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Can’t write because of how crazy the world is, but I’m getting my mind of things by doing pre-made book covers for Self-Pub Book Covers. http://www.selfpubbookcovers.com/daringnovelist

mypubliclands:

George McJunkin was a remarkable man whose discovery re-wrote the books on early man in North America.  His intellectual curiosity and determination continue to inspire a new generation of archaeologists.  

George McJunkin was born a slave near Midway, Texas in 1851.  George was freed at the age of 14 after the Civil War ended.  Although he was fluent in Spanish, experienced with horses, and used to helping his father in his blacksmith shop, he never had the opportunity to learn to read.  He left home to join a cattle drive, ended up in northeastern New Mexico, and never returned to Texas.  Along the way he stopped to help a man dig a well.  He earned a handful of quarters, the first money he had ever been paid for his work.  He used it to buy the first footwear he had ever worn– a used pair of cowboy boots.  

His skills increased with each new job he took on, and eventually word got around that he was one of the best horse breakers and cowboys in New Mexico.  He traded lessons in breaking horses for lessons in reading, and soon began reading anything he could get his hands on.  He had always been curious about the natural world around him, and was particularly interested in science.

George McJunkin was the foreman of the Crowfoot Ranch when the great flood of 1908 hit Folsom.  At least 15 people were killed in the flood, including the telephone operator, who died at her switchboard trying to warn people of the flood.  After the flood, George was out riding, assessing the damage and saw something eroding out some 13 feet below the ground surface.  He recognized them as bison bones, but they were much larger than modern bison, and were partially mineralized.  George realized that the find was significant and tried to get an expert to look at his discovery, but it did not happen until after his death in 1922.  Eventually scientists did study the Folsom Site, and it rocked the scientific world.  Previously it had been thought that no humans inhabited North America much before the birth of Christ, and this discovery made scientific history, establishing a human presence some 7,000 years earlier.

In 1926, archaeologists studied the site, and the first scientific article was published in 1927 in the Natural History Magazine.  Eventually George was given credit for his find.  His hunger for knowledge and his persistence eventually earned George McJunkin a place in history, but he didn’t live to see it.

For those who would like to learn more, The Life and Legend of George McJunkin by Franklin Folsom is an inspiring book geared to older children or young teens, but it is an enjoyable read for adults too.

Story by Brenda Wilkinson, Archaeologist. Photos by Historic Photo, Photo courtesy Georgia and Bill Lockridge, former owners of the Crowfoot Ranch.

dailycatdrawings:

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citizenscreen:

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claryjennifer:

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wehadfacesthen:

acrosstheprestige:

La Dolce Vita - 1960

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