Bison, the Sustainer of Early Life
In the summers of 1958 and 1960, Boulder’s first curator of
- This skull was found near Kit Carson.
- The remains from about 200 bison were found in a dry arroyo bed.
- These bison lived about 10,000 years ago.
- More than a dozen well-preserved skulls were found at the site.
- 3D scanning helps reconstruct broken specimens.
anthropology, Joe Ben Wheat, excavated the Olsen-Chubbuck site, an area near Kit Carson, Colorado, that contained remains of bison dating to 8200 B.C.
The site gave insight into techniques Native hunters used to kill the approximately 200 bison more than 10,000 years ago, which would have provided them with about 60,000 pounds of meat.
“Wheat’s detailed analysis of the bison remains helped researchers under-stand the sophistication of ancient bison hunting tactics; reconstruct how and why they were processed, butchered and prepared; and demonstrated the importance of the bison and buffalo in the lives of the earliest people of Colorado and the Front Range,” said William Taylor, assistant professor and archaeology curator at the Museum of Natural History.
Now, with the help of a grant from the History Colorado’s State Historical Fund, Taylor’s team is working to preserve these bison artifacts for the
future, including making 3D scans of the fossils, such as the one pictured here. The team is also rethinking the ways they care for the animal remains in the museum collections, said Taylor, who also teaches and conducts research in archaeozoology, the study of ancient animal remains.
“We are working with tribal partners to develop culturally informed practices and policies that will restore respect, transparency and care of these resources to the communities they belong to,” he said.
Photo © University of Colorado Museum of Natural History