TX: CULBERSON CO. Elev. 1495 m.
General Description.—Ayer (1936): Limestone cave located somewhat southwest of Signal Peak [= El Capitan?]. It is high up on the side of a steep canyon and faces almost directly east, about 200 ft above the canyon floor. Cave elevation ca 4,900 ft. Dimensions roughly 40 ft wide at entrance, just under the overhang, and 48 ft from this point to the rear wall. Back of cave bilobed, a partition extending into the cave ca. 13 ft. Floor very irregular; at entrance, a layer of caliche, limestone, and gypsum had formed beginning at the N wall and extending across the entrance to the south wall. This near the surface at the northern end, but ca. 6 ft below at the southern. The layer continued sloping down and back to near the middle of the cave, where it ended abruptly. Nothing organic found in any of the caliche; in a test hole, caliche estimated to be 8 ft deep at entrance close to N wall. Rock floor of cave sloped up toward the rear at an angle of 20°, so that originally the two lobes were completely filled in with debris and deposit.
Ayer (1936): Top 3 ft of deposit had been completely dug away by others except for small areas; with this, most of archaeological materials had been removed. Burials and most archaeological materials removed in 1934, the mammal bones being removed the following year. A trench dug in 1934 ca. half way to the rear of the cave to 7 ft from the original surface; in this, a large pine log and dung balls of Nothrotheriops (no bones found, however).
Age.—12,040 ± 210 (A-1540) (Williams Cave #2 Midden) (Van Devender et al. 1976). Dates on sloth dung: 11,930 ± 170 (A-1588); 11,140 ± 320 (A-1589); 12,100 ± 210 (A-1563).
Comments.—Bones apparently associated with the archaeological material are listed in the general faunal list, so that both Holocene and Pleistocene are mixed together without comment (as judged by comments of Ayer 1936). Ayer 1936: Canis dirus at depth of 4 ft, associated with Equus, Ovis, and Felis.
Publications.—(*Ayer 1936); Harris 1985; *Van Devender, Moodie, and Harris 1976.
Fauna.—
AVES
MAMMALIA
Last Update: 24 January 1999.