Nature
Calhan Paint Mines Archeological District, about a mile south of Calhan on Colorado’s eastern plains, preserves a rare combination of archaeological remains, dramatic geology, and prairie ecology within the 750-acre Paint Mines Interpretive Park. Native American peoples used the area beginning about 9,000 years ago, leaving artifacts tied to the Cody complex, Duncan complex, and Apishapa culture. Its colored clays served for pottery, paint, ceremony, and some arrowheads, while hunting channels helped drive bison into a gulch. Later occupied by Euro-American settlers, the district is now protected for its fragile environment, significant artifacts, and distinctive landforms and wildlife.
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Colorado · United States
