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George McJunkin: The Black Cowboy Whose Discovery Rewrote American Prehistory

A former slave turned ranch foreman noticed ancient bison bones in a flooded arroyo and pushed scientists to look.

Who Was George McJunkin?

George McJunkin was a Black cowboy and ranch foreman in northeastern New Mexico who is credited with finding the Folsom site, the bison kill that helped prove people lived in North America at the end of the last Ice Age. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum added him to the Hall of Great Westerners in 2019.

His birth date is uncertain. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science gives January 9, 1851, in eastern Texas. The Wikipedia article notes that his tombstone says 1856 while other sources claim 1851.

From Slavery in Texas to a New Mexico Ranch Foreman

McJunkin was born into slavery and gained freedom when the Civil War ended. Wikipedia says he worked as a cowboy for freighters and learned to read from fellow cowhands. Other accounts describe him learning horsemanship from Mexican cowboys. He taught himself to read and write, speak Spanish and play the fiddle and guitar.

In 1868 he arrived in New Mexico and, according to Wikipedia, became foreman of the Thomas Owens Pitchfork Ranch. He later worked as a buffalo hunter and on ranches in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, and was reported to be an expert bronc rider and one of the best ropers in the country. He eventually became foreman of the Crowfoot Ranch near Folsom.

How Did McJunkin Find the Folsom Site?

On August 27, 1908, a flash flood on the Dry Cimarron River killed more than a dozen people around Folsom. Texas Monthly reports that the next day he noticed bones in Wild Horse Arroyo that were far bigger than those of cattle or modern bison. Wikipedia adds that he found a distinctive stone tool, now called a Folsom point, and left the site mostly undisturbed, taking only a few sample points.

He tried for years to interest experts. In 1918 he sent bones and a lance point to the Denver museum, and Wikipedia says paleontologist Harold Cook visited the next spring and did some exploratory digging. A full excavation did not happen until 1926, four years after McJunkin died.

The Key to McJunkin's Legacy

McJunkin's life shows how curiosity and persistence can matter as much as formal credentials. The documented record is about what he noticed, what he kept and how long he kept pushing.

The credit also carries nuance. The 1926 dig was led by others, and Texas Monthly notes there is no written record that McJunkin told the blacksmith Carl Schwachheim about the site, so the chain of events is not fully documented.

  • He read the ground as part of his work: fence repair after a flood put him in the arroyo that exposed the bones.
  • He recognized that the bones did not match cattle or modern bison.
  • He collected rocks, crystals, bones and stone tools over years, building observational knowledge.
  • He preserved the site by taking only a few sample points rather than digging it up.
  • He kept contacting scientists for a decade, including sending specimens to Denver in 1918.
  • Limits: he was not credited in his lifetime, and the site's full scientific importance came after his death.

Why the Folsom Site Mattered

Scientists confirmed that the bones belonged to an extinct prehistoric bison. In 1926 and after, a spear point found lodged between bison ribs showed that people had hunted the animals. Texas Monthly says visiting scientists agreed humans were in the region about 12,000 years ago, and that many scholars had previously thought people had been in the Americas only 3,000 to 4,000 years. Wikipedia gives a different framing, saying the find showed humans had inhabited North America since at least 9000 BCE, so estimates vary by account.

The finding opened a new chapter in American archaeology, and the cowboy who first noticed the bones became part of that story.

Death and Honors

McJunkin died in 1922 and is buried in the Folsom Cemetery. The Denver museum archive says the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum holds three of the only known photographs of him. His 2019 induction into the Hall of Great Westerners recognized both his cowboy skill and the discovery.

For more on the cowboys who shaped the West, visit the ranching section of farm.FM, and a farm.FM story about Black cowboys in the West is a related read.

Timeline

  1. 1851Born in eastern Texas, by most sources (tombstone says 1856)
  2. 1868Arrives in New Mexico
  3. 1908Flood strikes Folsom on August 27; McJunkin notices large bones in Wild Horse Arroyo
  4. 1918Sends bones and a lance point to the Denver museum
  5. 1919Paleontologist Harold Cook visits and does exploratory digging
  6. 1922Dies and is buried in Folsom Cemetery
  7. 1926Full excavation of the Folsom site begins
  8. 2019Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners

Frequently asked questions

Who was George McJunkin?

George McJunkin was a Black cowboy and ranch foreman in New Mexico, born into slavery in Texas. He is credited with discovering the Folsom site, a bison kill that helped prove early human presence in North America.

When did McJunkin find the Folsom site?

He noticed the bones after the flood of August 27, 1908, while working on the Crowfoot Ranch. Scientists did not fully excavate the site until 1926, after his death in 1922.

Why is the Folsom site important?

A stone point found with bones of extinct bison showed people hunted Ice Age animals in North America. Estimates differ by account, with some sources citing about 12,000 years ago.

When was McJunkin inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners?

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum inducted George McJunkin in 2019, recognizing his work as a cowboy and ranch manager and the discovery that led to the Folsom archaeology.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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