Lamb Spring

	Lamb Spring
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
	The site in Douglas County.
Nearest city	Littleton
NRHP reference No.	97000208
CSRHP No.	5DA.83
Added to NRHP	1997

Lamb Spring is a pre-Clovis prehistoric Paleo-Indian archaeological site located in Douglas County, Colorado with the largest collection of Columbian mammoth bones in the state. Lamb Spring also provides evidence of Paleo-Indian hunting in a later period by the Cody culture complex group. Lamb Spring was listed in 1997 on the National Register of Historic Places.^[2]

History

Paleo-Indians

Paleo-Indian were primarily hunters of large mammals called megafauna, such as the Bison antiquus,^[3] during a transitional period from Ice Age to Ice Age summer. As the climate warmed, glacial run-off created lakes and savannas. At the end of the summer period the land became drier, food was not as abundant for large animals, and they became extinct. People adapted by hunting smaller mammals and gathering wild plants to supplement their diet.^[3]

Lamb Spring was an early to late Paleo-Indian site in Colorado, with Megafauna bison antiquus, camelops, mammoth and horse remains.^[4]

Mammoth bones at the Lamb Spring site may pre-date the earliest known human culture, the Clovis culture, which flourished 11,000-13,000 years ago. Mammoth bones at the site are dated at 11,735 +/- 95 years ago and 13,140 +/- 1,000 years ago. Many large bones appear to have been broken at the site, which may indicate butchery by early man. There were also some broken rocks with the bones, but it has not been determined that they were used as tools. It has not yet been conclusively determined to be a pre-Clovis site, but continued excavation may find pre-Clovis tools and evidence that more conclusively finds that the mammoth died as a result of hunting.^[5]

The camelop bones and artifacts date back to about 11,000 BC.^[4] The site has Colorado's largest collection of Columbian mammoth bones. Pronghorn and rodent remains were also found.^[6] After 11,000 BC the climate changed and all of the megafauna except the bison antiquus were extinct. About 7000 or 6500 BC, Paleo-Indians hunted bison and smaller mammals at the spring.^[6]

Discovery

In the summer of 1960, while constructing a pond at a spring on his property, Charles Lamb found mammoth tusks and bones from about 13,000 years ago. Also found were bison, camel, and horse bones. His find quickly initiated a series of archaeological investigations and excavations.^[6]^[7]

Archaeological findings

A summary of archaeological efforts are:^[6]

Year	Name	Organization	Period and artifacts	Comments
1960	Dr. G. Edward Lewis	United States Geological Survey	Identified mammoth tusks and bones from the Pleistocene period.
1960	Dr. G. Edward Lewis, Dr. Glenn Scott	United States Geological Survey	Visited the Lamb Spring site and found bison, camel, horse, mammoth, pronghorn, and rodent bones. They also found, at the same depth and in the same sediment, late Pleistocene era flint chips, meaning that the mammoth were likely hunted by Paleo-Indians.
1961	Dr. Waldo Wedel, Dr. Glenn Scott	Smithsonian Institution, United States Geological Survey	Found bones from 5 mammoth from the end of the Ice Age, a little older than 13,000 Before Present (about 11,000 BC.)
1961–1962	Dr. C.L. Gazin, Dr. Waldo R. Wedel	Smithsonian Institution	Eight geological layers were identified. Most of the remains found were from the earliest period, about 5–6 feet below the surface. The second deepest layer, dated about 6870 (+/- 350 years) BC, contained Cody complex projectile points and knife, bison remains, and other cutting and hide scraping tools.	The project was by a National Science Foundation grant. Nebraska State Museum, United States Geological Survey and University of Michigan personnel assisted in the excavation and analysis.
1980–1981	Dr. Dennis Stanford	Smithsonian Institution	Found bones for 30 mammoth and evidence that they had been hunted and dated bones at 10,140-12,140 BC. Bison bones and Cody implements were found at the next most recent layer of sediment and remains.
2002	Dr. James Dixon Dr. Paul Murphy	University of Colorado-Boulder Museum Studies Program, Denver Museum of Nature and Science	Excavated a Columbian mammoth skull, likely a juvenile, dated about 11,000 BC.	The excavation and study were conducted with the participation of Douglas County and the Archaeological Conservancy.

Artifacts from the archaeological excavations are located at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.^[6]

Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve

The 32 acres around the Lamb Spring site was purchased by The Archaeological Conservancy in 1995. Assisting them in the acquisition were the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Douglas County, Colorado and the Smithsonian Institution.^[6] Free tours are available, May through October, on the 1st Saturday of the month. The tours are sponsored by the Conservancy and the Douglas County Community Planning and Sustainable Development department.^[6]

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ National Registor of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved 9-29-2011.
^ ^a ^b Griffin-Pierce, Trudy. (2010). The Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Southwest. New York:Columbia University Press, 130. ISBN 978-0-231-12790-5.
^ ^a ^b Kipfer, Barbara Ann. (2000). Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology. New York:Plenum Publisher, 296. ISBN 0-306-46158-7.
^ Cassells, E. Steve. (1997) [1983] The Archaeology of Colorado. Boulder: Johnson Press, 55/57. ISBN 1-55566-193-9.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g History of Lamb Spring. Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine Douglas County Government. 2011. Retrieved 9-28-2011.
^ Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve: History. Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine Douglas County Government. 2011. Retrieved 10-23-2011.

External links

Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.

[2] National Registor of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved 9-29-2011.

[GP-3] Griffin-Pierce, Trudy. (2010). The Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Southwest. New York:Columbia University Press, 130. ISBN 978-0-231-12790-5.

[Kipfer-4] Kipfer, Barbara Ann. (2000). Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology. New York:Plenum Publisher, 296. ISBN 0-306-46158-7.

[5] Cassells, E. Steve. (1997) [1983] The Archaeology of Colorado. Boulder: Johnson Press, 55/57. ISBN 1-55566-193-9.

[DC-History-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g History of Lamb Spring. Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine Douglas County Government. 2011. Retrieved 9-28-2011.

[7] Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve: History. Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine Douglas County Government. 2011. Retrieved 10-23-2011.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t e Pre-Columbian North America
Periods Lithic Archaic Formative Classic Post-Classic
Archaeological cultures	Adena Alachua Ancient Beringian Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) Anishinaabe Avonlea Baytown Belle Glade Buttermilk Creek complex Caborn-Welborn Cades Pond Calf Creek Caloosahatchee Clovis Coles Creek Comondú Deptford Folsom Fort Ancient Fort Walton Fremont Glacial Kame Glades Hohokam Hopewell List of Hopewell sites La Jolla Las Palmas Maritime Archaic Mississippian List of Mississippian sites Mogollon Monongahela Old Cordilleran Oneota Paleo-Arctic Paleo-Indians Patayan Plano Plaquemine Poverty Point Red Ocher Safety Harbor Santa Rosa-Swift Creek St. Johns Steed-Kisker Suwannee Valley Tchefuncte Troyville Weeden Island
Archaeological sites	Angel Mounds Anzick site Bandelier National Monument Bastian Benson Blue Spring Shelter Bluefish Caves The Bluff Point Stoneworks Brewster Cahokia Candelaria Cave Casa Grande Chaco Canyon Coso Rock Art District Crystal River Cuarenta Casas Cueva de la Olla Cutler Eaker El Fin del Mundo El Vallecito Effigy Mounds Etowah Indian Mounds Eva Folsom Fort Ancient Fort Center Fort Juelson Four Mounds Gila Cliff Dwellings Glenwood Grimes Point Helen Blazes Holly Bluff Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Horr's Island Huápoca Key Marco Kimball Village Kincaid Mounds Kolomoki Mounds Lake Jackson Mounds Lehner Mammoth-Kill Site L'Anse aux Meadows Lynch Quarry Site Marksville Marmes Rockshelter Meadowcroft Rockshelter Mesa Verde Moaning Cavern Moorehead Circle Morrison Mounds Moundville Mummy Cave Nodena site Ocmulgee Mounds Old Stone Fort Orwell site Paquime Painted Bluff Parkin Park Pinson Mounds Plum Bayou Mounds Portsmouth Earthworks Poverty Point Pueblo Bonito Rassawek Recapture Canyon River Styx Roberts Island Rock Eagle Rock Hawk Rosenstock Village Russell Cave Salmon Ruins Serpent Mound Sierra de San Francisco Shell ring sites Spiro Mounds Stallings Island SunWatch Taos Pueblo Town Creek Indian Mound Turkey River Mounds Upward Sun River Velda Mound West Oak Forest Earthlodge Wickiup Hill Windover Winterville Wupatki
Human remains	Anzick-1 Arlington Springs Man Buhl Woman Kennewick Man La Brea Woman Leanderthal Lady Melbourne Man Minnesota Woman Peñon woman Spirit Cave mummy Vero man
Miscellaneous	Aridoamerica Ballgame Black drink Ceremonial pipe Chanunpa Chunkey Clovis point Container Revolution Eastern Agricultural Complex Eden point Effigy mound Falcon dancer Folsom point Green Corn Ceremony Horned Serpent Kiva Medicine wheel Metallurgy Mi'kmaq hieroglyphic writing Mound Builders N.A.G.P.R.A. Norse colonization of North America Oasisamerica Piasa Projectile point Southeastern Ceremonial Complex Stickball Three Sisters agriculture Thunderbird Transoceanic contact Underwater panther Water glyphs
Related Genetic history Pre-Columbian era

v t e State of Colorado
Denver (capital)
Topics	Bibliography Index Outline Climate change Colleges Coloradans Elections Federal lands Geography Government Historic places History Images Indian reservations Law Lists Military Mountains Municipalities Museums National Forests National Parks Paleontology Prehistoric sites Prehistory Protected areas Railroads Rivers Slavery Statistical areas Symbols Timeline Tourist attractions Towns Trails Transportation Wildernesses
Society	Abortion Crime Culture Demographics Economy Education Gun laws Homelessness LGBT rights Politics Religion Sports
Cities	Alamosa Arvada Aspen Aurora Black Hawk Boulder Brighton Broomfield Brush Burlington Cañon City Castle Pines Centennial Central City Cherry Hills Village Colorado Springs Commerce City Cortez Craig Cripple Creek Dacono Delta Denver Durango Edgewater Englewood Evans Federal Heights Florence Fort Collins Fort Lupton Fort Morgan Fountain Fruita Glendale Glenwood Springs Golden Grand Junction Greeley Greenwood Village Gunnison Holyoke Idaho Springs La Junta Lafayette Lakewood Lamar Las Animas Leadville Littleton Lone Tree Longmont Louisville Loveland Manitou Springs Monte Vista Montrose Northglenn Ouray Pueblo Rifle Rocky Ford Salida Sheridan Steamboat Springs Sterling Thornton Trinidad Victor Walsenburg Westminster Wheat Ridge Woodland Park Wray Yuma
Counties	Adams Alamosa Arapahoe Archuleta Baca Bent Boulder Broomfield Chaffee Cheyenne Clear Creek Conejos Costilla Crowley Custer Delta Denver Dolores Douglas Eagle El Paso Elbert Fremont Garfield Gilpin Grand Gunnison Hinsdale Huerfano Jackson Jefferson Kiowa Kit Carson La Plata Lake Larimer Las Animas Lincoln Logan Mesa Mineral Moffat Montezuma Montrose Morgan Otero Ouray Park Phillips Pitkin Prowers Pueblo Rio Blanco Rio Grande Routt Saguache San Juan San Miguel Sedgwick Summit Teller Washington Weld Yuma
Regions	Central Colorado Eastern Plains Colorado Mineral Belt Colorado Piedmont Colorado Plateau Colorado Western Slope Denver Metropolitan Area Four Corners Region Front Range Urban Corridor High Plains North Central Colorado Urban Area Northwestern Colorado San Luis Valley South-Central Colorado South Central Colorado Urban Area Southern Rocky Mountains Southwest Colorado
Colorado portal