Colorado Millennial Site is a prehistoric
Paleo-Indian archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...
located near
Ruxton in the southeastern part of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
, sitting along the border between
Baca and
Las Animas counties. It is also known by its site ID, 5LA1115, and the names Hackberry Springs and Bloody Springs.
The site was inhabited from 6999 B.C. to A.D. 1900. The prehistoric cultures included
Archaic and
Woodland cultures and the site is significant for its
rock art
In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also m ...
, village settlement, and military battle site.
The site, situated along an overhanging bluff, provided
natural shelter and had access to a reliable supply of water for its prehistoric inhabitants, who left evidence of their residency in the form of rock art.
[''Baca County.'']
HistoryColorado. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
The
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...
and
U.S. 7th Cavalry had the last documented southeastern Colorado military battle with
Native Americans at the site in 1868.
[
]
See also
* List of prehistoric sites in Colorado
This list of prehistoric sites in Colorado includes historical and archaeological sites of humans from their earliest times in Colorado to just before the Colorado historic period, which ranges from about 12,000 BC to AD 19th century. The Perio ...
* Prehistory of Colorado
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colorado Millennial Site
Paleo-Indian archaeological sites in Colorado
Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado
Baca County, Colorado
Las Animas County, Colorado
Plains Woodland period
Rock shelters in the United States
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado
National Register of Historic Places in Las Animas County, Colorado