Ancient populations, moving with the seasons and following the animal migrations, once lived among the rocks that swell from the ground just 25 miles south of Denver.
Staff and volunteers at Roxborough State Park celebrated National Archaeology Day Saturday by introducing visitors to the populations that inhabited the area almost 10,000 years ago. The park is in the process of creating an archaeological exhibit at the visitors center that will give guests a glimpse into daily life during the Archaic period, said Angel Tobin, volunteer and interpretive services manager for the park.
Tobin said the exhibit is expected to open in March 2013.
"People are afraid to dive into the park's archaeology because they don't understand it," Tobin said. "There are little bits and pieces everywhere to help discover what happened here."
There are about 40 sites in the park where evidence of ancient life has been found, including pits of pottery or other utensils used by ancient populations.
Evidence of some of the earliest populations dates back to almost 11,500 B.C., said Todd McMahon, staff archaeologist at the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation at History Colorado Center. McMahon gave a presentation during Saturday's event.
"Tools and technology adapted and developed with the populations," McMahon said.
The technology evolved from bulky spears used to hunt woolly mammoth to the atlatl, a longer, slender spear that gave hunters greater range and better accuracy. Eventually the bow and arrow allowed hunters to remain stationary or hidden while going after smaller game.
An unforgiving drought around 1300 A.D. forced several populations to migrate southwest. But unlike the populations that once inhabited Mesa Verde, which migrated to what is now Arizona and New Mexico, experts are not entirely sure what happened to the populations that once lived in the foothills and Roxborough Park, McMahon said.
Lisa Dietz and her family live just miles from the park and often spend their weekends hiking through the towering rock formations. Dietz said she was not aware that the area had such a significant archaeological history.
"We've always appreciated how beautiful it is here, so it's great to get a little bit of history," Dietz said.
Different stations gave visitors insight into different segments of daily life for ancient populations. One allowed guests to touch the pelts of animals that were used as food. Another even gave "samples" of some of the cuisine eaten during the Archaic period, including raisins, sunflower seeds and buffalo jerky.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794, jsteffen@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jsteffendp
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