to incorporate local history, as well as archaeology on a broad scale. Exhibits now include descriptions of archaeological work, different archaeological sites, cultural complexes, and scientific methods, among other topics. Visitors can learn more information about Blackwater Draw, archaeology, and see materials from

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300-443: The North Fork crosses Texas Farm to Market Road 400 , the canyon is nearly 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and 60 m (200 ft) deep. Further downstream, near the confluence of Plum Creek and the North Fork, the walls of the canyon begin to curve sharply outward as the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River flows out of the canyon and onto the rolling plains of West Texas. Blackwater Draw Blackwater Draw

325-415: The North Fork extends outside the city limits, Yellow House Canyon gradually widens and deepens. At a distance of 9 mi (14 km) to the east-southeast of Lubbock, a dam was constructed to form Buffalo Springs Lake, a recreational lake that now inundates the site of the main springs, though Buffalo Springs continue to flow beneath the waters of the lake. Immediately downstream of Buffalo Springs Lake

350-678: The archaeological site. The Clovis points were lanceolate and often, though not always, longer than Folsom points . The Clovis-age artifacts are in association with the remains of extinct Late Pleistocene megafauna, including mammoth , camel , horse , bison , saber-toothed cat , sloths , and dire wolf that were hunted by the early peoples who visited the site. Generations of some of the earliest New World inhabitants hunted and camped at Blackwater Draw, creating stratified levels of archaeological remains from many different time periods, including Clovis, Folsom, Midland, Agate Basin, and various Archaic period occupants. Clovis chipped stone technology

375-462: The earlier New World peoples and continue through the southwestern archaic, and into the historic period. Investigations at Blackwater Draw have recovered protein residue on Clovis weapons , indicating their use as hunting and possibly butchering tools on extinct Pleistocene animals. Towards the end of the Pleistocene period, the climate began to change, which brought warmer and drier weather, causing

400-583: The excavations and visitations at the site. The 3,200-acre (1,300 ha) Anderson Basin district around Blackwater Draw in Roosevelt County, near Clovis and Portales was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and incorporated into the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The original Blackwater Draw Museum was first opened to the public in 1969, at 42987 Highway 70, Portales, New Mexico primarily to display artifacts uncovered at

425-681: The greater Southwest obtained from private collections. Currently, the Miles Collection displays Southwestern pottery, basketry, and textiles. As of August 2017, Blackwater Draw is under the direction of Dr. Brendon Asher of ENMU in Portales . The museum hired its first Collections Manager in 2020, Samantha Bomkamp. The museum and site operate under the supervision of the Eastern New Mexico University's Department of Anthropology and Applied Archaeology . ENMU students are able to work at

450-428: The northeast of Post , the stream crosses Farm to Market Road 651 and then U.S. Highway 380 , about 7 mi (11 km) east of Post. The stream then begins trending in a more easterly direction as it meanders wildly, eventually crossing from Garza into Kent County, where it merges with the Double Mountain Fork . Overall, the North Fork descends 1,050 ft (320 m) from its headwaters to its confluence with

475-453: The unwieldy length of the name, it is often shortened to just North Fork. Within the city limits of Lubbock, the North Fork is a minor stream that flows through a narrow and shallow channel with a typical width less than 1,500 ft (460 m) and a typical depth not more than 50 ft (15 m). Here the city of Lubbock has constructed a series of small dams that form a series of narrow lakes, collectively known as Canyon Lakes. As

500-536: The walls of the canyon begin to curve sharply outward as the North Fork flows out of Yellow House Canyon and onto the rolling plains of West Texas. To the east of Slaton , the North Fork enters Crosby County, passing to the southwest of Courthouse Mountain and the ghost town of Canyon Valley . After traversing only 8 mi (13 km) across the southwest corner of Crosby County, the stream then enters northern Garza County, where it continues to run southeastward, eventually crossing Texas State Highway 207 . Passing to

525-400: The water and in the narrow park along the water's edge. As Yellow House Canyon extends outside the city limits of Lubbock, the canyon gradually widens and deepens. Around 15 km (9.3 mi) to the east-southeast of Lubbock, a dam was constructed to form Buffalo Springs Lake , a recreational lake that now inundates the site of the main springs, though the springs continue to flow beneath

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550-414: The water flow in the region to dramatically decrease. This decrease caused small seasonal lake basins called playas to form. These areas became popular hunting locations for early North Americans. In that period the site had a number of active springs. A number of lithics were found in the sandy spring drains. The usual assumption is that they were discarded into the springs though it has been suggested there

575-427: The waters of the lake. Immediately downstream of Buffalo Springs Lake is a much smaller dam that forms another recreational lake named Lake Ransom Canyon, where numerous single-family homes surround the lake to form the community of Ransom Canyon, Texas . Downstream of Ransom Canyon, the North Fork is finally allowed to flow freely across sparsely populated ranchland as the canyon continues to deepen and widen. Where

600-540: Was a ritual component. Since its discovery, the Blackwater Locality No. 1 site has been a focal point for scientific investigations by academic institutions and organizations from across the country. The Carnegie Institute , Smithsonian Institution , Academy of Natural Sciences , National Science Foundation , United States National Museum , National Geographic Society , and more than a dozen major universities either have funded or participated in research at Blackwater Draw. Eastern New Mexico University owns and manages

625-563: Was being commercially mined for gravel with a number of mammoth and bison kill stations being uncovered. In another part of Blackwater draw known as the Mitchell Locality a large Folsom period campsite was excavated in the 1980s. A number of lithics were recovered including some with bison and pronghorn blood residue. Evidence of "fluted" points, spearheads now known as Clovis points (a New World invention) and other stone and bone weapons, tools, and processing implements were found at

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