White Sands Ancients

from SFGate

‘A real chill’: National park discovery rewrites human historyEvidence of 22,000-year-old vehicles was hiding beneath the sand

By Adrianna Nine, Southwest Contributing Parks Editor

Though it was underwater just 12,000 years ago, White Sands National Park — now an arid desert landscape — abounds with remnants of ancient human history. White Sands Missile Range, a Department of Defense-owned test area surrounding the park, features the world’s largest collection of ice age footprints, which were left behind by people dependent on the region’s bygone lake. Among those footprints, scientists have found new evidence of ancient activity recorded in the sand — and it’s transforming their understanding of early human technology.

These, too, are tracks, but not the kind left by feet. Instead, they belong to travois, the earliest form of terrestrial transportation currently known. Made with long sticks and a basket or net, these primeval vehicles look a bit like a wheelbarrow without the wheel: Pulling the lifted handle or handles moved the basket attached to the sticks, allowing a person to glide heavy cargo across the sand.

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