ANCIENT ART IN NORTHWESTERN COLORADO. 



By Ed-win A. Baubeu. 



The great wilderness which stretches through North and Middle Parks 

 of Colorado, and westward along the valleys of Bear (Yam pa), White and 

 Grand Rivers, once composed the hunting-grounds of the ancient 

 ancestral branches of some of the present western Indian tribes. Even 

 now, deer, elk, antelo])e, bear, and Eocky Mountain sheep are very abun- 

 dant, and it has not been more than thirty years since the buffalo or 

 mountain bison roamed the river-bottoms, as is evident from the char- 

 acter and appearance of the old ''buffalo-wallows" which still are to be 

 seen in the vicinity of White River agency. In the elevated boundaries 

 of Korth Park an old bull bison was seen in August of 1874 ; so that 

 centuries ago, it is reasonable to suppose, these animals congregated on 

 this portion of the western slope of the Rocky range. Throughout this 

 whole extent of territory, traces of primitive art abound, which, although 

 not met with in great abundance in concentrated localities, are, neverthe- 

 less, scattered sparingly over this entire country. During the summer of 

 1874:, the writer, in connection with the United States Geological Survey, 

 collected a number of interesting forms of stone implements, principally 

 arrow-points, some of which are here noticed. Along the banks of 

 Willow Creek, in Middle Park, were found several delicate and minute 

 specimens of singular forms. Among these were a few very rude pat- 

 terns chipped from carnelian and chalcedony. 



In North Park a number of perfect points were picked up, which, in 

 some instances, varied somewhat from anything before discovered in 

 this section. 



One was a peculiar form, fashioned nicely from a very beautiful 

 lavender- colored flint, with red spots throughout. The specimen is 

 noticeable for its perfect symmetry and entireness. 



There were also two specimens of different shapes, obtained in the 

 valley of the Yampa River. In this bottom I found a spot on the top 

 of a lofty mass of white sandstone, where arrow-heads had once been 

 manufactured. Here were accumulated flakes of flint, agate, quartz 

 and jasper, in great quantities, and among the chippings were found 

 several very minute specimens, entire and broken, some of them scarcely 

 a third of an inch in length. 



Another specimen is a red and white agate with small spots of delicate 

 red moss on the right-hand edge. After the spear-head (for such it evidently 

 was) had been broken, it was ground down flat where the fractures oc- 

 curred; that is, where the point had been broken off and where the 

 shaft joiued the body, and put to further use, probably as a cutter or 

 skin-scraper, for it is admirably adapted to either of these uses. The 

 side edges are chipped exceediugly thin and sharp, so that in all proba- 

 bility the broken spear-head was turned into a knife. 

 Xo. 1 5 



