. . . click on any image to enlarge . . . please email noel@aungst.net with questions or comments :)
Windsor's Buffalo find . . . from 2000-4000 years ago! This lot is in a ritzy subdivision and this lot, where the bones where found during it's development, sits empty and between two large homes.
From the Colorado Open Lands Website:
Kaplan-Hoover Bison Bone Bed, Larimer County, 0.85 acres
Partners: River West PUD Community Association, Colorado State
University Department of Anthropology, with funding from Colorado State
Historical Fund
Conservation Values: The Bone Bed property is located on a
steep slope in the midst of a fully-developed subdivision and was initially
slated for a residential home to be constructed. In the process of modifying a
steep slope to accommodate a house, workers uncovered the edge of a large bed of
bison bones. Upon discovering the bison bone bed, the owner at the time, Lester
Kaplan, halted construction until the site could be further examined. Between
one-third and one-half of the site has been excavated by Colorado State
University and later restored to its natural condition. Kaplan subsequently
donated the bones and other artifacts to Colorado State University.
The site has great archaeological, ethnographic, and cultural value. In fact, it has been established to contain the only archaic-age bison kill in Colorado, and to represent the largest such archaic-age kill known for North America. It is the location of ancient hunting and butchery events containing the remains of over 200 bison, nearly 3000 years old. This is a rare type of archaeological site of national, as well as state-level significance. Future archaeological research projects on the unexcavated remainder of the site may be permitted after approval.
In 2004, the River West Homeowners Association, with matching funds provided by Kaplan, was awarded a grant from the Colorado State Historical Fund to purchase the lot containing the Kaplan-Hoover Bison Bone Bed with the intent of preserving the site. Due to the site’s close proximity to the Poudre River trail and educational plaques established along the trail and at the site, the bone bed also has educational value for residents of River West and the public.