Alibates flint. Photo by Lynn Boswell.
Just next door to the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area is Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument. Visitors come to this park to find a story from our ancient past. This place has been special to people for more than 13,000 years.
“The Antelope Creek people basically created the Panhandle’s first stock market,” said Park Ranger Jacob Collins. “They had material they could trade to Mexico, Minnesota and both coasts.”
Rangers lead tours to the top of mesas and visitors can imagine why people built villages in the beauty of this landscape. The hilltops are covered with acres of stone in a kaleidoscope of colors, prized not only for its beauty but its quality.
“This was a piece of technology used by all our ancestors,” collins said showing visitors some of the ancient flint tools. “No matter where you come from, you have an ancestor who brought home the groceries using stone tools. This is a piece of technology that unites us all.”
More about Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument