The Days After Colorado’s Darkest Day: Initial Work at Julesburg Station and Camp Rankin, Colorado

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Julesburg Station (5SW26) and Camp Rankin (5SW24) are located in northeastern Colorado along the South Platte River.  In January and February 1865, they became the focal point of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota response to the Sand Creek Massacre.  During this period ranches and stage stations along 150-miles of the Overland Trails were raided and attacked in response to the massacre.  Remarkably, no academic historians or professional archaeologists have studied or worked at the sites. The sites have been heavily disturbed by private collectors.  Initial work is focused on identifying the exact site boundaries using multiple geophysical methods, ground survey, and limited excavation.  Privately collected and museum artifacts are being documented to form a digital repository of site artifacts.  The initial work also includes the initiation of tribal consultation with the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota nations and an active outreach and education program with the local community and the public.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• 2020 SHA Poster Submissions

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 867