With Mrs. Campbell, faithfull steward of the beautiful rock art at her family ranch outside of Paint Rock, Texas. December 21, 2019, Winter Solstice.

2019 Winter Solstice at The Paint Rock Pictograph Site

Prologue

For a number of years, I have been meaning to visit the pictograph site near Paint Rock, Texas.  When I lived in San Angelo during the early 1980s, I heard vague rumors that there was something over in Paint Rock that would be interesting to see, but I never looked into the matter.  Fast forward thirty years.  When I became interested in rock art and purchased a copy of The Rock Art of Texas Indians (Paintings by Forrest Kirkland; Text by W. W. Newcomb, Jr.), and read the amazing story of Forrest Kirkland and his wife and their efforts to record Texas rock art, I knew I must visit the Paint Rock Site some day.  It was that site that “hooked” the Kirklands, just as the Wolfman Panel outside of Bluff, Utah, had hooked me.  After his first visit to Paint Rock in 1934, he realized the significance of the site and the need to document it.  From page three of the book, we hear the words of Kirkland himself:

“Why shouldn’t I return to Paint Rock and carefully copy every picture still remaining on the cliff and so save them for future generations?”

Return he did, and the book contains 12 plates of his painstaking drawings of the rock art at Paint Rock.  After his work at Paint Rock, he spent a large part of the remainder of his life copying the rock art of Texas. So, when I saw a Facebook post by Bill Campbell containing an invitation to visit the ranch and pictograph site on December 21, 2019, I decided it was high time I visit the Paint Rock Site.  Bill Campbell said the highlight of the day would be the centering of a light dagger upon a shield pictograph precisely at solar noon (12:39 pm) on that day.  And a highlight it was!  I hope you enjoy my account of that wonderful day and my long overdue visit to the Campbell Ranch and the Paint Rock Pictograph Site!

This book contains copies of the Kirkland drawings. It was published in 1967 and is a treasure!
The pictograph which is the subject of this post is found in Kirkland's book on Plate 107, Figure 8.

Getting There…

I left Lake McQueeney around 1:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon December 20, 2019, and, after making a couple of quick stops in San Antonio, drove to Brady, Texas, where I spent the night at the Golden Key Motel.  The drive was not pleasant due to heavy traffic and light rain for most of the trip.  After arriving in Brady around 6:00 p.m., I went looking for something to eat and had a look around town.

The Heart of Texas Country Music Museum caught my eye as I rolled into Brady. I decided I need to take a look next time through!
Festive Christmas lights at the McCulloch County Courthouse.

After a good night’s sleep in Brady, I headed to Paint Rock, arriving in the little town a little after 9:00 a.m.  I walked around the Concho County Courthouse to kill a little time, then headed out to the ranch.  There is a gate with a keypad entry system and a sign identifying it as the pictograph site.  I stopped in at the old ranch house which serves as a visitor center of sorts and met Mrs. Campbell, who was having guests sign a waiver of liability form.  They usually charge a modest fee for a tour, but, on this special day (Winter Solstice), they were waiving the fee.   After checking in with Mrs. Campbell, I drove on down to the rock art site (about a mile from the visitor center) to find that there were quite a few people already there.  I spent the rest of the morning visiting with friends (old and new), admiring and photographing the rock art, and awaiting the famous light dagger at solar noon.

The Concho County Courthouse in Paint Rock, Texas.
The sign near the front gate of the Campbell Ranch.
On the short drive in to the visitor's center, I stopped and made friends with a buffalo!
By the time noon rolled around, there were a couple of hundred people gathered in front of the shield pictograph, eagerly awaiting the light dagger at solar noon (12:39 p.m.).
Was pleasantly surprized to run into an old and dear friend, Mindy Ward, shown here with Bill Campbell, whose family owns the ranch. Mindy and Bill went to law school together at Texas Tech.

The Sun Dagger Winter Solstice Event…

The highlight of the day was the Sun Dagger that appears each year and points to the center of a shield pictograph high on the cliff wall.  This shield pictograph is the signature image at the site, and the Sun Dagger was discovered in 1996.  According to Bill Campbell, the Sun Dagger first appears each year at precisely 12:04 p.m., and grows, moving up and to the right until it is pointing at the center of the shield at solar noon, which is 12:39 p.m.  Sure enough, that is exactly what I observed.  Archaeologists believe that certain tribes gathered in front of this pictograph each year to join in winter solstice rituals.  Here are the photos I took of this magnificent winter solstice event. (Be patient —  the site will automatically page through 7 photos showing the sequence of events.)

Some of the Other Rock Art at the Paint Rock Site…

The Paint Rock Pictograph Site contains a number of very nice panels besides the shield panel.  Below are a few photos of some of the other panels.  For a more complete set of photos from the site, look under the Rock Art Galleries tab under Texas or just click here.

This little panel contains a large horizontal anthropomorph on the right, and a much smaller anthropomorph on the left.
The element in the center of this panel is thought to represent the "Plumed Serpent" an important deity in Southwestern Indian culture.
From left to right" A sun, or moon; five throwing sticks or atlatls; two birds; circles which could be suns, moons, or tipi rings; count marks above the circles.
One of the elements of this well preserved panel is thought to be the body of someone wrapped for burial. Can you spot it?
Eclectic, enigmatic, and beautiful
Boat? Canoe Burial? Cave? What do you see?
A representation of one of the early missions. Archaeologists on site that day were carefully recording the light dagger that moved across this panel, and are trying to determine its significance.
A Paint Rock selfie.

In Conclusion…

I would highly recommend a visit to the Paint Rock Pictograph site, especially during the Winter Solstice.  Mix the generosity and kindness of the Campbell family and some outstanding rock art and you have a combination that is hard to beat!  Maybe I will see you there on the next Winter Solstice….I hope so!