Ken-Caryl South Valley Archaeological District

South Valley Rock Outcrops

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From at least the Middle Archaic period to the Early Ceramic period, prehistoric peoples used the many large rock outcrops in South Valley as shelters.

South Valley Rock Outcrops
South Valley

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South Valley's mild weather would have made the area an attractive winter camp, especially with the southwest-facing rock shelters providing warmth from the sun and protection from snows and north winds.

South Valley
Lockheed Martin

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In 1974, the insulation and roofing company Johns-Manville built a large headquarters at the southwest end of the valley and formed the Ken-Caryl Ranch Corporation to develop the area. In the 1980s, Johns-Manville sold its property to Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin), which later allowed Jefferson County Open Space to buy South Valley Park to save it from development.

Lockheed Martin

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Located just north of Deer Creek in the valley between the hogback ridge and the foothills west of Denver, the Ken-Caryl South Valley Archaeological District contains rock shelters that were used by prehistoric peoples from at least the Late Paleo-Indian period (before 6000 BCE) through the Early Ceramic period (150–1150 CE). The Colorado Archaeological Society started excavations in the valley in the early 1970s, after Johns Manville acquired the area with plans to build a corporate headquarters and residential community. The northern portion of Ken-Caryl Valley was developed in the 1980s, but most of South Valley was acquired by Jefferson County Open Space in 1997.

Before Ken-Caryl Ranch

In 1859 or 1860, the Denver dry goods merchant Robert B. Bradford settled in what is now Ken-Caryl Valley. He built a house and established the Bradford Road Company, which surveyed a wagon road to the mines near Fairplay. Bradford’s road was rough, but it proved popular until 1867, when a new road in Turkey Creek Canyon drew traffic away. When Bradford died in 1876, he left his widow in debt. She eventually lost their house and 219-acre ranch, which passed through several owners in the next few decades.

In 1914, Rocky Mountain News owner John C. Shaffer bought the former Bradford ranch along with hundreds of adjacent acres. He named the ranch Ken-Caryl after his sons, Kent and Carroll. Shaffer lost the ranch during the Depression, and after changing hands a few times it was acquired by A. J. McDonald in 1949. McDonald used the land as a cattle ranch until 1971, when he sold it to Johns-Manville, an insulation and roofing company. The company built a large headquarters at the southwest end of the valley and moved there in 1974. In the rest of the valley, the company continued the existing cattle operation. It also formed the Ken-Caryl Ranch Corporation to develop its property on the east side of the hogback ridge.

South Valley Archaeological Investigations

Starting in 1973, Johns-Manville and the Ken-Caryl Ranch Corporation allowed the Denver chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society to excavate sites in the northern portion of Ken-Caryl Valley, which was scheduled for future development. In 1976 the companies extended their permission to the southern portion of the valley, and archaeological work continued in South Valley through the early 2000s.

The prehistoric sites identified in South Valley were primarily rock shelters located at the base of the area’s large red Fountain Formation outcrops. Archaeologists suspect that all of the area’s red rocks were used as rock shelters, but only a few have been tested and excavated. The shelters contained evidence of repeated occupations, probably from fall through spring as part of an annual migration that included summers spent in the high mountains. The area would have been an attractive winter camp. In addition to the valley’s relatively mild conditions, the southwest-facing shelters would have provided warmth from the sun and protected inhabitants from snows and north winds. It is also possible that some groups lived year-round in the valley and the nearby plains.

The investigations at South Valley supported the foothills chronology derived from earlier excavations such as Magic Mountain and LoDaisKa. Although archaeologists recovered a few artifacts suggesting Paleo-Indian habitation as early as 7500 BCE, most of the evidence dated from the Middle Archaic period (3000–1000 BCE) to the Early Ceramic period. Use of the valley increased over time, with occupations in the Ceramic period probably involving some combination of more people, longer stays, or more intensive use than earlier Archaic period occupations. Puzzlingly, given the gradual increase in deposits from the Middle Archaic through the Early Ceramic, little evidence remained from the period after about 1000 CE. A drought may have driven people away from the hogback valley, or erosion could have carried away the evidence of more recent habitations.

Today

In 1980 Johns-Manville and the Ken-Caryl Ranch Corporation began work on a new residential development in the northern portion of Ken-Caryl Valley. Because of the excavation work that had already been completed in that part of the valley and the cooperation of the developers, many of the area’s archaeological sites were preserved in greenbelts and open spaces.

In 1982 Johns-Manville declared bankruptcy because of asbestos-related litigation. In 1987 Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) acquired the former Johns-Manville headquarters and hundreds of acres of land in South Valley. Lockheed Martin began to move forward with existing plans to develop South Valley as a residential community similar to what had been built in the northern part of the valley.

Facing opposition to the development, Lockheed Martin gave Jefferson County Open Space the chance to acquire the property for preservation and recreation. In 1997 Jefferson County Open Space bought the 895-acre South Valley Park, which includes most of the area’s archaeological sites, and hired Paragon Archaeological Consultants to conduct a complete survey of the valley’s cultural resources. In addition, in 1997 the Colorado Archaeological Society published a monograph about its work in Ken-Caryl Valley, and it has continued to conduct investigations in South Valley.

10th Grade

Archaeology is the study of historic and prehistoric people and their cultures. Usually this is done by excavating (which means exploring and digging) in the area where the people used to live. Scientists called archaeologists examine and study the objects they find to learn about the people and how they lived.

An important area of archeological study is located in the Ken-Caryl Valley west of Denver. It lies just north of Deer Creek in the valley between the hogback ridge and the foothills. The southern half of the Ken-Caryl Valley contains the Ken-Caryl South Valley Archaeological District. This area has rock shelters that were used by prehistoric peoples from at least the Late Paleo-Indian period (before 6000 BCE) through the Early Ceramic period (150–1150 CE). The Colorado Archaeological Society started excavations in the valley in the early 1970s. It was at this time that a company called Johns-Manville bought the land with plans to build its corporate headquarters and a housing community. In the 1980s, new housing was built in the northern portion of Ken-Caryl Valley. Jefferson County Open Space bought most of the South Valley in 1997.

Before Ken-Caryl Ranch

In 1859 or 1860, a Denver dry goods merchant Robert B. Bradford settled in what is now Ken-Caryl Valley. He built a house and established the Bradford Road Company. This company created a wagon road to the mines near the town of Fairplay. Bradford’s road was rough. But it was popular until 1867, when a new road in Turkey Creek Canyon drew traffic away. When Bradford died in 1876, he left his widow in debt. She eventually lost their house and 219-acre ranch. The ranch passed through several owners in the next few decades.

In 1914 Rocky Mountain News owner John C. Shaffer bought the former Bradford ranch along with hundreds of adjacent acres. He named the ranch Ken-Caryl after his sons, Kent and Carroll. Shaffer lost the ranch during the Great Depression. It had a few different owners until it was bought by A. J. McDonald in 1949. McDonald used the land as a cattle ranch until 1971. At that time he sold it to Johns-Manville, an insulation and roofing company. The company built a large headquarters building at the southwest end of the Ken-Caryl Valley and moved there in 1974. In the rest of the Ken-Caryl Valley, the company continued the existing cattle operation. It also formed the Ken-Caryl Ranch Corporation to create new houses on its property on the east side of the hogback ridge.

South Valley Archaeological Investigations

The northern part of the Ken-Caryl Valley was scheduled to have new houses built there in the 1980s. Starting in 1973, Johns Manville and the Ken-Caryl Ranch Corporation allowed the Denver chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society to excavate sites in the northern portion of Ken-Caryl Valley before it was developed. In 1976 the companies extended their permission to the southern portion of the valley, and archaeological work continued in the South Valley through the early 2000s.

The prehistoric sites identified in the South Valley were primarily rock shelters located at the base of the area’s large red Fountain Formation outcrops. Archaeologists suspect that all of the area’s red rocks were used as rock shelters. Only a few of them have been tested and excavated. The shelters contained evidence of repeated occupations. The native people probably lived there from fall through spring. They likely moved each year to spend the summers in the high mountains. The area would have been an attractive winter camp. The valley had relatively mild conditions. The rock shelters faced southwest. They would have provided warmth from the sun and protected the people from snows and north winds. It is also possible that some groups lived year-round in the valley and the nearby plains.

Archaeologists recovered a few artifacts suggesting that people lived there as early as 7500 BCE. But most of the evidence dated from the Middle Archaic period (3000–1000 BCE) to the Early Ceramic period. Use of the valley increased over time. The scientists found that over time, more people lived there for longer stays than in earlier times. It was puzzling, though, that the scientists found very few items showing that any ancient people lived there after about 1000 CE. A drought may have driven people away from the hogback valley, or erosion could have carried away the evidence.

Today

In 1980 Johns-Manville and the Ken-Caryl Ranch Corporation planned to build new houses in the northern portion of Ken-Caryl Valley. The developers left many of the archaeological sites preserved in greenbelts and open spaces.

In 1982 Johns-Manville declared bankruptcy because of asbestos-related litigation. In 1987 Martin Marietta (now called Lockheed Martin) bought the former Johns-Manville headquarters and hundreds of acres of land in the South Valley. Lockheed Martin began to move forward with existing plans for houses in the South Valley, as was done earlier in the north valley.

Local people were unhappy with the idea of having houses built in the South Valley. So Lockheed Martin sold the land to Jefferson County Open Space in 1997. The land would be used as open space for recreation. Those 895 acres that were saved as open space contained most of the area’s archaeological sites. Professionals were hired to conduct a complete survey of the valley’s archeological importance. In 1997 the Colorado Archaeological Society published an article about its work in Ken-Caryl Valley. Since then it has continued to conduct investigations in the South Valley.

8th Grade

Archaeology is the study of historic and prehistoric peoples and their cultures. Usually this is done by exploring and digging in the area where the people used to live. Scientists called archaeologists study the objects they find to learn about the people and how they lived.

An important area of archeological study is located in the Ken-Caryl Valley. This valley is located west of Denver. It lies just north of Deer Creek in the valley between the hogback ridge and the foothills. The southern half of the Ken-Caryl Valley contains the Ken-Caryl South Valley Archaeological District. This area has rock shelters that were used by prehistoric peoples. Scientists believe people lived there from before the year 6000 BCE up through the years 150–1150 CE. The Colorado Archaeological Society started archaeological digs in the valley in the early 1970s. A company called Johns-Manville bought the land. It planned to build corporate headquarters and a housing community there. The northern portion of Ken-Caryl Valley had new houses built there in the 1980s. But most of south area of the Ken-Caryl Valley was saved as open space after it was purchased by Jefferson County Open Space in 1997.

Before Ken-Caryl Ranch

In 1859 or 1860, a Denver store merchant Robert B. Bradford settled in what is now Ken-Caryl Valley. He built a house and started the Bradford Road Company. This company created a wagon road that went to the mines near the town of Fairplay. Bradford’s road was rough. But it was popular until 1867, when a new road in Turkey Creek Canyon drew traffic away. When Bradford died in 1876, he left his widow in debt. She could not keep their house and 219-acre ranch. So the ranch had several owners in the next few decades.

In 1914 a man named John C. Shaffer bought the Bradford ranch along with hundreds of nearby acres. He was a very wealthy man and owned the Rocky Mountain News newspaper. He named the ranch Ken-Caryl after his sons, Kent and Carroll. Many years later, Shaffer had to sell the ranch during the Depression in the 1930s. The ranch had a few different owners until it was bought by A. J. McDonald in 1949. McDonald used the land as a cattle ranch until 1971. At that time he sold it to Johns-Manville, an insulation and roofing company. The company built a large headquarters building at the southwest end of the Ken-Caryl Valley. It moved into the new building in 1974. But cows still lived in the rest of the Ken-Caryl Valley at that time. Johns-Manville wanted houses to be built on their land on the east side of the hogback ridge (outside the Ken-Caryl Valley). To help in this process, the company formed the Ken-Caryl Ranch Corporation.

South Valley Archaeological Investigations

The northern part of the Ken-Caryl Valley was scheduled to have new houses built there in the 1980s. Many people wanted archaeologists to explore that area before the houses were built. So the Denver chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society was allowed to dig and study sites in the northern valley starting in 1973. In 1976 permission was given for the archaeologists also to explore the southern part of the valley. That archaeological work continued in the South Valley through the early 2000s.

The prehistoric sites found in the South Valley were mostly rock shelters. These shelters were located at the base of the area’s large red rock formations. Archaeologists suspect that all of the area’s red rocks were used as rock shelters. But only a few of them have been tested and studied. The shelters contained evidence of people moving into and out of the area. The historic people probably lived there from fall through spring. They likely moved each year to spend the summers in the high mountains. The South Valley area would have been a good place to live in the winter. The rock shelters faced southwest. So the shelters would have gotten warmth from the sun and protected the people from snows and winds. It is also possible that some groups lived year-round in the valley and the nearby plains.

Archaeologists found some items that made them think people lived there as early as 7500 BCE. But most of the items they found came from the years of 3000–1000 BCE up to 1150 CE. The scientists learned that over time more people lived there for longer stays than in earlier times. But one idea was puzzling. The scientists found very few things showing that any historic people lived there after about 1000 CE. A lack of rain may have driven people away from living in the hogback valley. Or perhaps wind and rain could have carried away items from later years.

Today

In 1980 Johns-Manville and the Ken-Caryl Ranch Corporation began plans to build new houses in the north part of Ken-Caryl Valley. They decided not to build houses on many of the archaeological sites that had been studied in that area. Instead, that land was saved in greenbelts and open spaces.

Starting in 1982 Johns-Manville had serious business troubles. In 1987 it sold its headquarters building to Martin Marietta (which is now called Lockheed Martin). The company also sold hundreds of acres of land in the South Valley. Lockheed Martin began to move forward with plans to build houses in the South Valley area.

Local people were unhappy with the idea of having houses built in the South Valley. So Lockheed Martin sold the land to Jefferson County Open Space in 1997. That way the land would be used as open space for recreation, not for houses. Those 895 south acres that were saved as open space contained most of the south area’s archaeological sites. In 1997 the Colorado Archaeological Society published an article about its work in Ken-Caryl Valley. It has continued to conduct investigations in the South Valley.

4th Grade

Archaeology is the study of prehistoric people. This is done by exploring and digging in the area where the people used to live. Scientists called archaeologists study the objects they find to learn about the people who used them and how they lived.

An important area of archeology is in the Ken-Caryl Valley. This valley is located southwest of Denver. It lies just north of Deer Creek in the valley between the hogback ridge and the foothills. The south half of the Ken-Caryl Valley contains the Ken-Caryl South Valley Archaeological District. This area has rock shelters that were used by prehistoric people. Scientists believe people lived there for thousands of years. The Colorado Archaeological Society started digging and studying the Ken-Caryl Valley in the early 1970s. It was at that time a company called Johns-Manville bought the land. They planned to build their main headquarters there. They also planned to build an area of houses. The north part of Ken-Caryl Valley had new houses built there in the 1980s. But most of south part of the Ken-Caryl Valley was saved as open space after it was purchased by Jefferson County Open Space in 1997.

Before Ken-Caryl Ranch

In 1859 or 1860, a Denver store merchant Robert B. Bradford settled in Ken-Caryl Valley. He built a house and started the Bradford Road Company. This company created a wagon road that went to the mines near the town of Fairplay. Bradford’s road was rough. But it was popular until 1867. Then a new road in Turkey Creek Canyon drew traffic away. Bradford died in 1876, and his wife did not have enough money. She could not keep their house and ranch. So the ranch was sold. It had several owners in the next few decades.

In 1914 a man named John C. Shaffer bought the Bradford ranch. He also bought hundreds of nearby acres of land. He was a very wealthy man and owned the Rocky Mountain News newspaper. He named the ranch Ken-Caryl after his sons, Kent and Carroll. Shaffer had to sell the ranch when he had money troubles in the 1930s. The ranch had a few different owners until it was bought by A. J. McDonald in 1949. McDonald used the land to raise cows until 1971. At that time he sold it to a company called Johns-Manville. The company built a large office building at the south end of the Ken-Caryl Valley. They moved into the new building in 1974. But cows still lived in the rest of the Ken-Caryl Valley then. Johns-Manville wanted houses to be built on their land. To help do that, they formed the Ken-Caryl Ranch Corporation.

South Valley Archaeological Investigations

Plans were made to build new houses in the north part of Ken-Caryl Valley. They planned to start building in the 1980s. But archaeologists wanted to explore that area before the houses were built. So people from the Colorado Archaeological Society were allowed to dig and study the north valley starting in 1973. In 1976 the archaeologists were allowed explore the south part of the valley. They continued studying the South Valley through the early 2000s.

Scientists looked for signs of prehistoric people living in the area. The signs they found in the South Valley were mostly rock shelters. These shelters were located at the base of the area’s large red rocks. Archaeologists think that all of the area’s red rocks were used as rock shelters. But only a few of them have been studied. The shelters showed that people moved into and out of the area often. The people probably lived there from fall through spring. They likely spent the summers in the mountains. The South Valley area would have been a good place to live in the winter. The rock shelters faced southwest. So the shelters would have gotten warmth from the sun. They also would have protected the people from snow and wind. It is possible that some people lived all year in the valley.

Archaeologists found some items that made them think people lived there at least 9,500 years ago. But most of the items they found came about 5000 years ago up to 1000 years ago. But one idea was puzzling. The scientists found very few things showing that any historic people lived there after about 1000 years ago. Perhaps a lack of rain may have caused people to leave the valley.

Today

In 1980 plans were made to build new houses in the north part of Ken-Caryl Valley. They decided not to build houses on the places where ancient people had lived. Instead, that land was saved in greenbelts and open spaces.

Starting in 1982 Johns-Manville had serious business troubles. In 1987 they sold their main office building to Martin Marietta (which is now called Lockheed Martin). They also sold hundreds of acres of land in the South Valley. Lockheed Martin began making plans for houses to be built in the South Valley area.

Local people were unhappy with the idea of having houses built in the South Valley. So Lockheed Martin sold the land to Jefferson County Open Space in 1997. That way the land would be used as open space for recreation, not for houses. The 895 south acres that were saved as open space are where most of the ancient people lived in the valley. In 1997 the Colorado Archaeological Society wrote an article about its work in Ken-Caryl Valley. It has continued to study the South Valley.

Author:

Encyclopedia Staff

References:

Archaeological Investigations at the Ken-Caryl Ranch, Colorado (Denver: Colorado Archaeological Society, 1997).

Lawrence E. Moore, “Prehistoric Sites and Settlement Patterns in the Ken-Caryl Valley, Jefferson County, Colorado,” Southwestern Lore 68, no.1 (2002).

Gordon C. Tucker Jr., Marcia J. Tate, and William Hammond, “Ken-Caryl South Valley Archaeological District [5JF2758],” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (April 2002).

Additional Information:

E. Steve Cassells, The Archaeology of Colorado, rev. ed. (Boulder, CO: Johnson Books, 1997).

James H. Gunnerson, Archaeology of the High Plains (Denver: Bureau of Land Management, 1987).

Douglas M. Medina, “Preliminary Report of the Excavation of the Bradford House III Site, Ken Caryl Ranch,” Southwestern Lore 41, no. 4 (1975).

Category:

Places

Place:

Historic and Archaeological Sites

Parks & Public Lands

County:

Jefferson County

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