In the area that is now the Texas panhandle, Native Americans discovered an area where weathered flint littered the ground. This flint was weathering out of a dolomite beneath the thin soil cover. These people discovered that fresh, unweathered flint of high quality could be obtained by digging down a few feet.

From about 13,000 years ago into the 1800’s, this area was continuously mined for the high-quality flint. The flint was used to produce projectile points, scrapers, knives, and other stone tools. In the 1800’s the flint was also mined for use as gunflints. Over 700 small quarries are still visible today and have been preserved as part of the Alibates Flint National Monument.