ANTIQUITIES OF JEFFERSOX AND CLEAR CREEK COUNTIES, COLORADO. 



By George L. Cannox, of Idaho Springs, Colo. 



During the last three years I have examined a large number of abo- 

 riginal structures in the counties of Jefferson and Clear Creek, and as 

 the prehistoric remains of Clear Creek County are of small extent, I shall 

 devote the greater part of my communication to a description of those 

 in Jefferson County. A good idea of the topographical features of the 

 district in which these remains are situated may be obtained by con- 

 sulting Chittenden's map of the eastern base of the Kocky Mountains, 

 published in Haj'den's Survey of Colorado for 1874. It consists for the 

 most part of elevated plains, interspersed with prairie bluffs and sand- 

 stone " hogbacks." Most of the remains apparently belong to quite a 

 modern period, that is to say, within the space of twenty or thirty years ; 

 still, in some cases, judging by the depth to which the stones composing 

 them have sunk and by the thickness of the superincumbent soil, we may 

 give them an antiquity of a century or more. The greater part of them 

 are situated on the tops of hills, commanding a view of the adjacent 

 plains, but occasionally we find some in low lands, in the vicinity of 

 springs, where good water can be obtained. The first to be described, and 

 perhaps the most numerous class of relics, are the so-called " fire-places." 

 They consist of several flat, irregular stones, discolored by fire, arranged 

 so as to form a hearth, and are identical with the fireplaces which the 

 modern Indians have in the center of their wigwams. They are scat- 

 tered promiscuously over the plains, without much reference to location, 

 save such as a party of campers would choose. 



Next in importance to the fire-places are what are locally denominated 

 " Indian circles." Tliey are usually constructed of bowlders arranged 

 in the form of a rude circle, about a yard in diameter, with a cavity a 

 foot or two in depth, hollowed out in the center. The most common 

 opinion is that they were used by the Indians as fire-places. The modern 

 Indians are said to encamp on sites similar to those in which these circles 

 are found, and in some cases surround their fires with a wall of stones, 

 to prevent them from being extinguished by the wind. Some have sup- 

 Xwsed that they were occupied by signal-fires, and this may have been 

 the case, as most of them are in situations that would be suitable for the 

 purpose. Again, it has been thought that they mark the graves of some 

 prominent Indian warrior or chief, although it was not the usual custom 

 of the Indians to bury their dead, but rather to place the corpse on an 

 elevated platform. 



