Camp Creek Garden of the Gods Flood Mitigation Facility and Downstream Improvements Project, El Paso County, Colorado: A Unique Intersection of the Section 106 Process between Two Lead Federal Agencies

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Community Centered Archaeology in Colorful Colorado", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In 2014 the City of Colorado Springs requested funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to construct a storm-water detention basin along Camp Creek in the iconic Garden of the Gods Park – upstream of a residential neighborhood at risk of flooding. The ca. 300-acre Garden of the Gods Park is designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971 for its biological diversity and geological significance. As a result of the Federal flood mitigation project, significant Victorian-era archaeological deposits were uncovered. The deposits are associated with the occupation of the Glen Eyrie Estate by railroad magnate William Jackson Palmer, his wife Mary Lincoln Palmer, their daughters, and the estate staff between 1870 and 1916.

Importantly, our work brought various government officials, stakeholders, interested parties, resident tribes and the public to the table throughout the ca. five years of project development and construction.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Community Centered Archaeology in Colorful Colorado   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow