Community Activities and Announcements (Ongoing)

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

(Latest Update - August 17, 2025)

Upcoming Archaeology Tours, Classes and Lectures:

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

• (New) August 2025 and 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.

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

• (New Date) August 22, 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.

DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE - EXHIBIT (DENVER, CO/$):

• Ending August 24, 2025 (9:00am-5:00pm MT) – Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia.  Available with a general admission, this new exhibit has over 100 intricate carvings, sacred sculptures and ancient relics, many never before seen outside of Cambodia. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit DMNS - Angkor Exhibit.

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

• (New) Class - September 3, 2025 - December 10, 2025 (7:30pm-9:30pm MT) (Online/$ Donation Requested) – The Hohokam Culture of Southern Arizona.  This is a 14-session online adult education class will explore the archaeology of the ancient Hohokam culture of the American Southwest.  For more information and to register, visit here.

• (New) Tour - September 22,  2025 (8:00am-11:30am AZ Time) (Marana, AZ/In Person/$ Donation Requested) – Autumn Equinox Tour to Los Morteros and Picture Rocks Petroglyphs Sites.  For more information and to register, visit here. 

LAMB SPRINGS ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRESERVE - 2025 TOURS (LITTLETON, CO/FREE):

• September 6, 2025 and October 11, 2025 (9:00am MT) – Visit this Paleoindian Mammoth Kill Site and learn about its importance to Colorado archaeology.  Tours are on the first Saturday of the month. Last tour for 2025 will be October 11th. For more information and to register for a tour, visit Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve Tour.  To learn more about Lamb Springs, visit here.

HISTORY COLORADO - EDUCATIONAL CLASS (DENVER/ONLINE/$):

• Ongoing through November 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 . Classes include:

  • March 12th: Strategic and Effective Approaches for Deaccessioning

  • May 14th: Hazardous Materials in Museum Collections

  • Rescheduled Date now August 13th: Working with Communities as Partners

  • September 10th: Objects as Teaching Tools

  • November 12th: Fundamentals in Collections Rehousing

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONSERVANCY (ALBUQUERQUE, NM):

• (New) September 13-20, 2025 – Tour (New Mexico/In Person/$): Chaco Canyon in Depth.  Guide-led tour of Chacoan archaeological sites to learn about some of the theories surrounding these prehistoric communities.  The tour concludes with a three-day hike to Chaco Canyon (camping gear provided).  For more information and to register, visit here.

• (New) On-Demand – Tours (Online/Free):  Several virtual archaeological site tours are available here.

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

• (New) Saturdays, September 13, 2025 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.

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.

• September 19 and 20, 2025 (9:00am-3:00pm MT)  There will be a sale of contemporary Mata Ortiz pottery from Chihuahua, Mexico onsite. Information on this event can be found here.

CHIMNEY ROCK NATIONAL MONUMENT - TOURS (PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO/$):

• Ongoing through October 15, 2025 -  Several tours are available as well as free in-person lectures.  For more information and to make reservations, visit Chimney Rock National Monument Tours & Lectures.

SOUTHWESTERN KILN CONFERENCE - EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY (STAFFORD, AZ/IN PERSON/FREE):

• (New) October 17-19, 2025 – This gathering brings together ceramists, archaeologists and southwestern ceramic enthusiasts to explore and recreate ancient southwestern ceramic techniques.  All are welcome.  This year’s conference will be held at the Eastern Arizona College in Stafford, Arizona and two other nearby locations.  For more information about the conference, visit here.  To learn about this year’s event and to register, visit here.

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK - TOURS (SW CO/$):

• Ongoing through October 19, 2025 (various times) – A number of tours are available in the Mesa Verde National Park.  For more information and to reserve a tour spot, visit Mesa Verde National Park Tours.

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

• (New) 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 register, visit here.  Act fast as there are only two spots left.

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):

• 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 .

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

• 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 - 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 .

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.

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_.

WORLD VIRTUAL TOURS (ONLINE/FREE BUT TIPPING ENCOURAGED):

• August 18, 2025 (11:00 MT) – Colonial Peru:  From Pachamama to the Virgin. Presenter: Vanessa V., Licensed Tour Guide in Peru and Cultural Ambassador.  This webinar will examine the religious syncretism of ancient Andean beliefs with Catholicism which gave rise to unique forms of devotion enabling indigenous communities to keep their traditional beliefs alive.  For more information and to register using “Book Now”, visit Colonial Peru Webinar.

• (New) August 30, 2025 (1:00pm MT) – Egypt before Egypt: The Predynastic Period.  Speaker: Dr. Jacob Glenister, PhD in Egyptology.  This webinar will discuss predynastic cultures from herders and farmers of the Neolithic period to the world’s first territorial state.  For more information and to register using ‘Book Now’, visit here.

COLORADO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY - PIKES PEAK CHAPTER (COLORADO SPRINGS, CO/HYBRID/FREE):

• August 19, 2025 (7:00pm MT) – Swallow Site: 7,000 Years of Subsistence on the Edge of the Denver Basin. Speaker: Dr. Jeannette L. Mobley-Tanaka, Professor Emeritus, Front Range Community College-Ft. Collins. Dr. Mobley-Tanaka will explore how ancient indigenous peoples utilized the Hogback valley seasonally and how populations moved along the Colorado Front Range. For more information and to access the Zoom link, visit here.

ROAD SCHOLAR (ONLINE/FREE):

• August 19, 2025 (11:00am MT) – Sacred Architecture of Peru: Pyramids and Temples of the Coast  Speaker: Oscar Oviedo Velasco, Historian and Archaeologist.  For more information and to register using the “Start Enrolling” link, visit here.

SHUMLA ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION CENTER, LUNCH & LUNCH SERIES (ONLINE/FREE):

• August 20, 2025 (11:00am-12:00pm MT) - (Aug 18/25: The Charles Koenig presentation has been cancelled and replaced with: There and Back Again: An Archaeologist's Tale. Speaker: Amanda Castañeda, Archaeology Director for Shumla. This presentation will take a journey through the northern plains, Wyoming and Montana to the Chihuahuan Desert of far west Texas near El Paso. Castañeda will discuss various rock art sites and projects that she has worked on which have influenced her research regarding Lower Pecos rock art. For more information and register for the Zoom link, visit here. 

CHIMNEY ROCK INTERPRETIVE ASSOCIATION, THE CHACO CANYON LECTURE SERIES (PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO/IN PERSON/FREE):

• (New) August 22, 2023 (6:00pm MT) – The Chaco Culture – Its Influences, Outliers, and Decline.  Speaker:  Tori Myers, Executive Director of the Salmon Ruins Museum, New Mexico.  For more information and to reserve a space online or by phone (see below ‘add to calendar’), visit here.

• (New) August 29, 2025 (6:00pm MT) – The Chimney Rock Great House and Chaco Regional System. Speaker: Dr. Susan Ryan, Executive Vice President of the Research Institute at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.  For more information and to reserve a space online or by phone (see below ‘add to calendar’), visit here.

OLD PUEBLO ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER, THIRD THURSDAY FOOD FOR THOUGHT SERIES (TUCSON, AZ/ONLINE/FREE):

• August 22, 2025 (8:00pm-9:30pm MT) – Copper Networks in the U.S. Southwest, Mexican Northwest and Mesoamerica. Speaker: Dr. José Luis Díaz, Archaeology researcher for the Instituto Nacional de Anthropología e Historía, México. For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES (ONLINE/$):

• August 23, 2025 (8:00am-2:00pm MT) – The Civilizations of the Andes: A Cultural Exploration.  Speaker: George L. Scheper, senior lecturer in advanced academic programs at Johns Hopkins University. For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

• (New) September 4, 2025 (10:00am-11:30am MT) – Exploring Ancient Egypt: Culture, Commerce, and Daily Life – Eating and Drinking Like an Egyptian.  Speaker: Shelby Justl, Penn Museum, Philadelphia.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

AMERIND MUSEUM (DRAGOON, AZ/ONLINE/FREE):

• August 23, 2025 (10:00am MT) – Human Governing and Well-Being: A Global Investigation with Coalition for Archaeological Synthesis.  Speaker: Dr. Gary Feinman, McArthur Curator of Mesoamerican, Central American and East Asian Anthropology at the Field Museum, Chicago.  Feinman and an international team of social scientists are examining dozens of ancient societies to better understand how the governing systems humans create affect the practices and well-being of their people.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

COUNCIL FOR BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGY, THIS IS ARCHAEOLOGY SERIES (UK/ONLINE/FREE):

• (New) August 28, 2025 (12:00pm-1:00pm MT) – To Be Cringe Is To Be Free: Finding and Creating Authenticity in Inauthentic Digital Worlds. Speaker: Steph Black, PhD researcher at Dunham University, and Digital Archaeologist known as ‘Steph the Archaeologist’ on Instagram.  Black will discuss her journey into short-form video and explore the freedom from formal academic constraints to allow for a dismantling of barriers and fostering a more authentic, human-centered dialogue about the past.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link by clicking ‘Book Now’, visit here.

CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER, DISCOVER ARCHAEOLOGY WEBINAR SERIES (ONLINE/FREE):

• (New) August 28, 2025 (4:00pm MT) – Changing the Narrative: A Holistic View on Archaeology.  Speaker: Georgie Pongyesva, Hopi Tribe Member and Educator who works with Hopi Cultural Resources Management.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

• (New) September 4, 2025 (4:00pm MT) – The BIA NAGPRA Assistance Program: Unique Paths Forward. Speaker:  Amy Gillaspie, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) NAGPRA Assistance Program Coordinator under a CESU Agreement between the BIA and her employer, Southwest Archaeology.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

NEW MEXICO HISTORY MUSEUM, FRIENDS OF HISTORY WEDNESDAY LECTURE SERIES (ONLINE/FREE):

• (New) September 3, 2025 (12:00pm-1:00pm MT) – Nacion Genizara: Ethnogenesis, Place, and Identity in New Mexico.  Speaker: Moises Gonzales, Associate Professor, University of New Mexico.  Genizaros are descendants of 18th and 19th Century Indian captives acculturated and assimilated in varying degrees into the New Mexico’s Hispanic and Catholic society.  Gonzales will discuss the history, cultural evolution and survival of the Genizaro people up to present day.  For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, visit here.

COLORADO ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY - PUEBLO CHAPTER (PUEBLO, CO/HYBRID/FREE):

• (New) September 4, 2025 (7:00pm MT) – Northern Spain and Portugal - 15 Days Exploring Paleolithic Cave Art, Rock Art, and Museums.  Speaker: Craig Banister, Avocational Archaeologist and Denver-CAS Member.  For more information and to access the 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.