Colorado is home to some of the most culturally sensitive, scientifically significant, and beautiful archaeological sites in the world, ranging from internationally prominent parks and monuments to tens of thousands of undiscovered sites. These places deserve protection, appreciation, interpretation, and respect for their scientific, cultural, and environmental values.
This historic context study is intended to accompany the survey project Colorado Preservation, Inc. conducted in the Purgatoire River Region of southeastern Colorado. The following contexts have been developed to provide a framework for understanding the history and significance of Read More …
This article analyzes the unusual trading post concentration—Fort Vasquez, Fort Jackson, Fort Lupton, and Fort St. Vrain—that operated simultaneously along the South Platte River during the late 1830s. These trading posts, or forts, dealt almost exclusively in bison robes provided Read More …
An archaeological project has been initiated in Pueblo, CO, to locate the remains of El Pueblo, an important trading post which was the namesake for the modern city and was located in the of present-day Pueblo. It was probably constructed Read More …
A common perception of military engagements in the Trans-Mississippi West is one of a running fight between antagonists or hit and run tactics of Indians versus the Anglo-American encroacher. A review of the historic literature relating to the Indian War Read More …
The term “Gateway tradition” has been invoked by others to describe and attempt to taxonomically classify some regionally atypical Formative Era archaeological sites in west-central Colorado. This paper summarizes the ethnohistory of the territory ascribed to the Gateway tradition and Read More …
In the spring of 2001, a detailed geophysical survey using magnetics, 2-dimensional resistivity imaging and ground penetrating radar techniques was conducted at the prehistoric archaeological complex of Mitchell Springs Ruins in Cortez, Colorado. The purpose of this survey was to Read More …
Basketmaker and early Puebloan prehistoric inhabitants in the Southwest utilized petroglyphs in conjunction with geological landscapes to keep track of solar positioning and seasons of the year. This article is concerned with two concepts associated with one petroglyph panel located Read More …
During a large archaeological survey at the Pifion Canyon Maneuver Site, Las Animas County, Colorado, 315 sites were identified. The Pifion Canyon Maneuver Site is a large military base used by the United States Army as a training area for Read More …
The Spring Canyon site (5LR205) is a multicomponent prehistoric campsite located in a foothills valley within Fort Collins, Colorado. It is one of the largest, most diverse sites in the northern Colorado foothills, possessing over 1,700 artifacts spanning Folsom to Read More …
Understanding the degree by which North American indigenous cultures were impacted by contact with previously unknown materials and peoples has catalyzed a useful debate about what specifically constitutes change and continuity in Native systems. This debate has exposed the difficulties Read More …