The Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (NCA) — a popular destination for hikers, hunters and fishermen — also contains a number of prehistoric sites that have excited BLM archaeologists Glade Hadden and Carol Patterson. One of those sites, the Gunnison River Rock Art Site, is tucked into the rocky ledges overlooking the Gunnison River.
The overhang downstream from the Gunnison River Pleasure Park is covered with archaic rock art. The deer and elk scratched into the sandstone are like a big sign that says, "Stop, eat here," Hadden says.
"This is where ancient people went to hunt," he says, "because it's the only place the herds of deer can cross the Gunnison River for miles in either direction."
Beneath the overhang, Hadden and Patterson have been unearthing archaeological treasures for five years.
BLM archaeologists had been aware of the site for some time, but feared looters had beaten them to the most interesting finds.
Then professors from Western Wyoming College visited the area, looking for a place to host a field school for their students. With the promise of free labor, BLM archaeologists decided to start digging through the layers of earth beneath the overhang.
"When we started digging, we had no idea what we were going to find," said Hadden. "We just knew it was a jumbled mess." After the looters disturbed the area, packrats went to work, carrying off much of what was left. Hadden thought digging through the looted site would be a good exercise for the college students.
Soon they discovered what Hadden describes as possibly one of the most important archaeological sites in western Colorado. The first find was a 4,000-year-old rock-lined hearth.
"That's pretty rare in this country so we kept digging, and we found a 6,000-year-old hearth. Beneath that one we found a 7,000-year-old hearth. We thought we were done but then we found signs of human occupation from over 8,000 years ago."
Among those findings are Fremont-style basketry, projectile points, beads and bones which served as tools.
The Fremont were a Caucasian agricultural people who lived in this area from 300 to 1300 A.D. Hadden says they've uncovered what appear to be two distinctive Fremont age levels. He's hopeful that evidence of even older occupations may be contained deeper within the stratified layers, but that exploration will have to wait. The archaeologists are closing up the site for the summer and, because of budget concerns, aren't sure when they'll be able to resume digging.
While Hadden is aware of similar sites in the area, he believes the Gunnison River Rock Art Site is one-of-a-kind in terms of the information it's revealed.
"I'm a garbalogist more than anything," he explained. "You can find out more about people by looking at their garbage than you can find out by asking them questions. That's what we do as archeologists. We look at the garbage, what they left behind."
By separating seeds from the soil, for example, archaeologists can determine what the people ate. If the occupants were indeed Fremonts, it's likely they raised corn, beans and squash in the area. Bone fragments indicate what kind of animals they consumed. Protein residue analysis can determine what kind of animals were killed by a particular point.
"By itself, it's just trash, but by looking at the trash you can learn a lot about people's lifestyles, their daily routines."
Hadden said the Utes likely used the site as well, but any remnants they left behind have been carted away.
Because of continuing concerns about vandalism, the BLM has not marked the Gunnison River Rock Art Site on any maps. Uncompahgre Field Office personnel also ask that directions not be published in the newspaper because visitors might inadvertently disrupt the security measures which are in place.
Author: Pat Sunderland | Source: Delta County Independent [September 07, 2011]
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| Through carbon dating, BLM archaelogists have dated hearths (note the rock ring in the upper right) from 7,000 years ago [Credit: Pat Sunderland] |
"This is where ancient people went to hunt," he says, "because it's the only place the herds of deer can cross the Gunnison River for miles in either direction."
Beneath the overhang, Hadden and Patterson have been unearthing archaeological treasures for five years.
BLM archaeologists had been aware of the site for some time, but feared looters had beaten them to the most interesting finds.
Then professors from Western Wyoming College visited the area, looking for a place to host a field school for their students. With the promise of free labor, BLM archaeologists decided to start digging through the layers of earth beneath the overhang.
"When we started digging, we had no idea what we were going to find," said Hadden. "We just knew it was a jumbled mess." After the looters disturbed the area, packrats went to work, carrying off much of what was left. Hadden thought digging through the looted site would be a good exercise for the college students.
Soon they discovered what Hadden describes as possibly one of the most important archaeological sites in western Colorado. The first find was a 4,000-year-old rock-lined hearth.
"That's pretty rare in this country so we kept digging, and we found a 6,000-year-old hearth. Beneath that one we found a 7,000-year-old hearth. We thought we were done but then we found signs of human occupation from over 8,000 years ago."
Among those findings are Fremont-style basketry, projectile points, beads and bones which served as tools.
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| Rock panels contain petroglyphs of animals, as well as intertwining wavy lines which have been identified by archaeologists as early maps [Credit: Pat Sunderland] |
While Hadden is aware of similar sites in the area, he believes the Gunnison River Rock Art Site is one-of-a-kind in terms of the information it's revealed.
"I'm a garbalogist more than anything," he explained. "You can find out more about people by looking at their garbage than you can find out by asking them questions. That's what we do as archeologists. We look at the garbage, what they left behind."
By separating seeds from the soil, for example, archaeologists can determine what the people ate. If the occupants were indeed Fremonts, it's likely they raised corn, beans and squash in the area. Bone fragments indicate what kind of animals they consumed. Protein residue analysis can determine what kind of animals were killed by a particular point.
"By itself, it's just trash, but by looking at the trash you can learn a lot about people's lifestyles, their daily routines."
Hadden said the Utes likely used the site as well, but any remnants they left behind have been carted away.
Because of continuing concerns about vandalism, the BLM has not marked the Gunnison River Rock Art Site on any maps. Uncompahgre Field Office personnel also ask that directions not be published in the newspaper because visitors might inadvertently disrupt the security measures which are in place.
Author: Pat Sunderland | Source: Delta County Independent [September 07, 2011]