Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site, Archaeological site in Hereford, Arizona, US

The Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site is an archaeological site on the west bank of the San Pedro River, 1.5 miles southwest of Hereford, Arizona. Excavations in 1955–56 uncovered the remains of nine mammoths, one bison, a horse, and a tapir, along with thirteen fluted Clovis points and two fire hearths. The land was donated to the Bureau of Land Management in 1988.

Rancher Ed Lehner discovered bone fragments and ancient tools on his property in 1952, sparking extensive archaeological excavations over the following decades. These investigations proved crucial to understanding early human settlement in North America.

The site shows how hunters lived and worked around 11,000 years ago through the tools and bones they left behind. You can see evidence of how they tracked, killed, and prepared large animals for food.

The site lies on the west bank of the San Pedro River, 1.5 miles southwest of Hereford in Cochise County, at about 1,280 metres elevation. The Lehner family donated the land to the Bureau of Land Management in 1988 for public benefit and education, so it is public land rather than private. Check with the BLM before visiting, since the ground is unexcavated desert soil.

The Lehner site produced the first radiocarbon dates for the Clovis culture, about 9,000 BCE, from two hearths sampled during the 1955–56 excavations. It was also the first Clovis site where butchering tools lay in direct contact with animal remains, and the first linked to small animals, camel and tapir.