The modern game of golf as we know it originated in 15th century Scotland. Recently Archeologists have claimed references to a form of golf from Egyptian hieroglyphs dating to 3000 BC. There is some evidence, however meager, that the game may have had a much earlier origin in Texas, or more specifically in Travis County, on Onion Creek. This "Paleo Putter" and egg-shaped ball (the round ball had not yet evolved) provide that meager evidence. Paleo golf courses were undoubtedly of the links variety and were probably dangerous places to be. In them days there really were Tigers in the Woods.
Cheeez Red, You shoulda spoke up sooner ! People have posted " game balls " before but never exactly WHAT game ! now we know.
Here's a perfect example. . . . . Go back and look at Geo's posting two days ago, , ," FOGGY DAY = GOOD FINDS " There is a " game ball " on the right side of the pic with all the finds. I just thought it was a Spanish blunderbus musket ball, Geo doesn't explain. . .
Silver, the sabertooth skull is a museum casting. The original was found at La Brea. I have had it for years but I believe it was done for UCLA by a group called Skulldruggery. Today with the new polymers it is somewhat difficult to distinguish a casting from the original.
One of my old producrs retired to Berghiem. Told me there were caves on property his wife she had inherited that had saber cat bones, heiroglypics, poinrs in them. Wouldn't let anybody hunt there tho. Don't know how true that is, boout the bones I mean
Tehuacana, The most well-known cave deposits with sabertooth remains are in the Freisenhahn Cave west of Brady in Concho County. Three different species of big sabertooths were found, including Smilodon californicus of La Brea Tar Pits fame. A smaller fourth species of feline known as the scimitar cat was also found. The scimitar cat was the size of an African lion and is thought to have gone extinct about 10,000 years ago. Bergheim is in Kendall County and there is no reason why there could not be caves in the area with sabertooth and other Pleistocene mammal remains. The remains of jaguars are actually much more common in Pleistocene cave deposits than those of the sabertooths. All of the sabertooths went extinct and the jaguar survived.
Guess I'll never know tho, John Moore died two years ago of sleep aphnea at 55 and I haven't heard from his wife since, don't even know if she's still there. I still wish he'd at least have let me see the bones. They weren't going to remove them from the cave. She was a game biologist for the parks and wild life.
Somewhat tied into Red's report of the Smiley's bones. . . The latest issue of CENTRAL STATES ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL has an article [ with pics ] of GROUND SLOTH bones a guy found while creek surfacing in SW Iowa.
Has very stong butchering cuts. Bone dated to 9400 BP.
Just in jest I have occasionally used the extinct Sloth in context with the paleo [ or earlier ! ]peoples.