Museum set for move

Even the most preserved, prehistoric artifacts need a little sprucing up.

The Blackwater Draw Museum, once located between Clovis and Portales on U.S. 70, officially closed its doors early in September after more then 46 years. Its artifacts, dating back an estimated 13,000 years, will soon find a new home at Portales’ Eastern New Mexico University.

link Courtesy photo: Blackwater Draw National Historic Landmark

Blackwater Draw Museum Director George Crawford aims his spear at the target during last year’s fall atlatl competition and open house at the Blackwater Draw archaeological site.

Blackwater Draw Museum Director George Crawford said the move came because the original building — built about 1970 — required too many repairs.

“It was time for a change,” he said, “time to freshen it up.”

Crawford said for about 10 months, extensive work has been done to the campus’ Lea Hall, where the new museum is expected to open in the spring.

One person looking forward to the reopening is Clovis resident Lois Lesly Barnes, a regular Blackwater Draw visitor interested in promoting local history.

“More people need to go there and see what we have,” she said. “Nobody else has this stuff.”

Crawford expects to gain more local visitors with the move of the museum, which attracted thousands of international tourists every year.

“It’s much more famous in Europe and Asia than locally,” Crawford said, “because they teach a lot more pre-history around the world than we do. It’s a real mecca for American science.”

Crawford said with the museum being on campus, students are more likely to stop by, it can be utilized as an educational tool, and it’s more convenient for area schools to take field trips.

Crawford said although it’s geared toward adults, the revamped museum will also be kid-friendly, while presenting more accurate information.

In the meantime, visitors can still stop by the Blackwater Draw National Historic Landmark.

The site is about a week away from closing for winter, but some visitors hope to throw a wrench in those plans — or some spears.

The Blackwater Draw open house, in conjunction with the Mu Alpha Nu 16th annual Fall Atlatl Competition, will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the archaeological site on Highway 467 north of Portales.

According to Crawford, the free community event is held annually around Halloween as a way to close out the year until the site reopens in April 2017.

Crawford said the event will feature “primitive style” spear-throwing, and costumes are encouraged.