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Walking Colorado: An Introduction to the Origins Section

Hundreds of generations of Native American ancestors are represented in Colorado by scatters of artifacts along with the less portable evidence of shelter, the warmth of hearths, storage needs, and symbolic expression. We learn about them through…

Falls Creek Rock Shelters Archaeological Site

The Falls Creek rock shelters are the most important archaeological discovery in the Durango area. Along with nearby Talus Village, they are type-sites for the Eastern Basketmaker II period (400 BCE–400 CE) of the Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) tradition,…

Fremont Culture

Although it is on the eastern fringe of the area occupied by a people known to archaeology as the Fremont, Colorado is nevertheless important in the Fremont story, since clues to their origins and end are found there. Additionally, the presence of…

Hackberry Springs

A perennial spring in a dry section of southeastern Colorado, Hackberry Springs has seen continuous human use for up to 7,000 years. The spring was also the site of the Battle of Bloody Springs, the last documented skirmish between Plains Indians and the…

Harris Archaeological Site

The Harris Archaeological Site includes an Archaic period rockshelter first occupied at least 3,500 years ago, associated rock art, and a separate historic Ute campsite along a drainage on the eastern edge of the Uncompahgre Plateau. The site is named…

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park was established on June 29, 1906. It is the largest of the National Park Service parcels protecting cultural resources in Colorado, with nearly 5,000 documented sites, including about 600 cliff dwellings. A majority of the…

Shavano Valley Rock Art Site

Located on the eastern edge of the Uncompahgre Plateau near Montrose, the Shavano Valley Rock Art Site is one of the most important concentrations of rock art in western Colorado. Used from at least 1000 BCE to 1900 CE by Archaic and Nuche (Ute) peoples,…

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…