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Physical evidence of human occupation in present-day Colorado dates back thousands of years. Indigenous people fostered relationships with their environment, animals, and plants over millennia. Natural and cultural park resources continue to be significant and important to associated Tribes.
NPS Midwest Archeological Center Paleo-Indian PeriodNative American presence in this area began as early as the Paleo-Indians around 8000 BCE (10,000 years ago). After the last Ice Age, the earliest people were likely large game hunters. Most of the animals they hunted are now extinct, such as mammoths, mastodons, and giant bison. Hunters used Plano spear points (flaked stone projectile points) to hunt and stayed during the warmer months. Archaic PeriodThe most extensive occupation of Curecanti took place during the Early to Middle Archaic Period, approximately 7,950 to 3,950 BCE. This period is defined by hunting and gathering lifestyle and seasonal migrations. Camps were occupied for long periods of time, perhaps even during the winter. Shallow, basin-shaped depressions were found with postholes, burnt timbers, and burnt clay indicating a type of shelter. Camps were found at higher elevations by larger tributaries feeding into the Gunnison River. They may have been base camps for both plant gathering and game hunting (elk, deer, mountain sheep, antelope, and beaver). Formative StageThe Formative Stage, spanning approximately 1,000 BCE to 500 CE, marks a time when people used bows and arrows with smaller projectile points. Smaller game and plants continue to be food staples. Clay pots were used for cooking and storage. Farming began during this period at lower elevations, but long winters and a short growing season would have made this challenging here. The earlier Archaic lifestyle of seasonal hunting and gathering remained the primary use of the Curecanti area. Ute PeopleThe Ute are an indigenous people of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau areas. The earliest evidence of Ute in this area is from a site overlooking the upper Gunnison River. It is dated between 1400 and 1600 CE. The Ute generally continued the Archaic hunter gather lifestyle—spending summers in the mountains and winters in present day Montrose and Grand Junction. 
Traditionally Associated Tribes
Four federally recognized tribes and one tribal community have cultural ties to the area within and surrounding the recreation area. 
Archeology
For at least the last 10,000 years humans have been passing through what is now Curecanti National Recreation Area. Dial, Janis L. "Formation Processes in Curecanti Archeology: The Elk Creek Site." Midwest Archeological Center Technical Report No. 45. Department of the Interior. 1996.
E. Steve Cassells, The Archeology of Colorado, Johnson Books, Boulder, CO, 1997 (revised ed). History Colorado. https://www.historycolorado.org/ Southern Ute Indian Tribe. “History.” https://www.southernute-nsn.gov/history/ Reed, Alan, and Michael D. Metcalf. “1999 Colorado Prehistory: A Context for the Northern Colorado River Basin.” Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists, Denver, Colorado. |
Last updated: February 11, 2025