George McJunkin was an African American cowboy known for discovering bison bones in Folsom, New Mexico which eventually made archaeological history.  McJunkin was born in the slavery era in Texas.  His father was a blacksmith.  McJunkin grew up on a ranch and mastered the skills of a ranch hand.  Growing up, McJunkin only received four years of education; he learned to read and write by watching other workers and became literate.  McJunkin worked at various jobs such as buffalo hunting and skinning.  For about fifty years he was also a bronco-buster along the Texas-New Mexico border and at one point was a ranch foreman. In 1908, McJunkin and a friend, Bill Gordon, found bones sticking out of the ground at the bank of the Dry Cimarron River near Folsom.  The bones where bigger with horns that were different from any McJunkin had ever seen.  McJunkin knew the bones were neither from cattle or buffalo and believe they needed to be studied.  McJunkin attempted to publicize his discovery and feared that it would be ignored or the site would be raided for souvenirs. Eventually scientists took an interest in his discovery and in 1925 announced that the bones McJunkin had found … Continue reading George McJunkin (1851-1922)