Murray Springs Clovis Site
Today, scientists think that the Murray Springs Clovis Site, part of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, was created by nomadic hunters who stayed in the area to pursue large game, such as mammoth, horses, and bison.
Archaeologists have named these early hunters Paleoindians, and due to their distinctive artifacts, the Clovis people, after the first site having these types of artifacts, which was found in eastern New Mexico in the 1930s.
The Murray Springs Clovis Site was named for the nearest natural feature that appeared on the maps of the area in 1966; Murray Springs, which is actually located about one half of a mile further mile east. The Murray Springs Site is one of the most important and well documented early human sites in North America.
The site has yielded the most evidence of Clovis stone tool manufacture in the entire Southwestern United States, and the evidence of large mammal butchering and use at the site is unsurpassed. The Murray Springs Site was created between 12,000 and 13,000 years ago, in the late Pleistocene era, by a small group of Clovis people, who camped nearby, and who probably hunted large animals as they came down to water in the arroyo.
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Activities
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Directions
From Sierra Vista, take Arizona Route 90 east six miles to Moson Road. Turn left, and go about 1.2 miles to the signed turnoff to Murray Springs. Park your vehicle and proceed by foot down the access road to the trail leading to the Murray Springs Clovis Site. The access road leading to the Murray Springs trail is currently closed to vehicle traffic.
Fees
Day use throughout the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area is free; you don't need a permit.
You must have a permit for overnight backcountry camping. Permit fees are $2 per person per night. You may have a campfire only in designated areas. Camping is limited to seven consecutive nights in any one location, unless otherwise authorized.
Commercial operators must secure special authorization prior to their planned visit.