The Trinchera Cave Archeological District ( 5LA9555) is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

Las Animas County, Colorado Las Animas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,555. The county seat is Trinidad. The county takes its name from the Mexican Spanish name of the Purgatoire River, originally c ...

with artifacts primarily dating from 1000 BC to AD 1749, although there were some Archaic period artifacts found. The site was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2001 and is located on State Trust Lands.

Geography

Trinchera Cave is located within the Trinchera Creek canyon Black, Kevin. D
''An Archaeological Survey of the Trinchera Cave Area, Southeastern Colorado.''
Southwestern Lore: Contents and Abstracts. pp. 12-30. Retrieved 9-30-2011. in south central Colorado, east of Interstate 25. The climate zones and topography vary significantly in the 3,147 square mile Trinchera data analysis area (State of Colorado). Elevations range from , the lowest being at the San Francisco Creek to the height at

Blanca Peak Blanca Peak (Navajo: ) is the fourth highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The ultra-prominent peak is the highest summit of the Sierra Blanca Massif, the Sangre de Cristo Range, and the Sangr ...

. Between the two points are low rolling hills, valleys, ridges, steep mountain slopes and cliffs. At the lowest elevation there is less than 6 inches of precipitation per year; The mountainous areas receive 20 or more inches of precipitation per year, primarily in the form of snow. The habitat supports elk and deer populations. Sangre de Cristo Range Looking West

History

Archaeological data indicates that there were people who inhabited or camped at the site from the late Archaic cultural period, Sopris phase,

Apishapa culture The Apishapa culture, or Apishapa Phase, a prehistoric culture from 1000 to 1400, was named based upon an archaeological site in the Lower Apishapa canyon in Colorado.Gibbon, Guy E.; Ames, Kenneth M. (1998''Archaeology of Prehistoric Native Americ ...

complex, and late prehistoric periods, which spanned a period from several thousand years BC to AD 1749.

Archaic period - 5850-3050 BC

People of the Archaic period were hunters of smaller game, such as deer, antelope and rabbits, and gatherers of wild plants. The people moved seasonally to hunting and gathering sites. Late in the Archaic period, about AD 200-500, corn was introduced into the diet and pottery-making became an occupation for storing and caring food. Large corner notched points from the Archaic age are artifacts found at the site and akin to the Texas Ellis points or Denver area Magic Mountain site points found in Zone B. The presence of the points could show a relationship to the Basketmaker culture of New Mexico and Arizona, one of 17 such sites in southern Colorado.Gunnerson, James H. (1987)
Archaeology of the High Plains.
Denver: United States Forest Service.

Sopris phase – AD 1000-1250

Sopris phase was an Upper Rio Grande hunter-gatherer culture that followed the Archaic period, influenced by pueblo people, such as the

Taos Pueblo Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos) is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos-speaking (Tiwa) Native American tribe of Puebloan people. It lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico. The pueblos are considered to be one of the oldest ...

, and trade in the Upper Rio Grande. Santa Fe black-on-white pottery and Taos gray pottery were found at the second oldest level at the rock shelter. Also at that level was a greater percentage of corner-notched projectile that was found in the oldest level. The research and dating of items of this period indicate dates from AD 1100 to 1350, likely in the 1200s, and indicate a trading relationships with people of the American southwest.

Panhandle culture

Panhandle culture Panhandle culture is a prehistoric culture of the southern High Plains during the Middle Ceramic Period from AD 1200 to 1400. Panhandle sites are primarily in the panhandle and west central Oklahoma and the northern half of the Texas Panhandle. ...

is a prehistoric culture of the southern High Plains during the Middle Ceramic Period from AD 1200-1400. Panhandle sites are primarily in the panhandle and west central Oklahoma and the northern half of the

Texas Panhandle The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...

. Antelope Creek focus is the primary, and to some the only, cultural tradition of the Panhandle culture. The Optima focus was defined for sites in west central Oklahoma, but after further study, these sites were defined as Antelope Creek focus. In 1975 Robert G. Campbell defined the Apishapa of southeastern Colorado's Chaquaqua Plateau as a Panhandle culture, which is disputed by other archaeologists. Most of the sites are centered around the

Canadian River The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Central Plains complexes * Some, but much less, evidence of trading or influence of

Southwestern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

pueblo cultures * Single or multi-roomed stone structures Just above the Sopris level were remains of a

Jacal The jacal (həˈkɑːl; Mexican Spanish from Nahuatl ''xacalli'' contraction of ''xamitl calli''; literally "hut") is an adobe-style housing structure historically found throughout parts of the Southwestern United States and Mexico. This type o ...

structure. This level appears to contain a

influence, based upon the presence of artifacts typical of the

Antelope Creek Phase The Antelope Creek Phase was an American Indian culture in the Texas Panhandle and adjacent Oklahoma dating from AD 1200 to 1450. The two most important areas where the Antelope Creek people lived were in the Canadian River valley centered on prese ...

and Stamper cord-marked pottery. The Apishapa Phase, from AD 1000-1400, was identified by archaeologist Robert G. Campbell to be an outgrowth of the

. The Apishapa distinctions included that they sometimes lived in stone or slab constructed structures, made cord-wrapped pottery and used smaller projectile points; Unlike other Plains tribes, they did not use tools made of bison bones. They were a tradition of

hunter gatherer A traditional hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living an ancestrally derived lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local sources, especially edible wild plants bu ...

s who sometimes farmed. The people of the Apishapa phase lived in northern New Mexico or southern Colorado in rock shelters, single or multi-room stone or slab structures or in campsites, generally in protected areas near flowing water. Artifacts from this phase include a wide range of tools, cord-wrapped pottery and baskets. The initial reference point for the term was an archaeological site in the Lower Apishapa canyon.

Discovery

William Louden, a historian, geologist, and rancher, discovered the cave when he flew overhead the area in 1947. With Ruth Henritze, Louden dug for artifacts. The two individually published books about archaeology including:''Trinidad State Junior College, Trinidad, Co'' Articles.
the Archaeological Digital Record (tDAR). Retrieved 9-30-2011. * ''Penetente Architecture at the Mouth of Long Canyon, Las Animas County, Colorado'' - Stephen K. Ireland, Ruth H. Henritze. (1973) * ''Las Animas Archaeological and Historical Site Survey'' - William C. Louden, Stephen K. Ireland. (1974) * ''Granada and Holly Archaeological Site Survey'' - Willard C. Louden, Stephen K. Ireland. (1974) In 1984 the Louden-Henritze Archeology Museum at the Trinidad State Junior College was dedicated to Richard and Willard Louden and Ruth Henritze.
Trinidad State College. 2009. Retrieved 9-30-2011.

Archaeology

Cave description

The cave, approximately under a overhang, is surrounded by Dakota formation sandstone and sits on a Purgatoire shale formation floor. Within the rock shelter there were previously walls, reportedly built with sandstone blocks, estimated to be thick. Adjacent to the shelter is a creek.McCarthy, L.; Bank, C. (2003
''A Preliminary Geophysical Study Involving Remote Sensing at the Archaeological Site Trinchera Cave, Colorado - Abstract.''
American Geophysical Union. Fall Meeting 2003. Retrieved 9-30-2011. The shelter stays cool in the summer due to the overhang and is warmed by the sun in the winter.

Artifacts and other information

Trinchera Cave shares some similarities with a couple of other archaeological sites in eastern Colorado. Trinchera Cave,

Franktown Cave Franktown Cave is located 25 miles south of Denver, Colorado on the north edge of the Palmer Divide. It is the largest rock shelter documented on the Palmer Divide, which contains artifacts from many prehistoric cultures. Prehistoric hunter-gat ...

and Chamber Cave, all showed significant evidence of residence, including a wealth of perishable items. The Trinchera and Chamber Cave sites, though, are located in the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

basin and connected with the people of the southern plains. Franktown Cave is located in the South Platte River basin, near Denver, Colorado.Gilmore, Kevin
''Franklin Cave Nomination Form.''
University of Denver. 2005. p. 11. Retrieved 9-29-2011. The latest inhabitants of the cave were the Apache and Comanche tribes.Potter, Mary Jean. ''Students find artifacts from 1,000 year old artifacts.'' Eugene Register Guard (from the Pueblo Chieftain). November 30, 1999. Excavations were performed between the 1950s and 1970s, finding a similar variety of perishable items that were found at the Franktown Cave. The collection was taken and stored at the neighboring

Trinidad State Junior College Trinidad State College is a public community college in Trinidad, Colorado. It was founded in 1925, making it the first community college in the state of Colorado. Trinidad State operates a satellite campus in the nearby city of Alamosa, Color ...

, but the information about the perishable items collection has not yet tabulated and published.

Excavation and studies

Louden-Henritze Museum of Archaeology

The Louden-Henritze Museum of Archaeology, located in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

on the grounds of the

, replica of the Trinchera Cave rockshelter exhibits examples of items made by pre-historic people, including

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

projectile points In North American archaeological terminology, a projectile point is an object that was hafted to a weapon that was capable of being thrown or projected, such as a javelin, dart, or arrow. They are thus different from weapons presumed to have ...

, and perishable items made from plants, such as braided ropes, grass mats and yucca sandals. The dry, protected cave preserved the perishable items.''Louden-Henritze Museum of Archaeology.''
Trinadad State Junior College. 2009. Retrieved 9-30-2011.

Notes

William Louden and Richard Louden, William's son, worked together on the publications. Sometimes their names are combined to form "Willard".

References

External links

Louden-Henritze Archaeology Museum
- replica of the Trinchera Cave {{Colorado, show Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Las Animas County, Colorado Rock shelters in the United States Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado National Register of Historic Places in Las Animas County, Colorado