Kirkland Decoded

Pictograph and Petroglyph Sites on the Pecos River

The pictograph, petroglyph and other prehistoric and historic sites mentioned in this article are on private property (with only a very few exceptions). Please obtain permission from the landowner to visit these sites. Some of the sites may be closed to access by the landowner. Respect the property of the landowner and do not disturb the fences or other improvements made by the landowner. Do not leave trash or other evidence of your visit. Preserve and protect the archeological artifacts of the sites in accordance with state law.

Many of the pictograph and petroglyph site along the Pecos River were recorded and copied during the late 1930's by Forrest and Lula Kirkland. Kirkland was a self taught water color artist who established a business doing intricate drawings of industrial machinery for catalog illustrations. Beginning in the summer of 1934, and continuing through 1941, Kirkland and his wife visited pictograph sites thoughout Texas in order to record the paintings of the earliest native inhabitants. Little attention had been given to these works and the Kirklands knew that it was important to preserve as much of the art work as possible. Although Kirkland prematurely died in April, 1942 of a heart attack, his accomplishments in the recording of so many primitive art sites are remarkable, even today.

Many of the sites that the Kirklands visited are on the Pecos River, and the difficulty of traversing that terrain has left many of the sites protected and untouched. Kirkland was not very rigorous in his identification of many of the sites that he painted so several of the sites are unfamiliar to modern researchers. We have attempted to correlate the sites which we have visited along the Pecos with those that have been painted by Kirkland in the descriptions that follow. The list is by no means exhaustive. The Lower Pecos reveals its secrets slowly to those who care.

The references are to the publication of Kirkland's work:
Kirkland, Forrest and W. W. Newcomb, Jr. The Rock Art of Texas Indians. Austin: The University of Texas Press, 1967.

The site names are, in many instances, mine alone, although some of the site names are also in common use. The names are not intended as any official name or designation.


1. Pandale Bluff - Mile 0
     - Kirkland, Plate 54, no. 1, p. 96

2. Kidd House Bluff - Mile 4
    - small pictographs, no photos

3. Skunk Camp site (Bee Cave) - Mile 5
    - Kirkland, Plate 55, no. 1, p.97
 
4.  Oso Canyon ?? - Mile 15

5. Boyd Canyon area - Mile 19
    - small pictographs, no photos
 
6. Piggy Panther site - Mile 26
     - Kirkland, Plate 35, no. 1 and 2, p. 73
 
7. Harkell Canyon site -  Mile 28
    - Kirkland, Plate 36, no. 1, 2 and 3, Plate 37, no. 1(?), p. 74
 
8. Camp Canyon site - Mile 33
 
9. JJ's Cave - Mile 35

10. Hinds Cave, Still Canyon - Mile 35
    - no pictographs

11. Still Canyon alcove site - Mile 35

12. Lewis Canyon Flint Quarry - Mile 38
 
13. Lewis Canyon alcove pictographs - Mile 38
    -  small pictographs, no photos

14. Lewis Canyon Petroglyph site - Mile 38
     - Kirkland, Plates 56-63, p. 98-104
 
15. Lewis Canyon Pour Off site - Mile 38
    - Kirkland, Plate 29, no. 4, p. 68

16.  Painted Canyon, Flying Black Shamans site - Mile 44
    - Kirkland, Plate 19, no. 1, p. 55
 
17. Painted Canyon pictograph panel - Mile 44
    - Kirkland, Plate 4, no. 1, p. 20
 
18. Hernandez Trail site - Mile 51

19. Deadman's Canyon site - upstream ?? - Mile 52-53??
       - recorded by Kirkland, but not yet visited

20. Deadman's Canyon - Mile 53??
       - recorded by Kirkland, but not yet visited

21. Railroad Bridge site - Mile 55
    - Kirkland, Plate 8, p. 25

22. Tinaja Site - RAF  - Mile 58
    - Kirkland, Plate 51, no. 3, page 91

23. White Shaman Preserve (RAF) - Mile 59