Picture Canyon (Colorado) facts for kids
Picture Canyon is a special place located in the Comanche National Grassland in southeastern Colorado. It got its name because of the amazing ancient rock art found there. People lived in Picture Canyon a very long time ago, starting about 12,000 years ago and staying until about 400 years ago. Besides the cool rock art, there are also special carvings on the canyon walls that show when spring and fall begin!
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Fun Things to Do at Picture Canyon
Picture Canyon is a small, easy-to-explore canyon. It has gentle slopes, natural springs, and picnic tables where you can relax. There's also a hiking trail that loops around for about 4 miles (6.4 km). As you walk, you'll see interesting rock formations, like a giant "Balanced Rock" and a cool spot called "Crack Cave."
Discovering Ancient History
Picture Canyon is like a giant outdoor museum, full of clues about people who lived there long, long ago. Scientists study the things left behind to learn about these ancient cultures.
Early Hunters: Paleo-Indians
The very first people in the area were called Paleo-Indians. They were hunters who lived here about 12,000 years ago! We know this because special stone tools, called projectile points (like arrowheads or spear tips), have been found in the Comanche National Grasslands.
Cave Dwellers: Plains Archaic Period
Later, from about 250 BC to AD 500, hunter-gatherers from the Plains Archaic Period lived in rock shelters in Picture Canyon. These shelters were like natural caves or overhangs in the rocks. Most of them were close to water and faced south, which helped keep them warm from the sun in winter. Inside these shelters, archaeologists have found tools like metates and manos (used for grinding food), stitching awls, knives, and scrapers. Some of these rock shelters even had ancient rock art!
Early Farmers: Plains Woodland Period
The Plains Woodland culture also lived in Picture Canyon. While some lived in rock shelters, most built simple homes in open areas. These homes were made from stone slabs or brush. Some of these sites show that these people were starting to farm. They used bow and arrows for hunting, and their tools included special projectile points and pottery with unique patterns.
Apishapa Culture: Living on the Rim
The Apishapa culture lived on the high edges (rims) of the canyon and farmed down on the canyon floor. Their homes were built in smart spots, either on low parts of a mesa (a flat-topped hill) or above the creek. This gave them great views in three directions and easy access to their farms. Their houses were round or oval, about 15 to 21 feet (4.6 to 6.4 m) across, and were built in small groups. They used wooden poles, brush, and maybe animal hides for roofs. Inside, they had large hearths (fireplaces) for cooking and warmth. They used tools made from special stones like chert, obsidian, and petrified wood. The Apishapa people usually stayed in these homes during spring planting and fall harvesting times.
Tipi Camps: Tipi Ring Period
Around AD 1350, people who might have been ancestors of the Apache people camped in the area. This time is called the "Tipi ring period." They built tipis, and you can still see circles of stones, called tipi rings, where their tipis once stood. Some sites have as many as 44 tipi rings! These camps were usually on canyon rims or at the very top of canyons. People likely stayed for short periods, maybe a few days or weeks. They left behind things like beads made of turquoise and different kinds of pottery, including some made by the Ancestral Puebloans and others from places like Taos Pueblo.
Amazing Rock Art and Sun Markings
The south walls of Picture Canyon are covered with incredible rock art. You can see red and black pictographs (paintings) and human and animal petroglyphs (carvings). These were probably made by Plains Indians in the 1600s and early 1700s. There are also lines of writing that look like those found in 50 other places in Oklahoma and southeastern Colorado. These writings have been translated and share information about the sun, planting, and travel.
One of the most amazing things is in Crack Cave. Markings made over 1,000 years ago in the cave walls are lit up by the sun's rays during the spring and autumn equinoxes (when day and night are almost equal length). The United States Forest Service even offers free tours on these special dates in March and September!
