Gault School

The Gault Site has been known by archaeologists for at least 78 years. In 1929, the first
anthropologist at the University of Texas, J.E. Pearce, had a crew excavating at the site for eight
weeks. Though primarily interested in the Archaic burnt-rock midden showing on the surface
Pearce's crew managed to excavate a handful of Paleoindian artifacts including Clovis cultural
materials more than 2 years before the discoveries at Blackwater Draw.

The site was located on a farm owned by Henry Gault and his wife Jodie. The land was marginal
for farming and Gault supplemented his meager income by scouting out archaeological sites for
Pearce's friend Alex Dienst, later president of the Texas State Historical Association, running
errands for Pearce's crew and finally backfilling Pearce's excavation.

Over the years the land changed hands several times but was the focus for a great deal of collecting and looting. One
of Pearce's colleagues looked at the site in 1930 and commented on the young men digging for artifacts there. Some
of these collectors worked on a grand scale with large crews and even heavy machinery. Eventually a commercial
pay-to-dig operation allowed collectors the opportunity to dig at the now-famous Gault Site for a mere $10 a day
(later $25).

Archaeologists at the University of Texas at Austin and the Texas Historical Commission kept an eye on the site but
could not come to any agreement with the landowner regarding professional excavation. Visits in 1988 and a brief
excavation in 1991 established that, although much of the site dating from 9,000 years ago to the present was
irreparably damaged intact Paleoindian strata remained deep down below the site.