Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument is located near
the town of Fritch, Texas and near Lake Meredith National Recreational
Area. Archeological traces of
prehistoric Indian campsites, workshops and homes dot this area of the Texas Panhandle and the Canadian River
region. Natives worked the area for
flint for their personal use and for trade to other Native tribes for 12,000
years. The flint was of vital importance in their everyday life. Even before
the Great Lakes were formed, Indains of the Ice Age Clovis Culture used Alibates flint for spear points
to hunt Imperial Mammoth.
Alibates flint is of excellent quality and beautiful in
color. Colors range from maroon, cream, chocolate and gold look like candy or
slabs of bacon. Flakes mottled with indigo and emerald resemble jewels. The
flint lies below the surface at the ridge level, in a layer up to six feet
thick. Indians dug flint by hand or with
sticks or bone tools.
If you visit this
site be sure to call the visitor center the day before to arrange a tour of the
site as visits are by appointment only. On the day we took our hike up the
ridge we were the only ones with the Ranger led hike.
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