*In the Shadow of the Rockies: Historical Bioarchaeology and Mortuary Archaeology in Colorado

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "*In the Shadow of the Rockies: Historical Bioarchaeology and Mortuary Archaeology in Colorado" at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Historical archaeology offers unique insight into the history of Colorado in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This session gathers interdisciplinary research in bioarchaeology and mortuary archaeology from across the state. Papers bring into conversation skeletal remains, grave markers, landscapes, and archival traces to illuminate forgotten or understudied aspects of Colorado’s recent past. These projects, rooted in communities and with active local involvement, demonstrate the value of various forms of descendant, stakeholder, and local collaborations as well as the enduring and widespread interest in Colorado history. Indeed, the research presented here contributes to a more expansive and inclusive history of the region, centering the experiences and contributions of people with less traditional archival footprints: from miners and migrants, to frontier educators and those institutionalized in state facilities. Other contributions highlight methodological challenges and innovations encountered while conducting historical archaeology in the cemeteries of the Mountain West. Together, these papers offer a glimpse into the vibrant state of historical archaeology and bioarchaeology in Colorado, through exciting ongoing and collaborative research.