Upcoming Events

Monthly Meeting – May 2024

When: Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. and presentation at ~6:20 p.m.
Where: Hibachi Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Restaurant, 1051 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins
Speaker: Spencer Pelton, Wyoming State Archaeologist and adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Wyoming

The Willow Springs Campsite: A High Plains Oasis

Spencer Pelton is the Wyoming State Archaeologist and an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Wyoming. Spencer has been an archaeologist in Wyoming for 11 years, receiving his PhD from the University of Wyoming in 2018 and becoming the State Archaeologist in 2019. Spencer primarily researches the Paleoindian period in Wyoming, but maintains interests in all aspects of High Plains and Rocky Mountains archaeology. Spencer lives in Laramie with his wife Hallie, daughter Macel, and their dog Cashew.

Abstract: Willow Springs is a major Native American encampment and late 19^th century stage station situated around a perennial spring in the southern Laramie Valley. UW’s William Mulloy began work at the site in the 1960s and the Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist resumed work in 2021. Although Willow Springs is one of the largest archaeological sites in Albany County, work at the site has never been reported. In this presentation, I will summarize what we know so far about the Willow Springs campsite. Notably, Native American occupation at the site left behind Albany County’s largest pottery and obsidian collections, giving archaeologists a great idea of who exactly used the site for the last 1500 years. Further, the site has yielded many distinctive historic artifacts that provide clues regarding occupation in the late 19^th century beginning with the Overland Trail.

Past Events

Monthly Meeting – April 2024

When: Saturday, April 13, 2024 (note the deviation from our normal meeting day/time)
Time: 1:00 arrival with presentation beginning at 1:15 p.m. Following the presentation, we’ll head over to the Estes Park Museum for a private tour with Museum Curator, Mikaela Fundaun, around 3:00!
Where: American Legion, 850 N. St. Vrain Avenue, Estes Park, CO 80517 (parking is free but space is limited; additional parking can be found in the parking garage near the Estes Park Visitor Center, 500 Big Thompson Avenue, Estes Park)
Speaker: Kelly Dick, Cultural Resources Program Manager, Rocky Mountain National Park

The Slow Burn: Protecting Archaeological Resources During Wildfires and Post-Fire Recovery Efforts at Rocky Mountain National Park

We are excited to have Kelly Dick, Cultural Resources Program Manager at RMNP, speak to our April CAS meeting with fellow CAS chapters, Indian Peaks and Denver! Kelly provides stewardship for the park’s archaeological resources, ethnographic resources, historic buildings and structures, cultural landscapes, and tribal relationships. Kelly is a lifetime learner and enjoys hiking, camping, and skiing with her husband and dogs.

Abstract: Managing cultural resources during a wildland fire event is challenging. This interactive presentation will provide an overview of the actions park archaeologists took to protect archaeological resources during the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire and East Troublesome Fire. The discussion will include examples of fire impacts to archaeological sites along with site-specific protection measures. The presentation will also highlight collaborative efforts between the fire program and the newly established Fire Archaeology Program to implement proactive measures to better archaeological resources during wildfire events.

Monthly Meeting – March 2024

When: Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. and presentation at ~6:20 p.m.
Where: Hibachi Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Restaurant, 1051 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins
Speaker: Chris Johnston, Sr. Project Archaeologist and Operations Director for Paleocultural Research Group (PCRG) in Broomfield, Colorado

Chancellor Ranch: Recent and Upcoming Archaeological Research in Southeastern Colorado

Chancellor Ranch is a 53,000-acre working cattle ranch managed by the Colorado State Land Board property in Las Animas County. The property borders the Purgatoire River and the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site. In 2022, PCRG staff and volunteers conducted a reconnaissance inventory of the property with funding from the Colorado State Historical Fund and the Colorado State Land Board (SLB). Very little archaeological work had been conducted on the property prior to this inventory. PCRG crews focused mainly on high probability areas—specifically near canyon heads and along canyon rims—to assess the cultural resources on the property. The results were astounding, with PCRG documenting 41 archaeological resources including rock shelters, open camps, rock art sites, homesteads, and other agricultural sites. This talk will summarize the 2022 research and discuss PCRG’s plans for 2024 and 2025 to conduct additional fieldwork on the ranch and highlight opportunities for how you can get involved.

Monthly Meeting – February 2024

When: Thursday, February 15, 2024 (note change in regular meeting date due to Valentine’s Day)
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Hibachi Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Restaurant, 1051 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins
Speaker: Andrew Creekmore – Magnetometry Work in Kurd Qaburstan, Iraq

During the Middle Bronze Age (2000 – 1600 BCE) cities of Upper Mesopotamia reemerged following a period of decline or collapse at the end of the Early Bronze Age (3000 – 2000 BCE).  Researchers question the degree of continuity in the construction of urban space across these periods, and some suggest that Middle Bronze Age cities were “hollow,” containing relatively small built-up areas when compared to their Early Bronze Age predecessors, alongside large areas of unbuilt space.  In this model, powerful rulers with great aspirations built city walls around palaces and other elite structures but urban growth failed to fill the vast space around them.  The present study tested this model with a magnetometer survey at Middle Bronze Age Kurd Qaburstan in northern Iraq.  The results reveal a densely built city with a semi-structured street plan, systematic fortifications, neighborhoods, and monumental institutional structures occupying discrete locations.  These spatial characteristics echo Early Bronze Age urban planning, and suggest that there was socio-political, economic, and demographic continuity across time in the Bronze Age.

Monthly Meeting – January 2024

When: Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Hibachi (last minute change due to renovations at Los Muertos)
Speaker: Riley Limbaugh – Rediscovering a Resting Place; Using Geophysics to Find and Outline the Fort Sedgwick Post Cemetery

In 1873, the Fort Sedgwick Post Cemetery near Julesburg in northeastern Colorado was officially moved to Fort McPherson in Nebraska. When the cemetery moved, all markers of the site were taken and detailed documentation on its location either never existed or has been lost. Today, the existence of the cemetery is known only by references to it in Fort McPherson’s records, and its exact location is unknown. This presentation is based on a near-surface geophysical survey conducted over more than 2,875 m² of land where local oral histories describe the location of the cemetery. Using data from a non-invasive subsurface ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey, Riley hypothesizes what the found subsurface anomalies might represent. The survey revealed several anomalies measuring roughly one by two meters ordered lengthwise east to west in patches across the site. While not definitive by any means, these anomalies may be interpreted as grave shafts and justify the need for future non-invasive surveys in this area to further determine whether it is the site of the Post cemetery.

Summer Project 2023 – Lab Work

What: Historical archaeology project on private ranch north of Fort Collins – Thanks to everyone that helped with our summer project in May and September! It was a great experience and learning opportunity and we appreciate the owners for allowing us this unique experience! While we didn’t find any evidence that the site is a blacksmith shop or saloon, we did find many artifacts evidencing western migration in the mid-1800s! We’ll be working on cleaning and analyzing the artifacts over the next few months so contact Kim Biela at kbiela314@gmail.com if you are interested in helping. Once lab work is complete, we’ll compile a report to present to the ranch board members in the spring!
When: October and November, 2023

Chapter Officer’s Training

When: Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Where: TBD
Objective: This gathering will be for the chapter officers to get together and train on website updating and other technical/non-technical tasks so we’re all in the know!

Monthly Meeting – December 2023

No meeting in December – Happy holidays! See you January 10th!

Monthly Meeting – November 2023

When: Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Los Muertos Urban Kitchen & Cantina, 1027 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins (southeast corner of Shields and Horsetooth Roads)
Speaker: None this month

Monthly Meeting – October 2023

When: Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. and presentation beginning around 6:15. Meeting will conclude at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Where: Los Muertos Urban Kitchen & Cantina, 1027 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins (southeast corner of Shields and Horsetooth Roads)
Speaker: Larry Fullenkamp, Archaeologist and Deputy District Ranger at the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland

Larry has been conducting archaeological projects in the forests for over 20 years and has recorded hundreds of sites. His presentation at the NCC-CAS October gathering will be on his work at the Buckhorn Ranger Station, a historic ranger station built in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) project. The ranger station was in continuous use up until its closure during the pandemic and now Larry is working to restore it to its former beauty and modernize the structures to make them livable once again!

CAS 2023 Annual Conference

Date: September 29 – October 1, 2023
Time: See https://www.coloradoarchaeology.org/annual-conference for information and to register (login under Member Logon)
Where: Shriners Club, 6 S. 33rd Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Chris Fisher, Professor of Anthropology at Colorado State University, will present on Ancient Cities and LiDAR: Angamuco and the Development of Empire

Monthly Meeting – September 2023

When: Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Time: 5:15 p.m. – Note the change in meeting time and location (this month only). We have the unique opportunity to hear from the CSU archaeological collections coordinator, Jeannine Pedersen-Guzman, and tour the new, temporary CSU collections repository!
Where: Update on getting to the Clark Building, room C249 – The Clark Building is on the CSU main campus just east of the Morgan Library. Free parking is available after 4:00 p.m. in the lot to the west of the Morgan Library (in both pay-to-park and zone designated as A). To get to the Clark Building from the parking lot, walk east on the sidewalk south of the Morgan Library. The C-wing of Clark will be on your right as you go under the overpass. Go up the stairs to the second floor and look for room C249.
Speaker: Jeannine Pedersen-Guzman, MA, CSU Archaeological Collections Coordinator

Visit to the CSU Archaeological Repository – The Archaeological Repository of Colorado State University exists to curate and preserve archaeological collections from Colorado and promote their educational, scientific, and cultural use to benefit a diverse public.  The collection got its start in the early 1970s as the CSU Laboratory of Public Archaeology (LOPA). LOPA completed hundreds of Cultural Resource Management projects throughout Colorado and collected material from over 1,200 archaeological sites and 800+ isolated finds. The Repository is also home to the collections excavated during the past 50+ years of Field Schools facilitated by CSU. Jeannine Pedersen-Guzmán was hired in 2017 as the Repository’s first Archaeological Collections Coordinator.  During her tenure, the repository has gained Federal and State approval as an official repository and received three grants from History Colorado’s State Historical Fund to organize and preserve the collection.  Jeannine will take us through the history of this unique collection, speak of plans for the future, and offer a tour of the repository’s new, temporary space in the Morgan Library.

Monthly Meeting – May 2023

When: Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. and presentation beginning around 6:15. Meeting will conclude at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Where: Los Muertos Urban Kitchen & Cantina, 1027 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins (southeast corner of Shields and Horsetooth Roads)
Speaker: Melissa Kindt on How Human Remains Dogs Can Assist in Archaeology Projects

How Human Remains Dogs Can Assist in Archaeology Projects – Melissa and her dog, Hawk, have been a part of numerous search and rescue situations for the past eight years. As Hawk reaches his later years, Melissa has switched his main focus to the archaeology and cultural resources realm. In April 2023, Melissa and Hawk conducted a demonstration at a private ranch in Northern Colorado where four unmarked graves were known to exist. Hawk was able to pinpoint all four of the graves along with two potential others that were previously unknown! Come to our May meeting and learn how archaeologists and cultural resource managers can use detection dogs as a non-invasive survey tool!

Monthly Meeting – April 2023

When: Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. and presentation beginning around 6:15. Meeting will conclude at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Where: Los Muertos Urban Kitchen & Cantina, 1027 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins (southeast corner of Shields and Horsetooth Roads)
Speaker: Spencer Little, CSU Graduate Student – Hells Midden

Unbelievably Deep: Chronological Assessment of the Hells Midden Site – Spencer will be discussing his thesis research on an archaeological collection excavated by the University of Colorado. This site, Hells Midden (5MF16), is a deeply buried and stratified archaeological site in Northwest Colorado. It is located in an area dominated by shallowly-buried, single component Fremont sites, many of which are famous for containing incredible perishable materials. Hells Midden is somewhat unique in this area for its long sequence of occupation which dates back to at least the Middle Archaic period. Spencer’s talk will discuss the history of investigations here, the recent reanalysis conducted for his thesis research, and the significance of this site for understanding the regional record and precontact agriculture in Northwestern Colorado. 

Monthly Meeting – March 2023

When: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. and presentation beginning around 6:15. Meeting will conclude at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Where: Los Muertos Urban Kitchen & Cantina, 1027 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins (southeast corner of Shields and Horsetooth Roads)
Speaker: Steve Main, foremost rock art expert in Northern Colorado!

Monthly Meeting – February 2023

When: Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. and presentation beginning around 6:15. Meeting will conclude at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Where: Los Muertos Urban Kitchen & Cantina, 1027 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins (southeast corner of Shields and Horsetooth Roads)
Speaker: Ethan Gannett, OCTA Colorado-Cherokee Trail Chapter Mapping Committee Chair

Monthly Meeting – January 2023

Kelton Meyer will be giving us a fabulous presentation of “Reevaluating the Chronology of Alpine Hunting in the Southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado”, and it looks like it’s going to be a good one! Social time is at 5:30pm, brief business meeting at 6pm, and presentation will be at 6:15pm. Hope to see all of our members there!

Monthly Meeting – November 2022

When: Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. Meeting will conclude at approximately 7:00 p.m.
Where: Los Muertos Urban Kitchen & Catina, 1027 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins (southeast corner of Shields and Horsetooth)
Speaker: None

This meeting will focus on election of 2023 officers and planning of upcoming events. If you’re interested in a greater role in the organization, be sure to attend!

CAS 2022 Annual Conference

Date: October 22nd- 23rd, 2022
Time: Registration begins at 8:00 a.m.
Where: Embassy Suites, Loveland, Colorado
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jason LaBelle

Monthly Meeting – September 2022

When: Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Time: 5:30-6:00 p.m. social time with business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. Presentation on Old Man Mountain in Estes Park to follow at approximately 6:15 p.m. Meeting will conclude at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Los Muertos Urban Kitchen & Catina, 1027 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins (southeast corner of Shields and Horsetooth)
Speaker: Jon Suhy on Old Man Mountain in Estes Park

Roberts Ranch Tour, Lightning Hill – July 30, 2022

Date: June 30th, 2022
Time: 9am
Where: Roberts Ranch (private)
Speaker: Jason LaBelle
” Tour of Roberts Ranch Archaeology ”

Monthly Meeting – December 2019

Date: December 11th, 2019
Time: 6:30-7:30PM
Where: Colorado State University, Room A26
Speaker: Rich Wilshusen
“Lessons Learned at Chaco: Contract Archaeology, Culture History, and Heritage Management (1969-2019)”

Roberts Ranch Tour – September 22nd, 2019

In partnership with Historic Larimer County (HLC) a tour of the Roberts Ranch was held on Sunday, September 22nd. This tour focused on structures and sites on the original 1874 homestead and the Roberts Ranch Buffalo Jump.