Paintings of Rattlesnake Canyon, Val Verde Co.,Texas. Copied July 13, 1936. original scaled drawn 9/32" to 1', Courtesy of the Texas Memorial Museum, accession 2261

This intricate group of pictographs is in a small shelter in the east wall of Rattlesnake Canyon near its mouth. High above the flood level of the canyon, the shelter is about forty yards long and twenty feet deep. The back wall rises abruptly from the floor for about two feet then rounds back and up and over into the ceiling without a seam. Limestone is weathering off in thick flakes from the overhanging edge and has destroyed some of the designs about two-thirds of the way down.
The paintings begin about four feet from the floor and extend well up on the ceiling to a height of eight feet. Instead of copying the pictographs in their present dim colors an attempt was made to use the original colors. This made it possible to follow each design even where there is much superimposition. The designs were treated with water where it was necessary to determine their exact shape. Only the parts of designs that could positivly be made out were included in the copy.

Paintings shelter #1 of Rattlesnake Canyon, Val Verde Co.,Texas. Copied July 13, 1936. original scaled drawn 9/32" to 1', Courtesy of the Texas Memorial Museum, accession 2261

sources:

• Marriot, Alice. "Indian Pictographs in Texas,Paintings and Research by Forrest Kirkland". Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Feb 28 - March 28, 1943, Dallas, TX 1943
• Newcomb Jr., W. W. The Rock Art of Texas Indians, Paintings of Forrest Kirkland, University of Texas Press, Austin and London, 1967

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