SKILES SHELTER IN MILE CANYON NEAR LANGTRY, TEXAS. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE THE VERY FAINT REMAINS OF THE ROCK ART PANELS.

Skiles Shelter Gallery

I have visited Skiles Shelter in Mile Canyon on two occasions.  The first occasion was on December 13, 2014 with a small group organized by the Rock Art Foundation.  We hiked the entirety of Mile Canyon, visiting Horse Trail Shelter, Skiles Shelter, Eagle Cave and the Bonfire Site. 

My second visit to Skiles Shelter was on January 29, 2016.  In my Fall 2015 semester at Texas State I was taking Southwest Archaeology from Dr. Steve Black.  During the course of the class Dr. Black discovered that I was an attorney and asked me to do some research concerning a burial that his field school had encountered at the Horse Trail site in Mile Canyon.  He subsequently invited me to the excavation of the burial in late January, 2016.  During a break we walked down to the canyon floor to look at the project of one of his students, and I climbed up to Skiles Shelter to look at the rock art.

The pictographs at this site were very faded, but visible enough to make out many of the elements.  In the comments that accompany his drawing of this site, Kirkland noted that “individual designs could not be be clearly seen until treated with water”.  I have never heard of this and did not realize that Kirkland ever used this process to enhance pictographs.  Here are my photos from Skiles Shelter, as well as Forrest Kirkland’s drawing of the site.  I have also included a few photos of a petroglyph of a snake on a boulder near the shelter on my first visit.  I hope you find these photos interesting! 

Photos From My January 29, 2016 Visit To Skiles Shelter…

THIS PHOTO SHOWS PLATE 10, NO. 1, FROM FORREST KIRKLAND'S DRAWINGS.
DETAIL OF THE FAR LEFT HAND PORTION OF THE PANEL IN PLATE 10, NO. 1.
DETAIL OF THE TOP CENTER PORTION OF PLATE 10, NO. 1.
DETAIL OF THE LOWER CENTER PORTION OF PLATE 10, NO. 1. A VERY UNUSUAL "X" SHAPED ELEMENT.
LEFT HAND PORTION OF PLATE 10, NO. 2 AND FAR RIGHT HAND PORTION OF NO. 1.
DETAIL OF THE CENTRAL ELEMENT IN PLATE 10, NO. 2.
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE RIGHT HAND PORTION OF PLATE 10, NO. 2.

Photos From My December 13, 2014 Visit to Skiles Shelter…

CENTER PORTION OF PLATE 10, NO. 1.
THE RIGHT HAND PORTION OF PLATE 10, NO. 1.
PLATE 10, NO. 2 AT SKILES SHELTER.
LOWER LEFT CORNER OF PLATE 10, NO. 1.
fAR LEFT PORTION OF PLATE 10, NO. 1. THE RAKE LOOKING ELEMENT IS CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE.
A LITTLE CONTEXT...THE LEFT HAND PORTION OF THE SKILES SHELTER PANEL. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE BEDROCK FEATURES BELOW THE PANEL.

The Snake Petroglyph On a Boulder Below Skiles Shelter…

Near the beginning of the trail that leads from the bottom of Mile Canyon up to Skiles Shelter is a large boulder which appears to have a petroglyph of a snake on one side.  The snake has a triangular head and appears to have a swollen area on the belly.  Here are a few photos of the petroglyph…

LOOK FOR THE TRIANGULAR HEAD ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THIS PICTURE AND FOLLOW IT DOWN AND TO THE RIGHT.
DETAIL OF THE TRIANGULAR HEAD OF THE SNAKE PETROGLYPH.
DETAIL OF THE SWOLLEN PORTION OF THE SNAKE'S BELLY.

Forrest Kirkland’s Drawing of Skiles Shelter…

I BELIEVE PLATE 10 CORRESPONDS TO THE PICTOGRAPHS FOUND IN THE SKILES SHELTER, ALTHOUGH KIRKLAND DID NOT NAME THE SHELTER.