Rocky Mountain

Archeology

PARK , including Rocky The earliest people identified by Mountain National Park, has archeologists in been the home to prehistoric are known as the Paleo-lndians Indians since at least 12,000 who hunted extinct big game years ago at the end of the last such the woolly Ice Age of the era. (Clovis culture) and a giant bison (Folsom culture). Although most All Native Americans, i.e., Paleo-lndian sites in the region American Indians, are the are concentrated in the Plains, descendents of people who projectile points, i.e., originally occupied western Asia "", reflecting Clovis (China/). Sometime (ca. 9,500 to 8,500 B.C.) and before 12,000 years ago, the first Folsom occupations (ca. 8,500 to migrations took place from 7,000 B.C.) have been collected Siberia over the Bering Land from the Park indicating the Bridge and then through presence of these peoples. and Canada to the "lower 48". The Paleo-lndian period is Throughout prehistoric and early followed by the Archaic period. historic times, seasonal use by Archaic peoples were Folsom hunters and gatherers was the generalized hunters of modern predominate life-style in the Park fauna, and gatherers of plant Clovis because of the harsh winters. foods. They occupied the entire Archeological sites in the Park state from about 7,000 B.C. until reflect cultural relationships to about A.D. 100. Several Archaic both the Plains and the Great sites are known in the Park. Basin, as as indigenous peoples. Game drives in the Park above Our knowledge of the Woodland timberline consist of long lines of peoples are known best from the rocks which were used to Plains area from about A.D. 100 channel excited animals (most to 1,250. However, sites of this likely Big Horn sheep) to an area time period are known in the where they could be dispatched. Park. Woodland peoples used A very similar technique is known the bow and and from the Plains where bison which were derived from peoples (sometimes in the hundreds) in eastern Kansas and Nebraska. were driven over cliffs to their death.

HISTORIC NATIVE AMERICANS People have been extensively The homeland was using the Mountains from at least originally in Minnesota and they 11,000 B.C. to sometime in the migrated into Colorado by about A.D. 1300's or 1400's. Although 1790. Several oral histories from archeologists have a great diffi­ the Ute and Arapaho tell of their culty in identifying cultural groups many battles in the area. No after this time, it is suspected less than 36 place names in the that they very likely may have Park are of Ute or Arapaho been the predecessors of the origin. By about 1880, the Ute modern Ute Tribe. had been removed to reservations in Colorado and The major inhabitants of the Park Utah, and the Arapaho to area in historic times were the Oklahoma and Wyoming. Ute and Arapaho. Ute origins may have been in the Great Basin and/or the mountainous areas of the State; they may have been here for thousands of years.

WHAT DO I DO IF I FIND AN If you find archeological The collecting and removing ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE? materials, report them to a Park artifacts such as broken pottery, Ranger. Rangers will inform the arrowheads, and other stone Park Archeologist who will record , or writing on rocks, your find as soon as possible. destroys our heritage and makes This information will add to our it almost impossible to tell the understanding of the prehistory story about the earliest of the Park. inhabitants. Moreover, it is illegal to collect on Federal and State lands, and private lands without permission of the landowner.

FURTHER INFORMATION The best overall book on the The State Historic Preservation archeology of the State and the Office in every state can provide region is The Archaeology of further information on archeology Colorado by E. Steve Cassells. and prehistory, and local (Johnson Books, Boulder, amateur archeological societies. Colorado, 1983). 5/96