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Cramer Archaeological Site

The Cramer Archaeological Site is an Apishapa phase site located near the mouth of Apishapa Canyon. Consisting of vertical stone slabs arranged to form at least two rooms, the site was probably used around 1250–1350 CE. In 1985–86 James Gunnerson…

Snake Blakeslee Archaeological Site

Located in Apishapa Canyon in southeastern Colorado, the Snake Blakeslee Archaeological Site consists of two residential room clusters and several outlying structures that apparently made up a single Apishapa phase (1050–1450 CE) community. First…

Sopris Phase

Archaeologists use the term Sopris phase to refer to unique Native American sites found only on the Purgatoire River west of Trinidad, Colorado, and on the upper tributaries of the Canadian River west of Raton and Cimarron, New Mexico (Fig. 1). Sopris…

The Formative Period in Prehistory

The Formative is the last of several periods in a sequence of cultural development that traces the overall progression from stone-tool-using, hunter- gatherer societies to fully developed agricultural societies. The process that occurred is analogous to…

Torres Cave Archaeological Site

The Torres Cave Archaeological Site is a rock shelter in the wall of a canyon south of La Junta. Excavated in 1977 by the Denver chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society, the site was probably occupied over several centuries as a seasonal Plains…

Trinchera Cave Archaeological District

Located about forty miles east of Trinidad, the Trinchera Cave Archaeological District is known primarily for its large assortment of well-preserved perishable artifacts, such as basketry and sandals. With diverse occupations ranging from the Paleo…

Turkey Creek Canyon Archaeological District

Located in the southern part of Fort Carson, the Turkey Creek Canyon Archaeological District contains abundant rock art and other prehistoric sites from the Middle Archaic to Diversification periods (roughly 2000 BCE–1500 CE). Much of the rock art…