Ancient Golden: Results of Magic Mtn Community Archaeology Project

The Magic Mountain site, located in a hogback valley south of Golden, Colorado, is among the best-known archaeological sites in the South Platte basin. For at least 8,000 years, American Indians camped at the site, exploiting the area’s rich plant and animal resources. To learn more about how native peoples used the area, Paleocultural Research Group and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in 2016 began a long-term archaeological research project at the site. Community outreach and involvement was an important part of the work: over the course of two summers, more than 3,000 people attended free tours or participated in the field research. In this talk, Dr. Mark Mitchell discusses what has been learned about the site and about the ancient history of Colorado’s Front Range.