Community Activities and Announcements (Ongoing)

This page is updated bi-weekly. Check back frequently for updates!

(Latest Update - October 26, 2025)

Upcoming Archaeology Tours, Events, Classes & Lectures:

INTERNATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY DAY - EVENT (MORRISON, CO/IN PERSON/FREE):

• Apologies: This October 18, 2025 event had to close early without notice due to very high winds for the safety of participants and visitors. We hope to see you at the next International Archaeology Day in October 2026!

CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER – CULTURAL EXPLORATIONS TOURS (VARIOUS LOCATIONS/IN PERSON/$):

• Crow Canyon has announced their 2026 Cultural Exploration Tour Programs (May 17-23, June 14-20, September 13-19, and November 8-14).  For more information and to register for a tour listed at bottom of the web page, visit here.

OLD PUEBLO ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER - TOUR (TUCSON, AZ/$):

• November 2, 2025 (10:00am-3:30pm AZ Time):  Park of Four Waters, S’eḏav Va’aki, and South Mountain Park Hohokam Canals, Platform Mound, Museum and Petroglyphs Tour.  Tour Leaders: Dr. Christopher Schwartz and Dr. Aaron Wright.  The tour is currently full.  You are encouraged to place your name on the wait list.  For more information and to access the wait list, visit here.

UTE MOUNTAIN MUSEUM - TOUR (MONTROSE, CO/IN PERSON/$):

• November 2, 9, 16 and 23, 2025 (Times vary) – Shavano Valley Petroglyph site was used from at least 1000 BCE to 1900 CE by both Archaic and Ute peoples.  Tours are led by a trained Shavano Valley Petroglyph docent.  Space is limited and payment must be made by phone in advance.  For more information and to book your tour, visit here.

CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER - TOUR (ARIZONA/$):

• November 2-8, 2025 – O’odham tribal members and archaeologists will introduce participants to the ancestral places and historic sites of the Tohono O’odham Nation and their ancestors, the Huhugam (Hohokam). For more information and to check space availability, visit here.

DANGER CAVES STATE MONUMENT AND JUKE BOX CAVE - TOUR (UTAH/IN PERSON/$):

• Saturday, November 8, 2025 (10:00am MT) -  Join professional archaeologist, Ronald Rood for a tour of both caves.  Learn about the archaeology of the Great Basin and how these two sites and the surrounding environments were used by pre-contact Indigenous peoples.  Note: Each tour date is limited to 18 participants, and payment is by credit or debit card at time of reservation.  For more information and to reserve a spot, visit here.

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK - GUIDED TOUR (UTAH/IN PERSON/FREE):

• Saturdays, ongoing to November 9, 2025 (9:00am-1:00pm MT) – A free four-hour guided hiking tour through Horseshoe Canyon which includes stops at four major pictograph panels.  For more information, visit here. NOTE: The Park is currently closed due to the Federal Gov't shutdown.

ARCHAEOLOGY MEETUP - SOCIAL EVENT (SEDALIA, CO/IN PERSON):

• (New) November 13, 2025 (5:30pm-7:30pm MT) – November’s Archaeology Meetup is at the beautiful Cherokee Castle and Ranch.  Archaeology Meetups are open to archaeologists, students and the general public interested in conversations about archaeology and preservation.  Appetizers will be served and a cash bar will be available.  Registration is required due to limited space at the venue. Registration closes November 8, 2025.  For more information and to register, visit here.

HISTORY COLORADO CENTER - CLASS (ONLINE/$):

• (Final Class/Corrected Date) November 19, 2025 - The Museum Basics classes are suitable for those working or volunteering in cultural institutions such as museums, archives and libraries as well or those hoping to get into this field.  For more information and to register for a class, visit History Colorado Museum Basics Classes . The final class is Fundamentals in Collections Rehousing.

FOUR MILE HOUSE HISTORIC PARK (GLENDALE, CO/IN PERSON):

• November 21, 2025 (10:00am-4:00pm MT) – The SCFD Free Day requires registration for tickets here. General information and costs for other days can be found here.

OLD PUEBLO ARCHAEOLOGAL CENTER (MARANA, AZ/IN PERSON/$): 

• (New) November 22, 2025 (3:00pm-5:00pm AZ time) - Archaeologist Allan Dart will be leading a tour to Yuma Wash Hohokam Village and Bojórquez-Aquirre Ranch Archaeological Sites.  For more information and to register for the tour, visit here.

CHEROKEE RANCH CASTLE - TOUR (SEDALIA, CO/$):

• Ongoing - November 15, 2025 (10:00am MT) - Located in nearby Sedalia, visit this historic ranch with its castle, petrified wood forest, and impressive historic collection. Learn about owner Tweet Kimball establishing the Cherokee Ranch and Castle Foundation to protect the ranch's plant life, wildlife and archaeological sites. For more information and to make a reservation, visit Cherokee Ranch & Castle Tour.

LINDENMEIER ARCHAELOGICAL SITE - TOUR (SOAPSTONE PRAIRIE NATURAL AREA, WELLINGTON, CO):

• (Open during Fed Gov’t Shutdown) Ongoing through November 30, 2025 (Dawn until Dusk) – The Folsom (Paleo-Indian) occupation site is on the National Register of Historic Places and was excavated by the Smithsonian Institute in the 1930s. There are interpretive presentations by specially-trained naturalist and visitors can view bison of the Laramie Foothills Conservation Herd.  For further information, visit Lindenmeier Site in Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.

THE WHITTE MUSEUM - ROCK ART TOUR (NEAR COMSTOCK, TX/IN PERON/$):

• Saturdays, ongoing through December 30, 2025 (12:30pm-2:30pm CT) – Visit the White Shaman Mural, located near the Seminole Canyon State Park within the Lower Pecos Canyonlands.  Please note this is a strenuous two-hour hike.  For more information, to select a tour date, and to view the provided video of the tour’s terrain, visit here.

DEER VALLEY PETROGLYPH PRESERVE - EXHIBITS AND TOUR (PHOENIX, AZ/IN PERSON/FREE):

• Ongoing until May 2026 – Operated by the Arizona State University, this preserve contains a museum, gallery and a free audio tour of a quarter-mile petroglyph trail.  For more information, visit here.

AMACHE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE - SELF-GUIDED TOUR (NEAR GRANADA, CO):

• (Museum open during Fed Gov’t Shutdown) Ongoing: Amache was one of ten internment camps established by the U.S. government during WWII to detain Japanese and American citizens of Japanese descent. There is a museum to visit,  a self-guided map/audio tour of the historic site and a virtual visit link.  For more information, visit Amache Visitors Information . To learn more about Amache, watch this PBS Documentary Video.

CANYON OF THE ANCIENTS NATIONAL MONUMENT- TOUR (SW CO/$):

• Year-Round Tours:  A choice of guided tours led by the Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance are available.  For more information, visit Canyon of the Ancients Tours.

  NOTE: The Monument is currently closed due to the Federal Gov't shutdown.

SAND CREEK NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE - SELF-GUIDED TOUR (NEAR EADS, CO):

• Ongoing Sunday, Monday, Thursday through Saturday (9:00am-4:00pm MT): The Contact Station at the Sand Creek National Historic Site outside of Eads, Co (near Chivington) is open (closed federal holidays). Note: Visitor Center in the town of Eads is closed until further notice due to cuts in federal government spending.  For more information, visit Sand Creek Visitors Information . Please also visit the Sand Creek Massacre exhibit at History Colorado Center, 1200 N. Broadway, Denver 80203.

  NOTE: The Historic Site is currently closed due to the Federal Gov't shutdown.

SALMON RUINS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE AND MUSEUM - TOURS (NEAR BLOOMFIELD, NM/IN PERSON/VARIED):

• Ongoing ($) – Private tours are currently available.  For more information about these private tours, visit here.

Upcoming Archaeology Lectures

HISTORY COLORADO PAAC PROGRAM ENRICHMENT SERIES (ON-DEMAND/FREE):

• Exposing Hoaxes, Busting Myths, and Solving Mysteries - Archaeology Lectures presented by Dr. Ken Feder, Professor Emeritus at Central Connecticut State University. There are ten one-hour videos covering a range of topics available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl68fplNJM8BsG6uJLeHUfMYtNHeza5l_.

NEW - LECTURES NOW LISTED BY DATE

OCTOBER 27, 2025

• 10:00am - 11:15am MT – Smithsonian Associates (Online/$): A Game of Thrones: The Assyrian Crown Prince.  Speaker: Paul Collins, Head of the Middle East Department at the British Museum.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

• 6:00pm MT – Southwest Seminars (Sante Fe, NM/In Person/$): Coming & Going: 13,000 Years of Migration on the Southern Colorado Plateau.  Speaker: Dr. E. Chuck Adams, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Arizona.  For more information, visit here.

OCTOBER 30, 2025

• 1:00pm MT – Amerind Museum (Online/Free): O’Odham Pottery: Prehistoric, Historic, and Contemporary Native American Ceramic Production in the Phoenix Basin of Southern Arizona.  Speakers:  Linda Morgan, MA (Akimel O’Odham, Diné) and Katrina Soke (Akimel O’Odham).  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

• (New) 4:00pm MT – Crow Canyon Archaeological Center (Online/Free): Through a Zuni Lens: Museum Collections and Collaborative Filmmaking.  Speakers: Octavius Seowtewa, Member of the Zuni Tribe and an A:shiwi (Zuni) scholar, elder and religious leader and Carrie Heitman, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Associate Director of the Center for Digital Research in Humanities at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

• 5:00p-6:00pm MT – Archaeological Institute of America, Central Arizona (Phoenix) Society (Online/Free): Reading Matthew’s Gospel in the Cemeteries of Roman Syria and Judea.  Speaker: Dr. Tony Keddie, Associate Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Religions and Fellow of the Ronald Nelson Smith Chair in Classics and Christian Origins, University of Texas-Austin.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

• 7:00pm MT – University of Boulder, Department of Classics, College of Arts and Sciences, McClanahan Lecture (Boulder, CO/In person/Free): Discovering Ancient Dalmatia – Archaeological Research on the Croatian Island of Brač.  Speaker: Dr. Sarah James, Associate Professor, Department of Classics, Colorado University-Boulder.  For more information, visit here.

NOVEMBER 1, 2025

• 12:30pm-2:00pm MT – Archaeological Institute of America, Denver Society (Denver, CO/In Person/Free): The Ancient Mayan Script of Hand Forms Embedded in Figural Art.  Speaker: Dr. Rich A. Sandoval, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Metropolitan State University of Denver.  For more information, visit here.

NOVEMBER 2, 2025

• 1:00pm MT – World Virtual Tours (Online/Free but donations are appreciated): Kerma: Egypt’s Southern Neighbor.  Speaker: Jacob Glenister, PhD candidate in Egyptology, University of Pennsylvania.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link using ‘Book Now’, visit here.

NOVEMBER 3, 2025

• 11:00am MT – World Virtual Tours (Online/Free but donations are appreciated): Nazca Mummies: Myth, Mystery, and Controversy.  Speaker: Vanessa Vasque, licensed Tour Guide in Peru.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link using ‘Book Now’, visit here.

• (New) 4:45pm-6:15pm MT – Smithsonian Associates (Online/$): Persepolis. Speaker: Justin M. Jacobs, Professor of History, American University.  This presentation will analyze the architectural symbolism of ancient Persian wealth and power displayed at the palace complex at Persepolis.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

NOVEMBER 4, 2025

• (New) 5:30pm-7:30pm MT – Archaeology Southwest, Archaeology Café Series (Tucson, AZ/Hybrid/Free):  Following Their Footsteps: Indigenous Geography and the Anza Expedition of 1775-1776.  Speaker: Aaron Wright, Preservation Archaeologist.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, here.

NOVEMBER 5, 2025

• (New) 6:00pm-7:30pm MT – Archaeological Institute of America, San Francisco Society (Online/Free): A Dealer, An Insurance Salesman, Seven University Museums, Eighty-Eight Investors and Three Hundred Classical Antiquities: A Cautionary Tale.  A Nancy Wilkie Lectureship in Archaeological Heritage.  For more information and to email to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

NOVEMBER 6, 2025

• (New) 4:00pm MT – Crow Canyon Archaeological Center (Online/Free): Indigenous Education: Elevating the Genius of Indigenous Communities.  Speakers: Ben Calabaza, (Kewa Pueblo), Director of Communications, NISN and Nena Lopez, Teacher-Kwiyagat Community Academy and a member of the Uintah Band of the Northern Ute Tribe out of Fort Duchesne, Utah and Weenuche Band at Ute Mountain Tribe out of Towaoc, CO.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

• (New) 7:00 MT – Colorado Archaeological Society, Pueblo Chapter (Pueblo, CO/Hybrid/Free): Colorado Glaciation – A Window into Past Environments and Climate.  Speaker: Dr. Eric Leonard, Professor Emeritus of Geology, Colorado College-Colorado Springs.  For more information and to access the QR Zoom link, visit here.  The Zoom link will also be available on their Google Calendar, visit here.

NOVEMBER 12, 2025

• (New) 6:00pm-7:00pm MT – Archaeological Institute of America, Portland Society (Online/Free): The People’s Arena.  Speaker: Alison Futrell, Dept. of History, University of Arizona.  This presentation will examine how mass Roman Imperial events at the Colosseum affected the lives of ordinary people. For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

• (New) 6:00pm MT – Aurora History Museum (Aurora, CO/In Person/Free): Lamb Spring and the Pleistocene.  Speaker: Cameron Randolph, Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve.  This important Denver-area archaeological site is known for evidence of Ice Age animals and later human occupation.  This presentation will discuss the faunal remains recovered from the site.  For more information, visit here.

• (New) 7:00pm MT – San Juan Basin Archaeological Society (Durango, CO/Hybrid/Free): The End of the Mimbres Culture in Historical and Regional Context.  Speaker: Dr. Thatcher Seltzer-Rogers, Deputy Director at the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies and President of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico.  For more information and to access the Zoom link using the ‘Link to Join Webinar’, visit here.

NOVEMBER 13, 2025

• (New) 4:00pm MT – Crow Canyon Archaeological Center (Online/Free): Harmonizing Tradition: Navajo Music and the “Beauty Way” in Archaeology.  Speakers: Tash Terry (Diné) and Elena Higgins, members of the band, Indigie Femme.  This presentation will discuss the role of Navajo music to act as oral artifacts to preserve history, identity and Diné philosophy of the ‘Beauty Way’ (Hózhó Jígo).  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

• (New) 8:00pm MT – Pacific Coast Archaeological Society (Irvine, CA/Hybrid/Free): The Archaeology, Genetics, and Environments of the First South Americans.  Speaker:  Dr. Tom D. Dillehay.  For more information and to email your request to receive a guest Zoom link, visit here.

 OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PUBLICATION OF THE FINAL REPORT ON THE SWALLOW SITE (5JF321)

We are pleased to announce the Swallow Site Oversight Committee has completed and released the final report on the Swallow Site located on Ken-Caryl Ranch, Jefferson County, Colorado. The report is titled, Archaeological Investigation at the Swallow Site, Jefferson County, Colorado and is published as Memoir Number 7 of the Colorado Archaeological Society, Denver (Copyright 2024).  The Denver Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society led the decade-long investigation at the Swallow Site with the help of many CAS member volunteers.  

The report is available to download as a “Read Only” pdf document from the Online Resource for Colorado Archaeology and Historic Preservation (ORCA) website via this link to ORCA’s Distributed Reports web page – https://archaeologycolorado.org/content/distributed-publications . Just click on the report’s title to access, read and/or save the pdf file.

Background:

During the early 1970s through to the late 1990s, the Denver Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society (DC-CAS) carried out archaeological fieldwork on the Ken-Caryl Ranch property in Jefferson County ahead of the construction of the Ken-Caryl residential development by Johns Manville Corporation.  Among the numerous archaeological sites identified, the Swallow Site (5JF321) was one of the most culturally-rich and important sites recorded on the Ken-Caryl Ranch property.

Through the efforts of a multitude of CAS member volunteers, the prehistoric occupation of the Swallow Site was recorded, excavated and analyzed.  However, numerous attempts undertaken to synthesize the high volume of information recovered into a cohesive report were unsuccessful.  In 2018, the Swallow Site Oversight Committee was formed to reexamine and synthesize the Swallow Site data and to produce a comprehensive final report for publication on behalf of DC-CAS.

The Denver Chapter Board is most appreciative and grateful for the Committee’s dedication, hard work and tenacity to bring this report to fruition.  The Board also wishes to express its thanks to the Paleocultural Research Group (PCRG) for the publication layout work undertaken for the final report and to the Online Resources for Colorado Archaeology and Historic Preservation (ORCA) for hosting the Swallow Site publication on their website.